The Irish standard., 1911-05-06
Swift Mcneil Pointed Out Uncon-
stitutionality of Bill Pro-
posed by Peers.
And Lord Lansdowne was Thereby
Compelled to Greatly Alter
His Plans.
McNeil's Shrewd Play Will Make His
Name Famous in British Con-
stitutional History.

Ii has been said and often repeated
that it was one man, and he an Irish
man, Edmond Burke, who made the
British constitution. inasmuch as he
moulded it to become the instrument
of all democratic reform ever since,
writes Rev. o. b. Mcclure, Dublin cor
respondent of the Catholic Columbian.
Recent events would seem to indi-
! cate that there is only one man liv-
ing, and he an lrshman, who fully
understands the same constitution
The Tory party, with Il great degree
of blustcr, had u bill to reform the
house of lords ready for introduction
! in the upper chamber. The govern
mcnt was proceeding with the veto
bill in the lower house. Everybody
was talking. Expectation was
piQuant to see the reform bill of the
Tories. Mr.. Swift ONeil, an Irish
member, by Il simple question to the
prime minister, suddenly drew the
attention of parliament and Of the
country to the fact that what the
Tory peers were going to do was
grossly unconstitutional. The bill,
he said, by its very essence would
deprive the crown of It's prerogativc
to create peers. 1t Is an attempt to
reform the constitution, and no such
measure could be introduced in the
upper house, except the crown had
consented to waive this privilege
Tho American constitution is
written one. England has no writ
ten one. Everything goes by prece-
dent--by clear understanding of
what has been done before. Mr.. Nc
Neil had precodcnts to prove his con-
lention. For day or two the whole
country was agog. Lord Lansdowne
suddenly dropped his veto bill and
gave notice that he would move to Pc
tition the crown to waive it's priv
iegc to create peers. This would re-
move the technical obstacle. Now
the crown can do nothing unless ad
vsed by it's ministers; and again the
u country WAS agog as to what the gov
ernmcnt should advise. Finally, Lord
Morley, speaking for the government,
announced that they would advise
the crown to grant it's consent. So
the incident passed off, having made
the name Of Swift Mcneil immortal
in the history of the British constitu
ton.
Worse Than Feudaisn.
1t has often been said that Irish
landlordism was as bad as medieval
feudalism. AS a matter of fact, it
was much worse. The feudal lord
took All interest in his serfs. He i'm
proved his property for the good Of
the community, as can be seen in
the roads, bridges, and public mon,-
mcnts OF any village or town on the
continent But here is the AnketilI
family. They have been in the Coun-
ty Monaghan for about three hundred
years, and they pass out now leaving
absolutely nothing to. be seen or to be
remembered three centuries after
they began to collect rents from the
tillers Of the soil. That is the record
which stands to the credit Of fam
lily OF Irish landlords whose name is
still to be read in Doomsday book.
Leaving Dorsetshire in the reign OF
. Charles II, they were tempted by the
Irish transplantation" scheme to
purchase some seventy town lands
| hitherto occupied by the McMahons,
the McShanes and the McTrenors,
who had to be removed because Of
, their Celtic patronymics and their
Catholic religion. The purchase was
| marked in the survey as "Anketill
Grove" .......
| Before many years the disturbances
of 1888 gave them their first and only
! occasion to make history. We read
: that Mathew Anketill, gentleman
: of undaunted courage, rescued Lady
Blayney and the small garrison who
were being besieged by the rebels in
e the castle at Glaslough, but at the
cost Of his own life. Ever since this