The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-02-25
HOME RULE BILL
WILL Be FIRST
Asquith for the First Time Mentions
Irish Parliament in His
Declaration.
The Old Bogies Which Defeated
Gladstone Are Fossilized
Issues Today.
Redmond Makes Greatest Speech of
His Career-O'Brien Gives
up the Fight.

The Tories now have made three
big attacks on the ministry during
the first fortnight of the session OF
parliament. The attack on the Mac
can marriage ANONYMOUSLY failed,
the attack on reciprocity LETT the
Chamberlain policy in fragments, ana
the third and final attack on the HON,
rule policy was thc biggest failure oil
alt says II. =. O'Connor in his cablc>.
message to the Chicago Tribune OF
Feb. is.
Premier Asquilh, beaming and OK
ultant, meeting the Redmond division
lobby after the Irish debate, said:
This was the greatest night 1or Eng
land and Ireland for Il quarter of a
century"
The ireland debate all went one
way. The Tory attack, consisting 0.
stale quotations., OF appeals TO Prot
eslant feeling, and of threats of clvn
wal oiSCtl, NoulluSu llNC oiI
echoes of the irrcvocabe past, and it
is evident it is impossible any longer
to make IL sensation or even get a
hearing III England with the old bogys
which defeated Gladstone.
Home Rule Bill First.
Asquth's declaration was remArka-
bic in two respects lie used, for the
first time, the words Irish parliament
and Indicated that the home rule bin
would re the first measure in the next
session.
Birrell in /; rolicking speech which
wound up the debate, put this even
| more clearly. Home rule, he sald
definitely, would be the first bill next
year. ....
Winston Churchill made Il powerful
speech, coldly reasoned out, proving
that the military, political, and social
| dangers from irish home rule were
groundless, and finally he begged the
! Tories to seize the Opportunity, lost
in the South African case, of making
! the Irish settlement Il national instca
OF Il party triumph for the Liberals.
Redmond's Speech His Best.
Redmond's speech was the best OF
! his whole career. 1t produced such a
! profound impression and was consld-
cred so useful that the LiDcra1 an,
printing it by the hundred thousan I
copies for distribution in the Engi
constituencies.
RedmOnd's language was unmistak-
able in its clcarncss. He proved the
readiness of Ireland to enter into a
full friendship with the people of Eng
land, and following in Parnel's his,
toric speech on the home rule bill III
1886, he accepted the supremacy OF
the imperial parliament.
Redmond offered to strengthen that
supremacy, if necessary, against the
danger, real or imaginary, of Cath
olic pcrseci.I.On Of the Protestant mi
nority in the Irish parliament, and
wound up with an impressive appeal
that the new sovereign begin his
reign and make It historic by opening
in person the irish parliament in Col
lege Green.
O'Brien Gives UP Fight.
Several EngIishmen were observed
to weep silent tears when ItedmonI
gave his lofty and touching appeal tc
racial reconciliation.
An even more remarkable episode
was the speech OF William O'Brit
After preaching for years that the LIB
eral leaders were knaves and that tho
Irish leaders were their dupes an
after compelling ireland TO vast
100000 in internccine struggle
OBrien was competely upset by th'
clearness, honesty, and promptitude Q
Asquith's pronouncement.
In stumbling language and with ;
broken appearance, O'Bren announce
that. he would do nothing to embJ1
rass the Liberals or Redmond and m
accepted the honesty and boldness o
Asquith's attitude.
But O'Brien's attitude one day nev
er can anticipate his attitude on I'll,
next, and on the budget and othe
questions O'Brien may make trouslt
again.