The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-05-18
Churchill's
Plea for Home Rule
Winston

Winston Churchill volunteered his
services to. speak as a Minister of the
Crown for the Home Rule bill during
it's second reading. Mr.. Churchill
made a strong plea for the acceptance
OF the bill. Following are some of
the most salient passages in Mr.
Churchilrs speech:
The first impression which I ven-
ture to think this class of members
to which I refer will sustain as they
approach this question is that Irish
Home Rule is no longer as big a ques-
ton for Great Britain as it used to
be. The seriousness Of granting au-
tonomy or the division of the powers
OF self-government in a state Is ex-
actly affected by the relative size and
population Of the two countries con-
cerned. Norway and Sweden, Holland
and Belgium, Austria and Hungary,
I think I am correct in saying were
equal or almost equal bodies, but
even at the time of the Union the
population of Great Britain was
twice as great as the population Of
Ireland, SO that the question Of the
relations between the two countries
was never such great question to
us as it has been to those other states
/ have mentioned. But, Mr.. Speaker,
a change has taken place since the
Union, and 1t has been continually in
progress. There Is no evidence that
the change is not still in progress in
the relative power Of the wealth and
population Of the two countries, and
the relative population of Great Brit
ain Is no longer twice as great as that
Of Ireland. 1t 10 now ten times as
great. 1t has made very great diff
ference to the scale and Importance
Of the problem to British eyes. There
is no arguing against a change like
that. '.
Violence Of Movement Reduced.
There IRE further reasons why the
Irish question has diminished in i'm
portance. The violence of the Irish
movement has been steadily reduced
as the time has passed. The force Of
the revolutionary agitation led by
O'Connell in the forties. and the seri-
Gus disturbances of 1s48, were far less
horrible and dangerous in their char
acter and course than the Revolution
Of 1898. The Fenian movement Of the
sixties was less dangerous in It's man
Hesitation than the agitation Of O'Con-
nell. The land movement of the
eighties, although marked by shock
ing incidents, was less violent than
it's precursor in the sixties.
Since MT. Gladstone in 1886 identi-
fled one of the great English parties
with the Home Rule cause no scenes
or incidents Of violence have been
witnessed in Ireland more serious
than those which have attended la
bour disputes In Great Britain.
If the methods of violence have
sensibly diminished 1t Is also true to
say that the opinion Of extremists as
to the form that settlement should
take have also been steadily reduced.
From the day Of its inception by Mr..
Butt he believed 1t to be historically
true to say that the Home Rule move
ment had never been a separatist
movement that at any rate is our
view. =. do not mean by that that
many separatists have not supported
tho Home Rule movement, nor that
many Home Rulers have not made
separatist speeches, but say that the
Home Rule movement in its whole
course and character has been a mod
flying and moderating movement de-
signed to secure the recognition of
Irish claims within the circuit of the
British Empire. The very name of
Home Rule 1 have been told was
chosen by Mr.. Butt for the express
object of avoiding the excitement of
angry prejudices, and with the nten-
ton of conciliating British public
opinion.
The Demand Moderate,
1t is not wonderful that they should
bio led into excited language and vio-
lent demands. What is remarkable
is that through all. these years of
struggle. uncheered by fortune and
even abandoned by hope. the great
mass Of Irish Nationalist opinion
should have assented at every i'm
portant statement and reinstatement
Of their claims in a form absolutely
antagonistic to the separation of the
two Kingdoms. The Irish demand
now put forward, and now met by
this measure, which has been accepted
as full settlement by almost every
important element in Nationalist Ire