Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-04-11
PROVIDES FOR TWO HOUSES
THE SENATE is TO BE NOMINAL
ED BODY WHILE THE LOWER
BRANCH is ELECTIVE
PROTECTS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
NEW LEGISLATIVE BODY CAN
NOT ESTABLISH ANY STATE
CHURCH

London, April 1.-THE Irish home
rule bill, the third effort made by lib
eral governments of the United King
dom in 25 years to settle the quarrel
between Great Britain and Ireland, was
introduced in the house of commons
today by Premier Asquith.
Britishers have become Injured to
political upheavals in the recent
years, so the crowded chamber that
greeted Mr.. Asquith when he nailed
up the home rule flag today was a
special tribute to the historic impor-
tance of the occasion. The galleries
set apart for the diplomatic corps,
peers and the public were filed to
capacity, while every seat in the
house was occupied and an overflow
OF members stood on the gongways.
Premier Asquith was greeted with
prolonged cheers from the national
lists and LIBERALS when he rose to
speak. The vote OF Ireland, he said,
was preponderantly in favor Of home
rule and the right of relatively small
majority in Ulstes'M veto the win
Of the vast majority Of the irish peo-
pie could not be admitted.
He had always presented the cause
Of home rule for Ireland as the first
step in a larger scheme of evolution.
The separate concerns of the differ
ent parts of the United Kingdom
could, he said, never be treated ade-
quately until they had been handed
over to their special representatives.
Premier Asquith took up the narra-
tive OF home rule at the point at
which the late William Ewart Glad
stone left off 19 years ago, pointing
ont that through all the political
changes and through peace and war
the insistence and persistence in the
Irish demand for home rule had re-
mained constant.
The cardinal principle of the pres.
ent home rule bill is, said the pre-.
mier, the supreme authority of the
imperial parliament, while at the
same time real autonomy is confer
red on Ireland regarding Irish con-
Germs. The bill provides for the es-
tablishment of an Irish parliament
of senate and a house of represen-
tatives with power to make laws for
peace, order and good government in
Ireland.
The bill provides that the matters
be excluded from the control of the
Irish parliament are the crown, the
army and the navy, imperial affairs,
the Irish land purchase and the old
age pensions and national insurance
acts. the Irish constabulary, the post
office savings banks and public loans
in addition to those included in the
home rule bin of 1893, which left the
customs under the control Of the i'm
periaI government.
The Irish constabulary is to be au-4
tomaticaIly Transferred to the Irish
government after six years, and pow
er is given to the Irish parliament
to demand the transfer of the old age
pensions and insurance act to its CON
troll on giving a years notice. The
Irish parliament is debarred from al.
tering the home rule bill or the pow.
ed to appeal to the privy council.
Provision is made for the protec
tion of religious equality and stipul
ating that the Irish parliament can.
not make laws, directly or Indirectly.
to establish or to endow any religion
or to prohibit the free exercise there
of or to give a preference or privilege
any religion or to make any religious
crmony a condition Of validity of any
marriage.
The lord lieutenant of Ireland is to
have the power to veto or suspend
any bill on the instruction of tne I'M
perial executive ANY question re-