Kentucky Irish American., 1912-02-10
Were Inspired to Test Senti-
ment of Commons and
People.
Bill FOreids the Establishment
or Endowment of Any
Religion.
DENIES FEUD WITH ASQUITH

The London correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune cabled that paper
last Sunday that with Parliament
reconvening in ten days, interest has
been revived in the terms OF the
home rule bill which the Ministry Is
70 introduce. Forecasts which ap-
parently are inspired to test the
sentiment of the House of Commons
and the country are appearing In
the press. While there are impor-
tant discrepancies in these, 1t is ev-
ldent that the Ministry intends to
provide for the creation of an Irish
Parliament consisting of a council
and assembly, to reduce the irish
representation in the British Par
lament, which is now 103, probably
to seventy, to limit the votes OF
irish members of Parliament at
Westminster to imperial and purely
Irish questions, and to give the
Irish treasury an annual subsidy
until the country is self-supporting.
In order to meet the charges OF
the Unionists that an Irish Parlia-
ment would make Roman Catholic
ism the State religion, a provision
will be included in the bill forbid
ding the establishment or endow-
ment of any religion. 1t will impose
a disability to confer advantage OF
any kind on account of religious be-
lief or to appropriate revenue for
religious purposes. The point has
not been cleared up as to whether
the Irish Parliament will control the
excise customs. Whatever Is deter
mined in this connection will GER
tainly be accompanied by provision
for free trade between Ireland and
Great Britain.
1t is expected the bill will be the
forerunner of the intention of the
Ministry to bring in measures to give
home rule TO Scotland and Wales.
10. NJ. Robertson, the Parliamentary
Secretary to the Board of Trade, In
a speech Friday night said the vital
difficulty now was recent Irish de-
mand for unchecked financial
autonomy. Home rule, he declared,
could not be granted on any such
basis. II would be equivalent to the
disintegration of the United King
dom.
The situation in Belfast caused
grave anxiety at Dublin Castle. IL
was realized there that this Is job
which the police can not cope with.
The police never can handle a Bel
fast mob when it's blood is up, and
while the castle authorities are re-
luctant to do so, they practically de-
cided that it will be necessary to
pour troops into Belfast on the day
in question. The General command
ing the Belfast district has been in
communication with the war office
In London, as we'll as with the
castle, and II is said has been told
that he can have all the soldiers he
wants.
II is not at all unlikely that mar
tial law win be proclaimed for the
day and that Winston Churchill
will drive to the meeting along
streets lined with troops. Martial
law is no new thing in Belfast, but
il usually has come after the police
have tried and failed. The safety
Of a Cabinet Minister is too serious
a matter, however, to take any risks,
and the mob won't have chance to
overthrow the police. The really
amazing feature of the situation is
that the English Government takes
no steps TO deal with the instigators
of riot. Nationalist M. P.'s have been
sent to prison for far less.