El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-03-16

Bill Is Still Shrouded in
Mystery by Members of
Ministry.
MONEY QUESTION
PULLING FEATURE

London. Eng, March 16--The Irish
home rule bill is not to be introduced
IN the house Of commons before Eas-
ter.
Thus far the TnemDers OF the min
istry have kept the secret as to the
details Of the bill entirely 10 them
selves, unless perhaps the Nationalist
leaders have been given a hint as to
how far the government is prepared
10 so. Mr.. Churchill delivered a long
speech in Belfast without letting very
much out and he has been followed By
has said even less. He, however, did
tell the country that the Dill was TO
be introduced by Mr.. Asquith, the pre-
mier In this respect following the eN-
ample OF william EWart Gladstone,
who personally introduced both his
home rule bills. and that this was
proper, as the bin was no department
al measure, but an important and an
authoritative act Of the whole Liberal
party
No News in Preamble.
The preamble or first clause will set
forth that the bills sets up on irish
soil an Irish parliament a house Of
commons and senate with legisla-
tive authority over the whole range
Of purely Irish domestic affairs. This
was hardly news. What the people
have been asking is what safeguards
have been inserted to protect the Pro-
testant minority in Ulster. and more
cial engagements. The ministers have
assured the Obstetrics that the safe
guards against religious Intolerance
viii be sufficient without having
yet stopped the agitation against the
bill in Belfast and the surrounding
country However, this viii not be
the governments greatest difficulty,
Tor the non cOufOrmtsts in England
are not giving their fellow religion
lists in Ireland the same support that
they did in previous home rule cam
paigns.
What VIII trouble the ministers are
the financial arrau gements- Nation
alist members speaking IN Ireland
lately have been demanding full fiscal
autonomy, a demand that the govern
ment can hardly grant and a refusal Of
which might cause the Dill to be re-
jected by the Dublin convention as
was the irish councils bill The gov
eminent might grant the control Of I
excise or inland revenue, bet to hand Q
over the control Of the customs would 1
be TO court the opposition Of some Of I
trade supporters 1t has been sug- 4
gested that a way might be found out ]
Of the difficulty by introducing a pro- 4
vision that complete free trade should 4
be continued between the two countries Z
and by giving the irish parliament the 4
power Of varying the rates OF customs /
duties on foreign imports, while with /
holding the power TO vary the arrlcles /
on which duty is now levied If the !
demands Of Ireland as to financial ar .
engagements are not satisfactory, Mr.. !
Redmond might prefer TO oppose the I
bill before submitting il TO the con
Vention-
Besides the alleged unfairness Of
placing Protestant Ulster under gov
eminent which. by the nature OF
things would be largely made up Of
Roman Catholics the UniOnists are
fighting the government on the
finances They point out that the trade
Of Ireland has increased enormously
in recent years and that now England
gets very appreciate portion Of her
food supplies from the sister isle. So
long as Ireland remains Ia the union
no enemy could stop that supply, on
which Englands very life might de-
pend-no enemy, that is except an
unfriendly government In Dublin
which could stop the export Of food to
England when she needed IL most us
ter too, they say, should have some
thing TO say about the disposal Of the
customs collections, for, while she pays
something Over S1O,0O0,0OO annually in
customs, the rest Of ireland contrib
utes under 81, 100000.
Meeting the Expenses.
1t is estimated that the expenses Of