The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-05-28
Most Of Changes Proposed by
Unionists
TO kEMEASURE WORTHLESS
Few, However, Are Likely to Be Passed
Only One Has Been Put For
ward by an Irish
Member.

London, May 2s.--There have already
been handed to the clerk of the House
of Commons amendments to the home
rule bill that fill 2S closely printed
pages of the parliamentary orders OF
the day. Most of them are in the names
of Conservative members, and it would
not take the passage of many OF them
to make the bill as useless as the pa
per it is printed on. The extreme rad
ical members on the other hand aim
at giving the Irish Parliament more pow
er and making it more democratic, while
some Of their non -conformist colleagues
would have clauses inserted to safe
guard their fellow religionists OF VI
ster.
With the exception of Laurence Gin
nell. a Nationalist with independence
leanings, the Irish members have not
vet tabled any amendments. MIR. GIN
nelrs amendments would enlarge the
powers of the Irish Parliament and, like
those of the Radicals, make It more
Democratic. While months will be spent
on the committee stage of the bill, rev
of the amendments will receive hear.
ing. The chairman of the committee
has the power TO choose the amendments
that shall be considered, his decisions,
however, generally being made after
consultation with the leaders of all par
ties. We're all those already handed
in discussed, it would take more than
one session of Parliament to dispose
OF them.
While most Of the amendments pro-
posed by Unionists aim at destroying
the bill. there are some that will doubt
less receive consideration as tending to
improve the measure. II is strange TO
find two Unionist members, Niscount
Castlereagh and Lord Claude Hamilton,
both sons OF peers, who have been
lord lieutenants of Ireland, proposing
the abolition of that Office and substi-
tuting secretaryship of state--a change
that has more often been associated with
radical policy.
Several members would have the bill
submitted to the people OF the United
Kingdom before being ratified, or post
poned for four years, or until the gov
ernment had carried ont the promised
reconstruction Of the House Of Lords.
A sly slap is taken at t. p. OConnor
bv the suggestion of one member that
the Scotland division of Liverpool, which
il represented in the House of Commons
by MIR. O'Connor, and the electors OF
which come from across the channel,
shall for the purposes of the bill, be
considered part Of Ireland. Others
again would have Ulster excluded from
the bill. and some will propose that it
shall apply to England, Wales and Scot
land as well as ireland, thus bringing
about that federal home rule, which was
for few days the policy of some Con-
servatives in 1910.
The second clause of the bill which
defines the legislative powers of the
Irish Parliament with important limita-
tions is attacked from all sides II all
the amendments to this clause were
carried, the Irish Parliament would have
nothing 10 do for enough Unionist
have been tabled to take
everything out of its hands Sir John
Barren would give Ulster Ia members
in the Senate and all the rest of Ire
land %. The list at present closes with
two amendments by Mr., Ginnell in one
of which he would have the bill declared
n "money bill" the only kind of q
bill that the lords. under the Parliament
act have not the power to delay or in
terfere with in any manner. The speak
err alone has the power to so declare
a bill. so there Is not much chance OF
the suggestion being adopted.