Las Vegas optic., 1912-03-16

London, March 16.-The Irish home
rule bill is not be introduced in the
house of commons before Easter.
Thus far the members Of the min
istry have kept the secret as to the
details Of the bill entirely to them
selves, unless perhaps the nationalist
leaders have been given a hint as to
how far the government is prepared
70 SO. Mr.. Churchill delivered a long
speech in Belfast without letting very
much out and he has been followed
by Mr.. Birrell, the Irish secretary,
who has said even less. He. however,
did tell the country that the bill was
TO be introduced by Mr.. Asquith, he
premier in this respect following the
example of William Ewart Gladstone,
who personally introduced both his
home rule bills, and that this was
proper. ,as the bill was no department
al measure. but an important and an
authoritative act of the whole liberal
party."
The preamble or first clause will set
forth that the bin sets up on Irish
soil and Irish parliament, 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.
tetsant minority in Ulster. and more
particularly what are TO be the finan-
cial arrangements. The ministers
have assured the Ulsterites that the
safeguards against religious intoler-
ance will be sufficient without hav-
ing as yet stopped the agitation
against the bill in Belfast and the
surrounding country. However, this
will not be The governments greatest
difficulty, for the non-conformists in
England are not giving their fellow
religionists in Ireland the same sup
port that they did in previous home
rule campaigns.
What will trouble the ministers are
the financial arrangements. Nation
alist members speaking in Ireland
lately have been demanding full fiscal
autonomy, demand that the govern
ment can hardly grant and a refusal
of which might cause the bill to be
rejected by the Dublin convention, as
was the Irish councils bill. The gov
ernment might grant the control OF
excise or inland revenue, but to hand
over the control of the customs would
be to court the opposition Of some of
their own English and Scotch free
trade supporters. 1t has been sug-
gested that way might be found out
of the difficulty by introducing pro.
vision that complete free trade should
be continued between the countries and
by giving the Irish parliament the
power of varying the rates Of GUS
toms duties on foreign imports, while
Withholding the power to vary the ar
ticles on which duty is now levied. If
the demands of Ireland as to finan-
cial arrangements are not satisfac-
tory, Mr.. Redmond might prefer to
oppose the bill before submitting it
to the convention.
Besides the alleged unfairness Of
placing Protestant Ulster under a.
government which, by the nature Of
things, would be largely made up of
Roman Catholics, the unionists are
fighting the government on the finan-
ces. They point out that the trade
of Ireland has increased enormously
in recent years and that now England
gets very appreciable portion of her
food supplies from the sister isle.
So long as Ireland remains in the
union no enemy could stop that sup
ply, on which England's very life
might depend-no enemy, that is, ex-
cept an unfriendly government in