The Calumet news., 1912-07-12
MANY AMENDMENTS PROPOSED
Cornish Member Wants Protes-
tant Countries Omitted
TWO CHAMBERMEN HOLD FIRM
Decline to Accept Proposal to Wipe
Out Provision Calling for Sec
ond House.

London, July 12-The Government
urged on by the Nationalists. has de
cided that faster progress must bo
made With the committee stage of the
Home Rule l}ill.
The bill went Ia the committee OF
the whole house on June IL. and al
though -four days have since been giver
to consideration of the amendments
offered even the first clause has not yet
been passed. This was largely due to
the fact that the Government gave the
members their own time for discussion
and no attempt was made 10 Introduce
either the "guillotine" or Kangaroo
closure two means which the minis
ter In charge has Of shortening the de
bate. That one of these means must
and viii be introduced goes without
saving as otherwise the opposition
could block the bill forever.
The kangaroo" viii probably be
adopted. as IL leads To less friction. To
do this resolution is passed by the
House in ordinary session empowering
the chairman OF committee to pick out
what amendments he believes 10 be
most important and allow discussion
on them skipping all the rest
The "guillntine" is more ruthless
1hc minister I'm charge OF the bill sim
ply moves the closure when and where
he likes and discussion must stop.
Catholic Majority Feared.
The first and most important amend
inent was introduced by Mr.. Agar
Robartes. a Cornish member, who like
many non -confornlists Of Cornwall
fears that his fellow feligionists would
not receive fair play from the Catholic
majority In Ireland. He moved that
The Northeastern counties OF Ulster
tAntrim, Armagh. Down and London.
derry) should not be included in the
operations Of the bill. ON this amend
inent the governments majority drop
ped To SO. but this was largely due 10
the absence OF 10 Labor members and
no fewer than III Liberals, either
through illness or being engaged in
labor disputes and by elections IN the
country. Five Liberals. however act
ually voted against the government.
These were Mr.. Agar Rogertes and his
colleague from Cornwall Sir Clifford
Cory who Is a pronounced anti iiome|
Ruler, and three Scotch liberals who
have heretofore been counted among
the supporters OF Home Rule. These
latter. like Mr.. Agar -Robartes, having
registered their objection to Protestant
Ulster being included, will probably
support the bill through the rest of lis
stages
Among the Irish Unionists them
selves. outside the House. there was a
decided difference of opinion on the
advisabillty of this amendment, al
though it received The full support Of
the Unonists In the House. There is
large body of Cnionist opinion IN
Ireland that believes that should Home
Rule come the Nationalist party would
he split into two camps. Radical and
Conservative. the former ed b. Jo
seph pevlin and the latter by John
Redmond. aud that the control OF the
Dublin legislature would fall into the
hands of tile Ulster and Dublin bus-
ness men, and. therefore 1t would
he advantageous to have as many Ul-
Sier members in the House as pos
sible
Government Has Majority.
The other amendment. also intro
dnced by a private Liberal member.
proposed that the provision for a sec
ond chamber or senate should be de
ieted. This was one OF the most dan
serous amendments that could be i'm
uoduced, as all the Labor members
ana large number of Radicals are
pronounced one chamber men The
I"Nalty Of the Laborites To the Ma
ilonalists who have in the past been
OF assistance to the Labor Party more
'hah once, however saved the day an
gave the Government a majority Of SO.
sun 20 below the normal majority, but
pet'er than the SO OF the day before.
ohe or the strongest pleas for single
chanber government came from the
"adieal members with Colonial expert
ehce' who claimed that II had
worked wen when tried In the Dcmin-
ION. Joseph Martin, a former premier
VI BRUSH Columbia and member of the
FEDERAL House at Ottawa. was ono a.
~" most persistent supporters Of tn.
amendment. giving the Canadian PROV
"'ees an example OF the benefits OF
single houses.
e unionists supported the amend
'"shS believing that the Laborites