The Irish standard., 1913-07-05
HOME RULE DUE
IN JUNE, 1914
English and Scotch Opinion Accepts
Question as Settled, Says
QConnor.
Tories Announce That They Will
Not Attempt to Amend the
Irish Bill.
Their Only Hope Now is That the
Ministry Will Fall in a Snap
Division.

Division.
That home rule will become law in
June. 191k, Is the belief Of T. r, o,Con-
nor. The reason for this belief he
gives as the attitude of the house of
commons and the English people gen.
orally toward the bill that is now be-
fore parliament. English and Scotch
opinion. he says. after having made a
| tour of those countries, accepts home
| rule now as a settled question. The
Orangemen of Ulster are trying to
make their civil war scare as realistic
as possible by allowing shipments Of
old, ante -deluveian muskets 10 fall
into the hands of officers of the gov-
| ernment. But every one is wise enough
to see the farce and laugh at it. Com
menting on the latest phase Of the
question In the Chicago Tribune Of
June %, T. P. O'Connor says.
Momentous Week.
1--WE have had a quiet, though mo-
mentous week in parliament. The min
istry is proceeding quietly and steadily
through the remaining stages Of the
Irish and Welsh bills. the tories having
announced that they would make no
attempt to amend the Irish bill 1t
| n fvayN NF 3tc oto In -
I almost empty house Of commons and
with feeble opposition and in one
stage. actually without even a debate.
| "Tthus, so far as the house Of COM
mons is concerned, the tories have
thrown up the sponge. Their latest
campaign in the country, bringing out
counter demonstrations much more
numerous and enthusiastic than theirs,
have convinced them there is no hope
whatever that the British democracy
has any sympathy with them and Sir
Edward Carson's threats of civil war
in Ulster have exasperated, instead of
frightened, the British masses.
1.-THE house of lords will probably
follow the example of the tories In tho
commons and will simply reject the
bill without making any attempt to
amend it or offering any form of COM
promise.
Tories Hope for Snap Division.
This all signifies that the tories are
now beginning to realize that Premier
Asquith's ministry will last till home
rule becomes law and their hope now
is either that the ministry will fall
through snap division, or that a
series of bad bye-elections, will fright
en- them or that the tory ministry.
succeeding after the next election, will
try to repeal the home rule act.
All of these hopes, l believe, are
vain and home rule once more march,
es steadily to it's final consummation
in June, 1914.
Zone slight cloud on the horizon
comes from the three-cornered fight In
the bye-election at Leicester. This
town always has been regarded as a
radical stronghold, but owing to the
labor unrest and the growth Of the So
cialigt element and the vigorous In
trigue among the labor extremists,
Ramsay Macdonald, who is one of the
members for Leicester and leader of
the labor party in the house of COM
mons, because of his skillful and mod =
crate tactics, a third candidate. fights
as socialist. This leads to the dam
ger of a tory slipping in between the
divided democratic forces. All Of this
has produced much excitement In par
liamentary circles over the position OF
Ramsay Macdonald. as it is felt he
involved, in a less degree, the fortunes
of the liberal ministry.
"The election is being fought mainly
on the insurance act, with an occas-
fonal mention of the Marconi scandal
and some reference to home rule. al
though the last does not figure largely
at this or any other bye-election, even
the Orangemen realizing that the En-
elish opinion cannot be reused to any
feeling against 1t now. The English
and Scotch opinion shows everywhere
that home rule is regarded as a set
tied question.
Invite Seizures Of Arms.
Small seizures of arms intended for