New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-02
With Franchise Bill Lost and
Home Rule Hung Up, Cab
inet'S Task Was Hard.
IRISH PROBLEM WEARIES
Derry Election, Lloyd Georges
Land Campaign Speech and
Militant Suffragism Fa-
vorable Factors.
BY Gable to The Tribune. J

Il
than might have been expected With
the franchise bill lost and Home Rule
thrown out by the House Of Lords, il
would seem as though two heavy blows
had been struck at the governments
prestige, but despite these facts the
week winds up with Mr.. Asquith and
his supporters in as good position as
ever, and with the outlook for the
Cnionists not whit more hopeful.
Several factors have contributed to
this. One has been the Derry election
another has been the tactics of the mil
liant suffragists, which, by arousing
universal antagonism, have taken the
sting out Of the governments defeat
on the franchise bill, and another has
; been the undoubted fact that English
men are growing weary Of the Irish
problem, at the same time reconciling
themselves to the belief that Home
Rule must some day become the law
of the land.
This accounts largely for the COM
parative quiet that prevailed in the
House of Lords when the Home Rule
bill was rejected there on Thursday
night. Though the Unionist majority
in the upper chamber was 2J1. the
number of peers absent from the cham
Der was go. Twenty years ago. when
Gladstone's second Home Rule bill was
thrown out by majority of 37S, there
were only 100 members absent, but
there is now an effective roll of ga
peers. compared with $50 then. An
other fact that detracted from the in
terest of the proceedings in the Lords
was the knowledge that the bill, which
under the old state of things would
now be dead, can and will be resusci-
tated thanks to the Parliament act
Unionist Leader TAINTED.
Premier Asquith on Wednesday. at
Levcn. in Scotland, made a most eff
fectiye reply TO the recent speeches OF
MIR. Bonar Law. his own speech being
filed with well calculated taunts of the
Cnionist leader if such he can be
called
The Derry election came next with
The :eturn of the Nationalist candidate
and the wrestling of one of the Ulster
seats from the Unionists In their Joy
Il lutting the Unionist representation
of Ulster in the minority in Parlia-
ment. the Liberals are now making the
mistake of saying that Ulster is swing
ing around toward Home Rule. Sucn
is not the case. The WARBLER who wins
and loses elections in Great Britain is
unknown in ireland, where elections
are lost or won at the registration re-
vision sessions. The people of Ireland,
and particularly the people of Ulster,
never change their politics, being born
either Nationalist or Unionist. The
Unionists had small majority on the
register at Derry, and the reason they
lost is that there happened TO DO a
greater amount of emigration among
Unionist electors than among the Ma
tionalists.
Mr.. Lloyd George created q further
diversion on Friday night by an impo--
tant speech at the National Liberal
Club, in which he was generally cred
fed with launching his long antici
pated land campaign. II seems TO be a
fact, however that he merely took adj
vantage Of the excitement of the week
to endeavor to disabuse the public mind
of the belief that Premier Asquth was
quietly but effectively keeping Mr..
Lloyd George and the land campaign
ON q side track and TO announce again
Ian somewhat fiamboyant rhetoric that
a land campaign there must and shall
be.
Altogether this has been one of the
most remarkable Parliamentary weeks
of recent years. The government re-
mains on top of the heap. despite the
abandonment of the franchise bill.
Working Toward Suffrage.
II is now patent that the movement
for the enfranchisement of women has
made enormous strides in the House OF
Commons, and, If supported tactfully,
woman's suffrage, in some form or
other. may become an actual fact IN
the life of the present Parliament. Mr..
Asquith got out of a particularly awk-
ward corner when he offered TO give
every facility in the next session for
the passing OF private members bill
to legalize such enfranchisement, but
there will be considers BILE difficulty in
drafting the measure, as opinions vary
greatly as to what woman suffrage
really means.
The offer Of the government TO allo-
cate time for the discussion of % pri-
yate bill and TO treat 1t In every way
as a first class measure, without being
responsible for its success, is COM
plete Parliamentary innovation on the
institution of which women can heart
lily congratulate themselves. Time
alone can tell how the scheme is likely
TO work, but old Parliamentary hands
are inclined 10 think II will give the
cause OF woman suffrage a greater
chance OF success than IL ever had be-
fore, always provided that its too ar
dent female supporters outside the
House do not wreck the prospect by
their III judged enthusiasm.
The tactics pursued by the women