Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-05-10
Announces First Reading of Bill
Before the whitsuntide
Holiday.
The Woman Suffrage Bill Causes
Anxiety i'm the House of
Commons.
HOME POLITICS NOT TRANQUIL

Reviewing the weeks happenings,
the Hon. T. p. 0'Connor, NJ. p,
cabling from London, notes that,
though cvershadowed by the tremen-
dous perils abroad, home politics
have not remained tranquil. The
| Liberals looked anxiously for the
result of the election in Whitechapel,
where the insurance act created
great dissatisfaction among small
Jewish employers and where the
Tories had worked with fierce energy
and with high hopes. The reelection
CT Samuel, though with a reduced
majority. was hailed as an immense
relief. The plural voting bill has
now passed its second reading and
will probably be enacted in spite Of
the House of Lords.
The chief event of the week was
Winston Churchill's cyclonic incur
sion into the Marconi Committee in
quiry. His fierce denunciation of
calumnious rumors, and still more
the depth of petty gossip into which
recent witnesses descended in an eff
fort to discredit the committee, COM
PEELED even the Tory members to
abandon the plan of continuing il
indefinitely, and now its proceedings
will come to a speedy end. to the
immense relief of the whole public.
But of course with all the charges
OF corruption now definitely aban-
doned, the Tories hope to impress
the mind of the country with the
idea that these Ministers were gam
blers, and on inside information,
and thus are unworthy to retain
their positions. Doubtless this
mud-slinging will leave some traces,
but the illuminated Ministers will
now be hacked by the whole force
of the supporters of the Ministry in
all three parts.
A more serious danger threatens
in the debate next week of the
woman's suffrage bill. The outrages
OF the militants have aroused public
| opinion wildly against the women,
but many members of Parliament
still feel bound by impulsive prom
lses to support female suffrage, and
The result of the division on second
reading Tuesday night is uncertain.
Great anxiety is apprehended, espe-
cially among the Liberals and Irish,
/ for if the measure is carried on sec
ond reading the Ministry will be
| bound to find time to carry the bill
| through this session, and with that
prospect in view friends of home
| rule claim it will involve enormous
demands for parliamentary time and
still further embarras the situation
| by the prospect of such violent diff
| ferences of opinion among the Cab
| met Ministers as to threaten the
existence of the Cabinet. For this
reason nearly all the Irish members
will oppose the bill. Liberals will
oppose it as response to the mill
| liant outrages, but the real danger
is that while the zealots for female
suffrage will be present in force, a
great number of opponents or indif-
| ferents will remain away and thus
| give a majority for the bill.
Asquith gave the home rulers a
delightful little surprise by the an
nouncement that the first reading of
the bill will take place before Whit
suntide holiday This action marks
contrast between present and past
conditions In the home rule struggle,
and ii is believed this stage of the
bill will be taken without even one
word of debate and in the most in
formal way.
In the olden days the first reading
occupied sometimes at least a week
and with fierce divisions. while now
this stage is taken with as little
formality as II it were a small street
car bill. II is now announced also
that the Ministry will not propose a
drastic closure for the second read
ing debate, but II is understood the
debate will not be allowed to go be-
yond three or four days and that
the remaining stages of the bill will
not occupy more than four days
more. Thus the home rule bill will
be passed the second time in eight
days.