The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-16

of much of it's power and place, still re-
tains enough of both to be a serious trou-
BILE and drawback. The great liberty
party of England, saw. in the days OF
Gladstone, the justice of the Irish claims,
and as they say in America, made the
same a plank in it's platform. 1t passed
through the house or commons, pill
giving Ireland the right to manage its
own affairs in its own parliament. The
house of lords the hereditary legislative
chamber of England, being strongly con-
servative, with but few liberal lords. re-
jected the measure and Loves Labor was
Lost" In order to overcome the great
obstacle of the lords Veto Power, the
government next brought in the parlia-
ment bill, which proposed that any meas
ure that passed = second time through
the commons became law, despite the
lords veto. The liberal party, backed up
by the democracy of the country. told the
lords plainly that they had too long stood
in the way of real progress and legisla-
ton that benefited the masses, and that,
unless they swallowed this bitter bill of
allowing the parliament bill to pass, il,
the liberal government. would create
enough of its political followers, lords to
make sure it would pass. Choosing the
lesser of two evils, the house of lords
then committed political suicide, and now,
it can bark but not bite. 1t can delay
but not kill. The home rule bill has
now passed the commons, the lords, as
was expected, have rejected 1t. but next
year it will again be presented to them,
and then they dare not reject. Whether
they reject or not, 1t will become law.
and Ireland will be .snation once again. =
With the advent of the long wished
for era. what will be the future of the
old land. A wonderful development OF
her crippled industries, promotion oil
her interests unhampered by vexatlons,
restrictions and delays. ireland will in
deed be still part of the British em-
pire, and in the larger questions of I'M
perial policy will bear her part of the
burden, but still, in matters purely ma
tional. she can, as she could not before,
proeress along her own lines, and IN her
own way, and her.ways are not England s
way She is different in customs, IN re-
ligion, in ideals, in racial characteristics
She will take her place then among the
family of nations. Shall she be satisfied
with home rule, the home rule that the
great genius OF Parneli made possible.
Who dare say? When Gladstone asked
pa rnell that question once, Parnel re-
nIied in the words that today are en-
graved on his monument In Dublin I
have never attempted and never shall
TO saw to my people thus far shalt thou
on and no farther. You cannot place
bounds to the onward march OF ma
tion.is
Today then, we accept the home rule,
but there are many. who still fondiy
cherish the dream of absolute ana COM
plete independence, some VINO rain wouiu
see. ireland as free and as untramelled
as It was IN sthe long ago. ere the beau
tiful princess of Breffni brought the Nor
mans over the Irish sea. These cream
and If YOU will keep a secret am OF the
number of the dreamers, who long TO see
an ireland like the ireland Of Old
.syvbe,,s.l,o foreign foe did the Green Isle
Know. no stranger bandit bore.
eava Fthe merchant train from sunny
Spain or from Africas golden shore,
Ara the island green was as fair scene
as ever mans eyessdid see,
with5its chieftains bold and ITS temples
old and its homes, and It's AFFAIRS
free - + ?