Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-09
RULE
FORCES WIN IN
COMPROMISE
Remarkable Scene in House Of
Commons as Premier Outlines
Measure Recognizing Ulster.
BY HERBERT TEMPLE.


LONDON, March 9,-Premier AS
quith and his Cabinet to-day yielded
to the demands of the anti-home rule
forces of the Ulster counties of Ire
land. In a formal address to the
House of Commons, the Premier out
lined the provisions of a home rule
compromise by which the people Of
Ulster Province may escape the dom
nancy Of Dublin Parliament. The
terms of the compromise are:
/. The counties of Ulster Province
will be allowed to say whether or not
they desire to be excluded from the
operation of the home rule for Ireland
bill.
2. A poll will be taken of the Par
liamentary electors on the question
Of exclusion before the home rule bill
becomes operative.
8. If a majority favors exclusion
the county or counties wherein there
has been such a decision will be au-
tomatically excluded for a period OF
six years from the time of the first
meeting of the new Parliament
4. II a majority of the Ulster
counties favor exclusion, only the as
sent of a majority of the people of
the United Kingdom can bring them
under the sovereignty of the pro-
posed Dublin Parliament.
Unionists Cheer.
The declaration of terms brought
prolonged cheers from the ranks of
the Unionists and groans and Kisses
from the Liberals and Irish National
lists.
In his address, Premier Asquith
said:
1T appears that some form of ex-
clusion for Ulster Province must pro-
vide a middle way between a sur
render of privilege on the part of the
Government and an application Ci
force.
Accordingly. it has been decided
that the counties of Ulster shall first
be allowed to say for themselves
whether they desire exclusion"
Not since the days of the Premier
ship of Gladstone has Parliamentary
event been awaited with such interest
as the announcement Of Premier As
quith to-day
In addition to the ever pitch, inter-
est in the Government statement and
the excitement occasioned by the pos
sibility of violence upon the floor OF
the chamber, the police were instruct
ed to use the utmost vigilance to pre-
vent suffragettes from getting into
the galleries. This caution led to a
number of exciting incidents, where
detectives suspected the intentions Of
non -suffragettes who were entering
with friends or relatives.
Ovation for Asquith
The historic chamber housing Com
mons was packed to suffocation. The
galleries were filed with men and
women spectators, many of them be-
ing members of the peerage and rep
resentatives OF foreign governments.
In fact, the crowd was so dense
and the chamber so crowded that
some of the members were unable 10
get to their seats. All the members
and all the attaches of the lawmaking
body whose positions gave them en-
trance to the House OF Commons
crowded their way into the chamber.
When Premier Asquith entered, the
Liberals and Irish Nationalists leaped
to their feet with prolonged cheers.
Standing upon the benches, the Com
moners shouted until they were
hoarse. Looking neither to the right
nor left, the Premier, his ace solemn
and tense, beneath the fringe of iron
gray hair, made his way slowly to his
place.
Shortly afterward, A. Bonar Law,
leader OF the opposition in the lower
chamber. and Sir Edward Carson,
chief Unionist leader in Ulster Prov
ince, entered
The Unionist leaders then contin-
ued the tumult which had signalized
the entrance of the Premier. The
Speaker pounded with his gavel, but
had to allow the uproar to run its
course.
Prospect of Strife in Ulster.
The scene was fit to take rank with
other historic incidents which have
figured in the life of a historic Par
Lament.
After several matters relating to
the foreign affairs of the Government
had been settled, Premier Asqulth
arose, amid thunderous burst of
applause. 1t was some time before
the statesman could make himself
heard
The preamble to the Government
statement was dry and uninteresting.
not giving any hint as 10 the i'm
port of the announcement
IF l make any suggestions in the
course of my speech, it is not because
the Government is running away from
the original bill said the Premier in
the beginning. TT is to allow consid-
Grafton at this stage of this measure
to begin with the greatest chances OF
success.
There is every prospect OF person
al strife in Ulster Province. and yet
IL this bill is shipwrecked or perma-
nently mutilated or even indefinitely
postponed, there would be an equally
formidable outlook"