New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-26
Third Reading Given in
House of Commons Amid
Mild Enthusiasm.
SURE TO BECOME LAW;
PROBLEM UNSOLVED
Governments Amending Measure
Not in Shape and Struggle
Will Begin Over Again.
fBy Cable to The Tribune.

tBy Gable to The Tribune.
London. May 26.-Ycsterday was a
memorable one In the long struggle of
Irish Nationalists for parliamentary
independence, for the third Home Rule
bill passed the reading stage for a
third time in the House OF Commons
by a vote OF 35l to 274. a majority
Of II.
When the result OF the division was
declared few Nationalists waved
their handkerchefs and cheered, but
John f. Redmond, the Irish leader. sat
in his place unconcernedly, and what
ought to have been an historic occa-
sion might have been the perfunctory
passing Of some very ordinary bill.
The reason for this was that. al
though the bill is now certain to be-
come a law, no matter what happens
to II in the House Of Lords, the Home
Rule problem is unsolved, and the gov
ernment's final attempt in the shape Of
an amending bill embodying the pro-
posals for the temporary exclusion Of
Ulster has yet to be made.
Consequently the evenings proceed
ings were at the best a matter of FORM
rather an extraordinary process Of
putting the cart before the horse
Everything depends on the amending
bill introduced in the House Of Lords.
1t will itself be amended so as 10 pro-
vide for an unconditional exclusion Of
Ulster, and when II comes down to the
House Of Commons for discussion the
struggle will begin all over again.
No Discussion in House.
There was no discussion to-day on
the third reading because the UnIonists
refused 20 take part in 1t. The Right
Hon. James Lowther. the Speaker, took
the unusual course of suggesting 10 the
Prime Minister that he should tell III.
House what the amending bill would
contain.
Premier Asquith made a statement
which conveyed nothing new. He in
dicated that the amending bill would
contain the proposals made at the be-
ginning Of the session. Upon this the
leader Of the Opposition, Andrew
Bonar Law. said that to discuss the
Home Rule bill in the circumstances
would be not only futile but ridiculous
He added:
Let the curtain ring down. the soon
er the better, on what Is a contemplate
farce, but though this Is the end Of the
act it is not the end Of the play. The
final act will be played not in the House
Of Commons. but in the country, and
there IT will not be farce
These sentences were received with
tremendous enthusiasm by the Union
lists on the bench, but they annoyed
Mr.. Asquith, who retorted in an un-
usually passionate speech as 1usti-
fication Of his action. He claimed the
confidence Of the majority of the House
Of Commons
Mr.. Redmond made the following
statement last night:
"To-day's division marks the death
after an inglorious history OF the ia
years Of the union of Pitt and Castle
reagh. That union was the cause OF
Ireland's poverty, misery, depopulation
and decentralization.
That union. as we know 1t, is dead.
That much at any rate Is beyond doubt
or question after to-day's division.
There are only two eventualities
which could prevent the bill actually
becoming a statute in a few weeks
time. The first is that the present ses-
sion of Parliament should come to an
abrupt end before one month from this
date, an utterly unthinkable PROPOSE
ton; the other is that the House OF
Commons should suddenly go mad. and
pass a resolution TO the effect that the
bill should not be presented for royal
assent. In the absence of these two