The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-15
THE ULSTER ISSUE AND HOME
RULE.

hChl.s
With the opening OF the present scs
sion OF Parliament, the United King
dom faces one of the gravest domestic
crises I'm latter day British history.
Irish home rule is in the scales, ana
whichever way these tip may be preE.
nnnt with revolutionary chanaes ar
fectinG. If not in tho immediate, the
near future. the British political order
and form OF government. Already the
homo rule issue has been tho cause Of
one revolution thnt uprooted o prcco.
dent which was woven into the web and
the wool OF British const!tutlonnlism
II was made by the opponents OF
home rule--thc opponents of Justice for
ireland We nIludc of course, to the
parllumentarv act under which tho
House of Lords was shorn OF It's an
cicut prcrogativo of anal and perpetual
veto.
IN order TO understand the situation
II must be borne In mind that by rea.
son OF the restrictions Of that act, the
homo rule bill, il passed by the Com
mons Mt this session of Parliament. will
automatically become law. Having
been passed succcssively at two ses-
sons by tho Commons, the consent OF
the Lords, who have twice rejected IT.
IL not necessary to confirm Il as an
act" Meanwh'le. such comparatively
latent opposition to home rule az
originally existed in acknowledgements
spired for the greater part by tradi-
tlonal religious hatrcd--hns been per
sistcnty. ;nslstcntiy and insitiously
stirred into active. aggressive vitality
hy sir Edward Carson. Bonnr Law ana
other Unionist leaders. What prom
iscd in tho beginning to be but little
moro than passing cloud. no bigger
than a mans hand. has become Il low.
cring storm cloud, surcharEed with
bitterness, rancor. elimination. recrim-
ination, interracial distrust. lncitatlon
TO religious biEotry ana. rs many fear
the possibilities of civil war.
The government cannot afford. It has
repeatedly asserted. to abandon tho
principle of home rule. 1t has. in fact
declared unoquivocally that It would
not do so, come what might. None the
less. all through the later and more
menacinC stages of the agitation. the
government has. through Mr.. Asuuith
shown disposition to cancellations a
Willingness to offer compromise a de-
sire 10 reach some modus vivend! thar
CT
out being repugnant to the funda-
mental purpose of the bill But SO far
without avail. What would satisfy the
mon Of Ulster would not satisfy the
Irish National lists who hold the balance
OF power that keeps the Liberal gov
eminent in office. And what might
have satisfied both. II possible Of
formula tion--tilat Is to say. some form
Of exclusion of Ulster or suspension OF
the operation of tho bill--would not
have satisfied the Carsons and the
Ronar Laws. the head and front OF the
opposition offending. For. on the sec
ond day OF the assembling OF tho pres
ent parliamcntarv session. it was made
evident that The Intense Uulonist so
licitude for Ulster had been from the
to shatter the Liberal coalition In the
Commons and force dissolution with
the result of the return OF the oppo-
s!tion to power. The Unionists boldly
displayed their hand In moving as an
amendment 10 tho reply TO the speech
astrous for the House To proceed fur
ther with the governments for ireland
hill until the measure had been sub
United To the Judgment OF the coun-
try" rhey had rcckoned that tho
feeling that had been aroused and the
apprehension that had been cngendered
bv the campaign of inccnd!arisrn Of
carson, Law ana their lieutenants
would materially weaken tho govern
ment coalition and popular support OF
It. And they had not rcekoned without
their host. The amendment was de-
rcated by Il majority OF only IS, which
is considered e!sniicant as rejecting
/ change in public sentiment, sympto-
1 matte of detection from the Irish cause.
| That tho gravity OF the situation and
its serious potentiallties are recog.
niHed by the government. was made
! impressiveIF manifest In the Kings
/ speech from the throne. and in sun
! sequent address OF Mr.. Asquith Both
| Aellverances amounted almost Ia con
tession of fear tina, an impasso had
becn reached, the only way ont cal
which seemed the massage of the bill
n third time without ado. and coercion
of Ulster If necessary. NcvcrthcIess
MIR Asouith indicated that lie aud hi.
associates were s,ill earnestly strivint
70 devise concession that would he nc.
rcptahlc to Ulster, and John Rodmon,
hrs given assurance that he viii d.
nothing to make the situation NOR,
dangerous.
4 1t may be. after all that II thes.
two fail of agreeing upon cornpro
,,.iii