Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-02-14
King George Opens Historic Ses-
sion of Parliament I'm
London.
Home Rule Bill Is Expected to
Become Law at This
Sitting.
LIBERALS ARE STANDING FIRM


the world over feel elated over the
news of the past few days from Lon.
don, which would indicate the sue
cessful end of the long struggle for
home rule. There is a CLEAN of real
hope in the press dispatches, espe-
cially those of the Associated Press.
which follow:
King George with the customary
State ceremonial on Tuesday opened
the momentous and historic session
or Parliament, which according to all
reasonable probability will see the
victorious conclusion of the thirty
years struggle of the Liberal party
to give self-government to Ireland.
The home rule bill, which is now to
be presented in the House of Com.
mons for the third time, will If car
ried receive the royal assent, with
or without the consent of the House
of Lords. Whether the bill will pass
as it stands or whether 1t will be
amended to meet the susceptibilities
of Ulster will depend on the nature
of the concessions the Prime Min
lister announced the Government
would make at the proper time.
The Kings speech, in a grave
passage, expressed the earnest desire
to attain settlement by consent, and
this desire was fervently echoed by
| Premier Asquith in the House of
Commons and Viscount Morley in the
House of Lords. The scene in the
Lords was brilliant in the extreme
and in the Commons decorous. The
appearance of the assembly gave no
indication of the passions surging in
the opposing sides or that the ses-
sions so quietly commenced might
lead to events little short of civil
war
Despite the conciliatory tone q
both Premier Asquith and Lord
Morley small hope was felt in the
lobbies of Parliament that the set
tlement of the home rule question
would be reached by consent. The
Ministers attitude clearly shows
that the Government will neither
consent to an appeal to the country
nor accept a solution based on the
exclusion of Ulster from the opera
tion of the bill. The Right Hon.
Austen Chamberlain just as clearly
indicated that the opposition will
accept nothing less than the ex-
clusion of Ulster, unless the Govern
ment agrees to an appeal to the
country. He declared In his speech
in the House of Commons that the
exclusion of Ulster was the only
| possible basis for settlement by
agreement, and that 1t would be use
less for the Government to offer
less. Civil war was certain IL Ulster
was not excluded. IL is evident,
however, that the crisis which has
been threatening has been postponed
for several weeks.
Premier Asquith declines to di-
vulge the proposed concessions at
the present stage on the ground
that the opposition would only use
that knowledge as lever to secure
still greater concessions Apparently
the Governments proposal will be
something in the nature OF Sir Hor-
ace Plunkett's plan, but will not be
announced until the bill is again
submitted to the House of Commons
several weeks hence.
Sir Edward Carson, the Ulster
| Unionist leader, referring In the
lobby to the Premier's speech, said.
"It carries us no farther; II is SIM
ply marking time. There is nothing
in IL that should induce the Ulster
coyenanters to relax their prepara-
tions for resisting home rule" other
Unionist members of Parliament ex-
pressed their strong disapproval of
Sir Horace Plunkett's suggestion
that Ulster should consent to come
under the bill, with the option OF
passing out after certain number
of years f eng
That home rule will pass is
foregone conclusion, cables Philip
Everett. Nothing can possibly stop
II now and as soon as the Kings
signature has been afflxed to the
measure we shall see the inglorious
collapse of Sir Carson, who will be
exceedingly careful not TO incite the
people OF Ulster to declare civil war
as soon as the conditions which per-
mitted him to utter all kinds OF
treachery without the slightest risk
Of punishment have become real.
Ulster hotheads may commit foolish
acts and blood may flow In Belfast.
but no one believes In civil war. least
Of all Sir Carson himself. He has
shown himself high-handed gam
bier, but he has known we'll enough
during all these months that his
game would be up the very moment
when bis bluff was called and the
moment when II will be called Is
rapidly approaching.