Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-05-16
Final Stages of Irish Measure to
BE Rushed by Asquith
Ministry.
Will tPass House of Commons
Next Week and Become
the Law.
ORANGE DEMANDS IMPOSSIBLE

Turning to the eternal Irish ques-
tion, it is going through another oi
its many phases this week, cables
Hon. T. p. O'Connor, NJ. p. The
drama does not unfold itself on the
public stage, but in private rooms
where the leaders of the different
parties hold informal and friendly
conversations. Mr.. Asquith has of
course met Mr.. Redmond, and indeed
is always in frank and close touch
with him; but there has been no
meeting between Redmond and Car
son, though they may come together
at some later date. Nor has there
been any discussion of Ulster as yet.
Up to the present the one thing
discussed is the form Of procedure
during the remaining stages of the
home rule bill. Partly by pressure
of friends of the bill and partly by
pressure of its enemies, the situation
happily has crystalized into a COM
mon agreement that the present bill
should proceed without any attempt
to change it, and that whatever
change may come for the purpose of
a general agreement should be the
subject of a new amending bill. The
advantage of this arrangement for
the bill is that it can go through its
remaining stages more rapidly, while
the advantage to the Tories is that
they can get the House of Lords to
reject the bill on second reading and
thus absolve themselves from all
responsibility for the measure. OF
course under the Parliament act
this rejection has no influence on
the fortunes of the bill, which prac-
tically will be the law of the land
when it passes third reading for a
third time in the House of Commons.
Indeed rejection by the Lords is
welcomed by Irishmen as making the
progress of the bin to the stature
book more rapid.
1t is one of the curious conditions
in these closing days of the great
struggle that every one of the four
parties is confronted by difficulties
istry has some trouble from its
jealous federalists, who wish to
utilize the Irish bill for pushing their
pet scheme of home rule all round,
but this section is small and not
powerful. The British Tories are so
fiercely divided that their meetings
between the die-hards and the con-
ciliators have been characterized by
furious language, and 1t is whispered
even by an approach to physical
encounters. Carson stands face to
face with the Frankenstein which he
has created in Ulster, and which at
any moment might disown him If
he appeared to relapse into reason
and conciliation. The position of
the Nationalists is healthier than
that OF any of the rest. What diff
Guilty they have is created by others.
Churchill's foolish and impulsive
speech seeming to forecast further
concessions to Ulster produced In
some quarters in Ireland an atmos-
phere of misgiving and suspicion.
But this is transient, and has been
largely removed by Redmond's en-
phatic statement that he has not
been asked by Asquith or anybody
even to discuss further concessions,
in a great stream of enthusiastic
votes in his leadership.
Another splendid factor in the
situation is Asquith's lucidity of
mind and present loyalty and his
quickness in absolutely realizing all
the complex factors in the Irish
situation. Whatever embarrassment
may be created, either by indiscreet
colleagues or untoward accidents,
smooth themselves out as II by
magic under Asquith's soothing and
loyal hand and during many hours
of trial and some hours of en-
barrassment In this terrific fight the
Premier has risen steadily to a
position of absolute and complete
trust in his wisdom and loyalty.
What then will happen is that on
Tuesday next Asquith will carry the
guillotine resolution strictly limiting
debate on the home rule bill so that
there will be no opportunity during
that stage OF suggesting or discuss
ing amendments.
After a debate of two or at the
most three days on third reading the
bill will pass the House of Commons,
probably week after next, when II
practically is made law. Thus seri-
Gus and probably friendly conversa-
tions will take place with a view to
meetiub the uiiiicuiticn III Oiblcf'
These difficulties may prove insur-
mountable II the Orangemen persist
in demands which neither the Lib
erals nor the Irishmen could possibly
accept, such for instance as the ex'
clusion Of the counties of all Ulster
or even the exclusion OF more thar
four counties. Some Orange hot
heads still demand the exclusion oi
all Ulster. but the real struggle will
be made to add the counties oi
Fermanagh and Tyrone TO the ex
cluded counties. AS the Nationalist
have a large majority in these two
counties such demand Is intol
cradle and unacceptable and Irish
men would lose the bill rather thar
accept such exclusion and their at
titude will be similar to anything
which IL calculated to produce ex