Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-30
HOME RULE FOR ENGLISH;
IRISH CAN HANDLE SELVES
CONTINUED from First PaEc.)


confidently. tho war will break US up
a. Il has broken Russia up"
But how would YOU restore conf
dsnce in the House of Commons?''
1T cannot be done; the wrctched old
machine is dead; it is no longer even
comfortable asylum for the aged. The
hest that can be said for il Is that its
corpse has ceased to offend: what
walks to-day is its ghost. 1t would be
a crime to restore confidence in ii, even
if that were possible. because it cannot
do it's work, and would only betray us
again. To rouse public interest, which
is the first step to restoring public
confidence. you must announce tho flu
neral OF tho institution. which will be
received with Gasps of relief and shouts
Of EladncsJ wherever the English Ian
guase is spoken. And you must re-
place 1t, as far as England is concerned
by two new Parliaments; a real Eng
lish Home Rule ParIia ment from which
persons with Irish, Scottish and Ger
man accents will be hurled out like
militant suffragettes. and a Federal
Parliament of the British Isles"
NEVER MIND IRELAND.
SHE CAN CARE For SELF
7.
Shaw"
stuff. My English scheme. Have
ever troubled about Irclandc 1t was
troubling about itself very effectively
without my help. But this poor. help
less, unfortunate England, with It's
football and it's cricket, and it's bets
on party leaders, and It's little subur-
ban tribes ready 10 die for the chief.
a n 20
down--thesc are tho heather to whom
| am a missionary and would have
hceu Il martyr long ago If they had
boon capable OF taking in what / was
driving ut
IL you :ivc England a big change
and Few sort OF Parliament you will
set six ears active government and
hopeful! pubic interest in il.
Look 1t the London County Council,
now us efete and -eactionary As the
old Metropolitan Board OF Works which
it suppian,ed. and which nevertheless
managed 20 embank the Thames be-
fo:c il went rotten.
We'll. Incredible as il now seems
the London ,~oInty Council was A mag.
hilccnt popular success in its carly
years when /. took up the ideas OF
the Fabian Society, and had not yet
been captured ty the Did party ma
chine"
"Ru, Will MT the new Parliament.
il we get it, go rotten also. as ynu
call i,:"
"Ot course; YOU don't expect to live
for ever, do you:
But think of what il would be to
get even six years good government
and public confidence just now. 1t
might see us. il not over the war
which seems fairly safe TO be another
Thirty Years War. at least oyer the
peril Of a revolutionary crash. Why.
at the very worst, even if the change
gave us nothing but a period OF delu-
sivc hope. such a period might save the
situation"
Can You suggest a program for the
new Parliament"
Not this afternoon. thank you: we
nave neither OF us time for a forty
eight hours talk. Buy the Fabian
literature.
But what do you think. for start.
Of speeches limited 10 three minutes
for ministers, as being experienced and
concise dehators, ten minutes for
novicea in their first session, and five
minutes FOR the rest? And OF a rule
that the average age Of membership
must never exceed nifty. nor tho age
CT any individual grand old marshall
we say ninety-six?
How about nifty parliamentary Al
dermen elected by proportional repre-
senta;ion from the whole country as
single constituency, with the right to
speak in the house, hut not to vote?
SOJIT{IL,RN RIIGOJ,TS: 1J.I,i-