The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-12
Scotch Home Rule.

There is reported to be in Scotland
since the establishment of the Irish
Free State new enthusiasm on the
subject of Scottish home rule. For
nearly half a century there have been
more or less organized efforts to seat
Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh,
and since 1911 seven Scottish home
rule bills have been introduced in the
British Parliament. One got as far
as a second reading. the others failed
even to reach committee.
Some votes by Scotch members Of
Parliament have always been cast
against the home rule measure, but
in recent years these have formed a
small minority. The measure has
for long time found many sup
porters among English leaders, no.
tably GLADSTONE, AsoUITH and LLOYD
GEORGE. The English supporters of
autonomy for the Scotch base their
belief in it's desirability as much
on the improvement they think it
would effect in the machinery of the
Imperial Government as on the anne
Iteration which its Scotch adherents
assert 1t would bring about in Scotch
conditions.
In spite of these favorable circum-
stances there has been an absence Of
anything like real warmth over the
Scotch home rule question. 1t has
remained one of those drifting issues
whose reasonableness may be recog-
nized and against which little def
mite in the way Of opposition may be
heard and yet which excite no de-
termined and effective action in their
favor.
Aside from the consideration of
Scotch nationalism and the apparent
destiny Of the British Empire to be-
come loosely knit commonwealth
Of self-governing States the creation
Of Scotch Parliament must COM
mend itself to students Of govern
ment purely on account Of the advan-
tages 1t offers In simplifying the
problems Of administration. :.
1t seems absurd that the British
Parliament should have to undertake
legislation upon street car lines in
Glasgow and Edinburgh, that it
should have to pass water and gas
acts and building regulations for
these and other Scotch cities, but
that has been frequently necessary
under the existing system. Scotland
has its own Board Of Health, Educa-
tion Department, Fishery Board,
Board Of Agriculture, Land Court,
Prison Commission, &C., but they are
all responsible to the Imperial Par
Lament through one Minister, the
Secretary for Scotland.
Scotch home rule supporters have
other arguments for their cause.
which are based not so much on the
ground OF inef1ciency as upon that
OF injustice. They claim that less
than one-quarter of Scotland's rev.
enues goes for Scottish expenditures,
and that imperial expenditures are
mostly disbursed in England. They
claim that under the existing sys-
tenn housing conditions In Scotland
have fallen far below those OF Eng
land, and that the educational sys-
tenn also suffers by neglect.
Scotland's position in the British
Empire has grown to be an anomalous
one. She entered the United King
dom as an equal under the Treaty Of
Union in 1907, a century after her
JAMES VI. had become JAMES I. Of
England. She gave up her Parlia-
ment as the price Of free trade. Now
she has less authority over her own
affairs than those parts of the empire
which were at first governed directly
by England.