The Warwickshire Herald. — 1887-11-24 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

SMITH.  The Right Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P., took part in the ceremony of laying the memorial stones of the Mid-Devon Constitutional Club, which is now In course of erection at Newton Abbot, and at a meeting which was held afterwards said he believed that the struggle in which all loyal subjects of the Queen were now involved was a struggle for the existence of this Empire. It was a day of good things for the country when men like Mr. Gosohen and Lord Hartington gave their support to a Government known to be politically opposed to them in the past, so that the country might be governed for its good regardless of petty personal considerations (cheers). He was proud to say in the face of all opposition that they had passed many useful measures for the benefit of England and Scotland as well as of Ireleind during the past session. He thought it was time for her Majesty's Government to do something, however disagreeable it might be to them, to restore to the House of Commons the power over its own time and the capacity of discharging the business of the country. They must clothe the Speaker, the chairman of the committees, and the House itself with greater authority for the conduct of business (cheers). Another duty of the Government wu to see that the law was impartially administered both in Ireland and in all parts of her Majesty's dominions (cheers). That was their aim, and that had been their motive in all that they bad done in Ireland from the first day that they took office. Their aim had been to protect the weak against the strong, when the strong were using their power maliciously and wickedly. Their aims had been directed against those conspiracies, open and secret, which took from men the liberty which God had given them freedom to act and to think as they thought fit, freedom to work as they plumed and for whom they pleased, freedom to pay their Just debts and to discharge their legal obligations. They were doing in Ireland what they were doing in Trafalgar-square (hear, hear). They were maintaining the law against agitators, against some fanatics who, he was afraid, had deluded themselves into the belief that it was right that the old commandments should be abolished, sad that England would be the better for their abolition. They were maintaining the law in England and Ireland from precisely the same motive and on precisely the same grounds. He drew no distinction, and could not see the distinction which was drawn bet% een the two countries. Home Rule meant the establishment of a Parliament in Dublin for the purpose of enabling Ireland to settle her own affairs in her own way—in other words, to deal with the lives and property of Irishmen as they might be instigated to do by those very agitators who had secured a majority of the Irish representation in Parliament. The consequence of that would be robbery, murder, and confiscation (cheers). Anyone who knew anything about political matters was aware that the exercise of an Imperial Parliament over an Irish Parliament was something out of the question a mere political delusion, and utterly impossible of realisation cheers).