People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1893 — FOR IRISH HOME RULE. [ARTICLE]

FOR IRISH HOME RULE.

OiMbtont Presenti Kli Bill In the Houa of Corainsni—The Greatest Effort of Hia Life—immense Crush of Members for Seats and Several Are Thrown Down and Trampled On. London, Feb. 14. —The scenes at the •pening of parliament, npon the occasion of the beginning of the real fight for Irish home rule, will long be rememhered. While Mr. Gladstone jet slept the palace yard was crowded with members and throngs of people eagerly awaiting the opening of the commons. The inner lobby was packed with members at noon, and when the doors were opened the members threw aside their dignity and rushed in a disorderly fashion for seats, shouting and struggling for the best places. Many were thrown violently to the floor and bruised and trampled upon. Mr. Gladstone entered the house of commons at 8:30. Every liberal and Irish nationalist stood up and greeted him with prolonged and enthusiastic cheers. When Mr. Gladstone arose to introduce the home rule bill there was another demonstration so enthusiastic and irrepressible that it was several minutes before he could be heard. Mr. Gladstone’s effort was undoubtedly one of the greatest of his life. After a full and complete history of Irish legislation, showing the failure of coercion as a means of producing harmony, he said England’s conversion to home rule had _ been rapid. In 1886 England’s majority adverse to home rule was 211. It has now declined to 71. In face of such a fact, who would guarantee the permanence of the opposition of the remainder? He presented the salient points of his bill, which he said contained no trenchant change from the principles of bill of 1886. The object of the bill remained, as in 1886, to establish a legislative body in Dublin for the conduct of both legislation and administration in Irish as distinct from imperial affairs.

Continuing the speaker said that the preamble of his bill was as follows: “ ‘Whereas, It is expedient without impairing or restricting the supreme authority of parliament,’ and then the preamble goes on to declare the creation of the Irish legislature.” “Power is granted to the Irish legislature, which consists, first of all, of a legislative counoil; secondly of a. legislative assembly empowered to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Ireland in respect to matters exclusively relating to Ireland or to a part thereof. That power is subject to a double limitation. First of all, it is subject to necessary and obvious limitations imposing certain incapacities on the Irish parliament, including all that relates to the crown, a regency or the viceroyalty. The subjects of peaoe and war, public defense, treaties and foreign relations, dignities, titles, law and treason do not belong to the Irish legislature The law of alienage does not belong to it nor everything that belongs to external trade—the coinage and other subsidiary subjects. Other incapacities are imposed similar to those contained in the hill of 1886. These provided for the security of religious freedom, the safeguard of education and for the security of personal freedom, in which we endeavored to borrow one of the modern amendments to the American constitution. “Then coming to exclusive powers, we retain the vice royalty of Ireland, but we divest it of the party character heretofore borne by making the appointment run six years, subject to the revoking power of the crown. Then, also, the post is freed from all religious disability. Then comes a clause which may be considered formal, although it is of great importance, providing tor the full devolution of executive power from the sovereign upon the viceroy.” Other provisions of the bill, as stated by Mr. Gladstone, are the establishment of a legislative council, to be elective, and to give to the minority some means of freer and fuller considation of its views, its members to number forty-eight, with eight yearn term of office, the popular assembly tc number 108 members whose terms shall be five years. The bill makes provisions for the passage of laws, for a judiciary and for religious freedom and education. It places limitations on the votIng powers of Irish members to exclude them—first, from voting on a bill or motion expressly confined to Great Britain; second, from voting on a tax not levied Upon Ireland; third, from voting on a vote or'appropriation of money otherwise than for the imperial service; fourth, from voting on any motion or resolution exclusively affecting Great Britain.