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32 chapters
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
"There can be no nobler spectacle than that which we think is now dawning upon us, the spectacle of a nation deliberately set on the removal of injustice, deliberately determined to break with whatever remains still existing of an evil tradition, and determined in that way at once to pay a debt of justice and to consult, by a bold, wise and good act, its own interests and its own honour." Gladstone (1893)....
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PREFACE
PREFACE
It must surely be clear to-day to many of those who opposed the Home Rule Bill of 1893 that there is a problem of which the solution is now more urgent than ever. We who were Gladstonian Home Rulers approached the problem originally from the Irish side: those who did not then approach it from that side refused to admit the existence of any problem at all. Since that time circumstances have made it necessary to approach the problem from the British as well as from the Irish side. The British Parl
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THE CASE THAT DOES NOT CHANGE
THE CASE THAT DOES NOT CHANGE
"Ireland hears the ocean protesting against Separation, but she hears the sea likewise protesting against Union. She follows her physical destination and obeys the dispensations of Providence." Grattan (First speech against the Union 15th January, 1800)....
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CHAPTER I. THE HOME RULE CASEToC
CHAPTER I. THE HOME RULE CASEToC
Very nearly a generation of time has elapsed since, in 1886, Mr. Gladstone expounded in the British House of Commons his first Bill for restoring to Ireland a Home Rule Parliament. Nearly twenty years have passed since that same great man, indomitably defying age and infirmities in the pursuit of his great ideal, passed the second Home Rule Bill (1893) through the British House of Commons. That Bill stands to-day unshaken in regard to all its vital clauses. Some of us still hold the faith that t
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THE CASE THAT HAS CHANGED—AND IS NOW STRONGER
THE CASE THAT HAS CHANGED—AND IS NOW STRONGER
"They saved the country because they lived in it, as the others abandoned it because they lived out of it." Grattan....
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CHAPTER II. THE HOME RULE CASEToC
CHAPTER II. THE HOME RULE CASEToC
Those who, like myself, visited Ireland last summer as delegates of the Eighty Club included some who had not thoroughly explored that country since the early nineties. They were all agreed that a great change had taken place in the internal condition of Ireland. They noticed a great increase of self-confidence, of prosperity, of hope. Many who entered upon that tour with doubts as to the power of the Irish people to take up the burden of self-government came back convinced that her increase in
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THE CASE THAT HAS CHANGED—(CONTINUED)
THE CASE THAT HAS CHANGED—(CONTINUED)
"Although while I live I shall oppose separation, yet it is my opinion that continuing the Legislative Union must endanger the connection." O'Connell (1834)....
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CHAPTER III. THE HOME RULE CASEToC
CHAPTER III. THE HOME RULE CASEToC
But Land Purchase and County Councils are only part of the great change that has come over Ireland since 1893. There are other great transformations. There is the redemption of the congested districts. There is the revival of agriculture. There is the Old Age Pensions Act. Finally, there is the reform of the Universities. Take, first, the daring policy of social renovation by which the forlorn peasantry of the West are being saved from the grey wilderness into which they had been thrust by the l
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THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BILLS AND THE BILL OF 1912.
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY BILLS AND THE BILL OF 1912.
"Without union of hearts identification is extinction, is dishonour, is conquest—not identification." Grattan. "It would be a misery to me if I had forgotten or omitted, in these my closing years, any measure possible for me to take towards upholding and promoting the cause, not of one Party or another, of one nation or another, but of all Parties and of all nations inhabiting these islands; and to these nations, viewing them as I do with all their vast opportunities, under a living union for po
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CHAPTER IV. THE HOME RULE PLANToC
CHAPTER IV. THE HOME RULE PLANToC
The Home Rule Bill of 1912 is now before the country, both in the clear and simple statement of the Prime Minister and in the test of the Bill itself [37] . The Bill has already passed through the fire of one Parliamentary debate, and secured one great majority of 94 in the House of Commons. What are the general outlines of this great measure? Its central proposal is the creation of an Irish Parliament, responsible for the administration of Irish affairs. That Parliament is to consist of a Senat
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ULSTER
ULSTER
"Violent measures have been threatened. I think the best compliment I can pay to those who have threatened us is to take no notice whatever of the threats, but to treat them as momentary ebullitions, which will pass away with the fears from which they spring, and at the same time to adopt on our part every reasonable measure for disarming those fears." * * * * * "Sir, I cannot allow it to be said that a Protestant minority in Ulster or elsewhere is to rul
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CHAPTER V. HOME RULE DIFFICULTIESToC
CHAPTER V. HOME RULE DIFFICULTIESToC
"Sooner or later," said a wise man to me the other day, "always sooner or later in the Home Rule question you bump up against religion." That is, unhappily, still true, though not so true to-day as in 1886 or in 1893. No one who visits Ireland to-day can doubt that the religious hatreds of the past are being softened; but, unhappily, this process, as recent events have vividly shown us, is still fiercely resisted by a small minority. It may almost be said that in Ireland religious intolerance is
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ROME RULE or HOME RULE?
ROME RULE or HOME RULE?
"There is a principle on our part which must ever prevent (Catholicism being established) in Ireland. It is this—that we are thoroughly convinced that it would be the surest way of de-Catholicising Ireland. We believe that tainting our Church with tithes and giving temporalities to it would degrade it in the affections of the people." O'Connell. "I want soldiers and sailors for the State; I want to make a greater use than I now can do of a poor country full of men. I want to render the military
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CHAPTER VI. HOME RULE DIFFICULTIESToC
CHAPTER VI. HOME RULE DIFFICULTIESToC
Those who watch closely the exploitation of the religious cry against Home Rule will have observed that its exploiters always endeavour to make the best of both worlds. One world is expressed in the phrase, "Home Rule means Rome Rule." The other by the watchword, "Priest-ridden Ireland." Those who use the first of these cries are always trying to persuade themselves that the gift of Home Rule will increase the power of the Catholic Church in Ireland and produce a kind of religious tyranny over t
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FIVE CENTURIES OF LIMITED HOME RULE (1265-1780)
FIVE CENTURIES OF LIMITED HOME RULE (1265-1780)
"You parade a great deal upon the vast concessions made by this country to the Irish before the Union. I deny that any voluntary concession was ever made by England to Ireland. What did Ireland ever ask that was granted? What did she ever demand that was not refused? How did she get her Mutiny Bill—a limited Parliament—a repeal of Poynings' Law—a Constitution? Not by the concessions of England, but by her fears. When Ireland asked for all these things upon her knees, her petitions were rejected
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CHAPTER VII. HOME RULE IN HISTORYToC
CHAPTER VII. HOME RULE IN HISTORYToC
What is the fact of Irish history vital to our present cause? Surely it is this, that up to the year 1800—the year of the Act of Union—Ireland had possessed for practically five centuries a Home Rule Government in some shape or form. In other words, self-government had been the rule and not the exception throughout the centuries preceding 1800. This is a complete and sufficient answer to those who argue that the supporters of Irish Home Rule are making a proposal of a completely novel and revolu
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GRATTAN'S PARLIAMENT
GRATTAN'S PARLIAMENT
"To destroy is easy: the edifices of the mind, like the fabrics of marble, require an age to build, but ask only minutes to precipitate: and as the fall of both is an effort of no time, so neither is it a business of any strength. A pick-axe and a common labourer will do the one—a little lawyer, a little pimp, a wicked Minister the other." Grattan (1800.) "Yet I do not give up my country. I see her in a swoon, but she is not dead—though in her tomb she lies helpless and motionless, still there i
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CHAPTER VIII. HOME RULE IN HISTORYToC
CHAPTER VIII. HOME RULE IN HISTORYToC
Grattan's Parliament was the first Parliament with full legislative authority possessed by Ireland since the time of Henry VII. It existed for nearly twenty years, and in that brief time it did a great work for Ireland. If we look for its epitaph we shall find it, strangely enough, in the words spoken in 1798 by the man who pursued Grattan's Parliament with his venomous hate, and finally compassed its doom—the famous Irish Chancellor, Lord Clare:— " There is not a nation on the face of the habit
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THE CASE FROM ANALOGY
THE CASE FROM ANALOGY
"I wish the Irish were negroes, and then we should have an advocate in the Hon. Baronet. His erratic humanity wanders beyond the ocean, and visits the hot islands of the West Indies, and thus having discharged the duties of kindness there, it returns burning and desolating, to treat with indignity and to trample upon the people of Ireland." O'Connell....
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CHAPTER IX. HOME RULE IN THE WORLDToC
CHAPTER IX. HOME RULE IN THE WORLDToC
"Ah!" but I shall be told by Unionist critics who have followed me so far, "but the tendency of the world at present is all towards great empires and away from little states. You are reversing the process." This will probably be one of the most frequent arguments that we shall hear during the present discussions. We shall, perhaps, have thrown at our heads cases like the absorption of Persia by Russia, of Tripoli by Italy, of Morocco by France, and of the Congo by Germany. If we are to argue the
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CHAPTER X. HOME RULE FINANCEToC
CHAPTER X. HOME RULE FINANCEToC
Home Rule finance is already the subject of a whole library of books and pamphlets, and there is some danger that the money question may occupy a place out of all perspective and proportion in the coming controversy. Men quarrel over money very easily, and some of the fiercest opponents of Home Rule still imagine that they can silence the Home Rulers by talking "money" at the top of their voices. But the Home Rulers must not be drawn into that net. They must refuse to view this matter as a quest
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HOME RULE APPENDICES
HOME RULE APPENDICES
A. The Home Rule Bill of 1912 B. The Shrinkage of Ireland C. The Act of Union D. The Home Rule Bills of 1886 and 1893 E. The Irish Board of Agriculture F. The Reduction in Irish Pauperism G. The Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881 H. The Congested Districts Board J. Irish Canals and Railways K. Home Rule Parliaments in the British Empire...
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APPENDIX A THE HOME RULE BILL OF 1912.ToC
APPENDIX A THE HOME RULE BILL OF 1912.ToC
AMEND the PROVISION for the Government of Ireland. BE it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— Legislative Authority. 1.—(1) On and after the appointed day there shall be in Ireland an Irish Parliament consisting of His Majesty the King and two Houses, namely, the Irish Senate and the Irish House of Commons. (2) Notwiths
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APPENDIX B THE SHRINKAGE OF IRELANDToC
APPENDIX B THE SHRINKAGE OF IRELANDToC
(1.) The Decrease in Population since 1841. N.B.—This Table is compiled from the Preliminary Reports of the Census of 1911, which give the population returns only as far back as 1841. There was, of course, a Census of the United Kingdom as early as 1801, but the official returns extended at first only to England and Scotland, and it was not until 1813 that there was any official census of Ireland. Even then it was far from correct. The first trustworthy Irish Census was that of 1821. For 1821 an
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APPENDIX C TEXT OF THE ACT OF UNIONToC
APPENDIX C TEXT OF THE ACT OF UNIONToC
An Act for the Union of Great Britain and Ireland.—[2d July 1800.] WHEREAS in pursuance of His Majesty's most gracious Recommendation to the Two Houses of Parliament in Great Britain and Ireland respectively, to consider of such Measures as might best tend to strengthen and consolidate the Connection between the Two Kingdoms, the Two Houses of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Two Houses of the Parliament of Ireland have severally agreed and resolved, that, in order to promote and secure t
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APPENDIX D THE HOME RULE BILLS OF 1886 AND 1893ToC
APPENDIX D THE HOME RULE BILLS OF 1886 AND 1893ToC
(1) The Bill of 1886. A Bill to Amend the provision for the future Government of Ireland. BE it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: Part I. Legislative Authority. 1. On and after the appointed day there shall be established in Ireland a Legislature consisting of Her Majesty the Queen and an Irish Legislative Body. 2. W
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APPENDIX E THE IRISH BOARD OF AGRICULTUREToC
APPENDIX E THE IRISH BOARD OF AGRICULTUREToC
This Board was set up in 1899 by the Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland) Act. The constructive clauses of this Act are the following:— Clause 1 establishes a Department of Agriculture, its powers to be exercised either by the President or Vice-President. Clauses 2, 3, 4 and 5 define its powers. Part II. creates the advisory machinery to which reference is made in the text, and they run as follows:— Consultative Council, Agricultural Board and Board of Technical Instruction, and Finan
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APPENDIX F THE REDUCTION IN IRISH PAUPERISM OWING TO OLD AGE PENSIONSToC
APPENDIX F THE REDUCTION IN IRISH PAUPERISM OWING TO OLD AGE PENSIONSToC
The Report of the Irish Local Government Board for 1911 shows a reduction in Irish pauperism between March, 1910, and March 26th, 1911, amounting to over 18,000:— An analysis of the figures shows that the reduction is almost entirely due to the Old-age Pensions Act. There is little or no reduction in children, lunatics, or mothers, while there are the following reductions in aged and infirm paupers:— leaving only 855 of the reduction unaccounted for....
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APPENDIX G THE LAND LAW (IRELAND) ACT, 1881ToC
APPENDIX G THE LAND LAW (IRELAND) ACT, 1881ToC
The provisions which have revolutionised the land system of Ireland are contained in Clause 8 of the Land Act of 1881, which runs as follows:— 8.—(1.) The tenant of any present tenancy to which this Act applies, or such tenant and the landlord jointly, or the landlord, after having demanded from such tenant an increase of rent which the tenant has declined to accept, or after the parties have otherwise failed to come to an agreement, may from time to time during the continuance of such tenancy a
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APPENDIX H THE IRISH CONGESTED DISTRICTS BOARDToC
APPENDIX H THE IRISH CONGESTED DISTRICTS BOARDToC
The present Congested Districts Board, so often referred to in the text, is constituted under the following clauses of the Irish Land Act of 1909:— 45.—(1.) From and after the appointed day, the Congested Districts Board shall consist of the following members:— ( a. ) The Chief Secretary, the Under Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, and the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, who shall be ex officio members: ( b. ) Nine members appointed by His M
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APPENDIX JToC
APPENDIX JToC
(1.) RECOMMENDATION IN REGARD TO IRELAND OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON CANALS AND INLAND NAVIGATION (1.) That such waterways in Ireland as, on a review of all the facts, your Majesty's Government may deem of importance to the cause of cheap inland transport, should come under State control; and (2.) That a Controlling Authority should be constituted for the purpose of taking over those inland waterways which are already under the control of the State, of Local Authorities, or of a public trust, and
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APPENDIX KToC
APPENDIX KToC
(1.) HOME RULE PARLIAMENTS IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE Besides these Autonomous Parliaments— (1.) India has also now seven "Legislative Councils," partly elective. (2.) The Isle of Man has "House of Keys," with almost complete legislative power. (3.) The Channel Islands have their own semi-independent governing Assemblies. (4.) The Crown Colonies have Assemblies possessing a considerable local representative element. Typographical errors corrected in text:...
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