364 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



offices under the Crown as the Queen might think 

 fit, or as might be directed by act of the legis- 

 lature ; and the Lord Lieutenant, on the advice 

 of the executive committee, was to give or 

 withhold the royal assent to bills passed by the 

 legislature, subject, nevertheless, to any in- 

 structions given by the Queen. The term of 

 office of the Lord Lieutenant was fixed at six 

 years, and any subject of the Queen would be 

 eligible, without reference to his religious be- 

 lief. Ireland would continue under the act to 

 be represented in the Imperial Parliament, but 

 such representation be reduced to 80 members, 

 and the constituencies from which they should 

 be returned are defined in a schedule of the 

 act. With regard to such representation the 

 Irish legislature was inhibited from making any 

 change in the election laws or the qualification 

 of electors, but not prevented from dealing with 

 officers concerned in the issue of writs of elec- 

 tion. In the matter of finance the clauses of 

 the bill were numerous and complicated. In 

 effect they provided that the imperial exchequer 

 should take the net proceeds of the customs 

 revenue collected in Ireland, stated by Mr. Glad- 

 stone to be 2,370,000, as Ireland's contribution 

 to imperial expenditure. Ireland was to take 

 over 1,000,000 of the constabulary charges, the 

 civil administration charges, amounting to 3,- 

 210,000, the inland revenue charges of 160.000, 

 and the postal service, costing 790,000, which 

 would make a total of 5,160,000 ; and against 

 this she was to receive the excise duties, amount- 

 ing to 3,220,000 ; the proceeds of local taxa- 

 tion, covering stamps, income tax, and licenses, 

 amounting to 1,495,000 ; postal revenue, 740.- 

 000 ; Crown lands, 65,000 ; and miscellaneous, 

 140,000 ; making a total of 5,660,000, leaving 

 her a working surplus of 500,000. An Irish 

 exchequer and a consolidated fund were pro- 

 vided for, and the legislature was empowered 

 to provide for the public service by the imposi- 

 tion of any taxes other than the existing taxes, 

 and to regulate all matters concerning the miscel- 

 laneous public revenue connected with the civil 

 charges of government. Detailed provisions 

 were made for the disposition of the Irish con- 

 solidated fund, and defining what should be 

 preferred charges thereon. Two of the judges 

 of the Supreme Court in Ireland were to be ex- 

 chequer judges, appointed by the Crown, paid out 

 of the consolidated fund of the United Kingdom, 

 and removable only by the sovereign; and legal 

 proceedings to which the treasury or commission- 

 ers of customs or any of the officers are parties, 

 or which relate to the election of parliamentary 

 representatives, or any matter not within the 

 powers of the Irish legislature, should, if so re- 

 quired by any party to such proceedings, be 

 heard and determined before these judges ; and 

 in any such proceeding an appeal would be from 

 any court of first instance to the exchequer 

 judges, the decision of such judges being sub- 

 ject to appeal to the Privy Council only. The 

 exchequer judges would have power to appoint 

 an officer to execute any judgment of theirs in 

 case the sheriff or other proper officer refused or 

 neglected such execution. Appeals from the 

 courts of Ireland were to be no longer to the 

 House of Lords, but, to the Privy Council ; but 

 this provision would not affect the jurisdiction 



of the House of Lords in the matter of Irish 

 peerages. The Privy Council, through its Judi- 

 ciary Committee, was, upon application of the 

 Lord Lieutenant or a secretary of state, to hear 

 and determine as to the validity of any act of the 

 Irish legislature. Mr. Gladstone said that this 

 judicial committee was recognized by him and 

 his colleagues as the only approach they could 

 make to the Supreme Court of the United 

 States, and that in the composition of the com- 

 mittee due regard must be had to different ele- 

 ments of nationality. Elaborate provision was 

 made for protecting the tenure of office and the 

 salaries, allowances, and pensions of judges and 

 other officers of the Crown serving in Ireland. 

 Regarding the constabulary or police, the act 

 provided that the Irish legislature might em- 

 power the local authorities in counties, munici- 

 pal boroughs, or other larger areas, to establish 

 local police forces ; and whenever the Executive 

 Committee of the Irish Privy Council should 

 certify to the Lord Lieutenant that an adequate 

 police force had been established in any area, he 

 should within six months direct the withdrawal 

 of the royal Irish constabulary from police du- 

 ties in such area, and make such reduction in 

 the numbers of said constabulary as to him 

 seemed necessary ; and upon its being so certi- 

 fied to him within six years that adequate local 

 police forces have been established in every part 

 of Ireland, the Lord Lieutenant would be re- 

 quired within six months after such certification 

 to retire the whole of the royal Irish constabu- 

 lary and the Dublin metropolitan police. The 

 Irish legislature was inhibited from creating any 

 forces organized or armed like the two forces thus 

 disbanded. The Irish legislature was prohibited 

 from passing any act respecting the relations of 

 landlord and tenant during three years from the 

 passing of the act. 



Debate upon the bill was begun at once, and 

 continued to occupy much of the time of the 

 House until the Easier adjournment. Mean- 

 time other Government measures, the local veto 

 bill, for regulation of the liquor traffic, the em- 

 ployers' liability bill, the registration bill, the 

 Welsh suspensory bill, and the parish councils 

 bill had been introduced, and a motion by Mr. 

 Gladstone giving precedence to Government busi- 

 ness after the Easter recess to the end of the ses- 

 sion, was carried just before adjournment by a 

 vote of 163 against 75. On April 6 Mr. Glad- 

 stone moved the second reading of the Home- 

 Rule bill, and the debate on that motion was con- 

 tinued to April 29, when the vote was taken. 

 The chief points of attack of the Opposition were 

 the alleged uselessness of the bill, as Ireland 

 was entirely tranquil under present conditions : 

 the financial scheme, which was declared to be 

 impractical and absurd ; the lack of any sure 

 guarantee of imperial supremacy; failure of the 

 bill to protect property interests or the minority 

 in Ireland; uncertainty in dealing with the land 

 question ; and the unreliability of the majority 

 of the Nationalist party, who would carry out 

 doctrines in regard to land, property, and gov- 

 ernment which were wholly inconsistent with 

 any government whatever. The motion for the 

 second reading was carried by a vote of 347 to 

 304, the normal Government majority of 43. 

 On May 8 the House went into committee on 



