The Progress of the World. 



123 



of 

 Home Rule. 



now, and you cannot conduct a campaign on the 

 assumption that this is a mere political march past. 

 It is worth while abandoning the meeting after the 

 proposal to hold it had unmasked the rebel plot. 



Theprospects'of HonieRulearenot 

 The Prospects too bright at the present moment, 

 even apart from this Ulster row. 

 Although the Home Rule Bill has 

 been drafted, Ministers have not yet produced it, and 

 when it is produced they are by no means certain 

 that it will meet with the acceptance of the Irish 

 Nationalists. .Ministers have an ugly memory of what 

 happened with the Irish Councils Bill. That Bill was 

 framed in concert with the representatives of Ireland 

 in Parliament. It was produced in the firm conviction 

 that it would be enthusiastically accepted in Ireland. 

 No sooner, however, were its contents published than 

 the Bill was repudiated, hardly anyone having a word to 

 say on its behalf. What happened about the Irish Coun- 

 cils Bill may happen about the Home Rule Bill. There 

 are many awkward questions, especially those relating 

 to customs, finance, and excise, which may easily be 

 taken advantage of by the irreconcilables in order to 

 make an outcry against the Bill. Unfortunately the 

 Nationalist leaders are morbidly afraid of appearing 

 to seem less patriotic than their followers. The best 

 course, as I have maintained from thd first, was for 

 the Government to refuse to bring in any Home 

 Rule Bill, and to summon an Irish National Conven- 

 tion to frame a Bill which could be submitted as an 

 expression of the wishes of the Irish people ; then 

 they would know where they stood. As it is. Ministers 

 may be running full steam on to a snag Avhich may 

 wreck the Home Rule ship just as it seemed to be 

 nearing harbour. 



There is a good deal of confusion 

 Does Rome in popular talk as to the attitude 

 Home Rule ? " f the Church of Rome in relation 

 to Home Rule. It appears to be 

 firmly believed liy many good Protestants that the 

 Pope and his agents regard the concession of Home 

 Rule with profound alarm, and it is quite openly said 

 that the publication of the recent Papal Decree against 

 prosecuting clericals before lay courts was launched 

 just at this moment in order to prejudice the success 

 of the Home Rule Bill. A good deal of non.sense 

 has been talked about the Decree, but it is difficult 

 to conceive worse nonsense than that which implies 

 that the action of the good old Pope and the Vatican 

 in asserting once more the ancient policy of Rome 

 as to the immuniiy of clerical |)ersons from lay courts 

 was prompted by any consideration as to the cflfect 



Mr. Bonar Law's 

 Failure. 



which it would produce on the balance of parties in 



Ireland. 



Mr. Bonar Law cannot be con- 

 gratulated upon his debut as Con- 

 servative leader at the .-Vlbert Hall. 

 \\'hen he was elected the Saturday 

 Nfvieu' unkindly remarked that he was not a country 

 gentleman. Judging from his Albert Hall speech, 



his right to be 

 considered a 

 gentleman of 

 any kind is 

 open to consid- 

 erable doubt. 

 I't is a great 

 com e-d o wn 

 from the 

 polished elo- 

 quence of Mr. 

 Balfour to the 

 somewhat rau- 

 cous Billings- 

 gate of his suc- 

 cessor. " Soft 

 words butter 

 n o parsnips, 

 and hard words 

 break no 

 bones " ; but 

 Mr. Bonar Law 

 might be in- 

 vited in his 

 calmer in.o- 

 conduces much to 



Vutttri: roUtui.\ 



The Bonar-Party. 



ments to consider whether it 

 the force of his argument to call Ministers of the 

 Crown, even if they do happen to be his political 

 opponents, gamblers, dangerous lunatics, rogues, and 

 humbugs. Apart from this indulgence in the lingo of 

 the bargee, Mr. Bonar Law failed to give any certain 

 sound as to his altitude towards the attack on free 

 speech in Ulster. But the most famous and fatuous 

 part of his speech was that in which he referred to 

 'J'ariff Reform. He believes in TarilT Reform because 

 he believes that it is the only way to raise wages. 

 That Tariff Reform will directly and obviously 

 diminish the purchasing value of wages is admitted ; 

 but that it will tend to a corresponding, to say nothing 

 of a greater, rise in wages is a very different proposi- 

 tion. Mr. Bonar Law almost plaintively admitted 

 that on this question he is on the horns of a dilemma. 

 He is not blind. He sees that Tariff Reform alienates 

 many L'nionists who.se support would carry him to 



