Mr. Boner Law, who followed Mr. Asquith, expressed regret which
will be widely shared, at the tone of his speech. He reminded Mr. Asquith that Ireland was no less disorderly under his Ministry in 1916 than now. Mr. Asquith himself had pro- posed then to exclude the six Protestant counties until they were willing to submit to Nationalist domination. The only alterna- tives were to repeal the Act of 1914, to give Dominion Home Rule, to create an Irish Republic, or to grant the largest measure of Home Rule consistent with the pledges already given. Mr. Boner Law pointed out that an Irish Dominion would mean an Irish Republic. The Labour leaders talked of " self-determin- Won," but they would not say that if Ireland wanted to secede they would allow her to do so. The Bill would leave Irishmen- to settle their differences, and show that the difficulty about Home Rule was occasioned not by Great Britain but by Ireland If the Sinn Feiners were returned in a majority to the Dublin Parliament. and refused to take the oath of allegiance or to work the new Constitution, the Act would cease to operate and the present system would be restored. In the final stage of the debate on Wednesday, Sir Edward Carson repeated what he had said in Belfast—namely, that, though he disbelieved in every possible form of Home Rule, he could not undertake- to oppose the present Bill
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