The House of Lords on Thursday, November 25th, read the
Government of Ireland Bill a second time. Lord Dunraven's amendment for its rejection was defeated by 164 votes to 75. Lord Midleton's proposal to adjourn the Bill for a fortnight— as in the case of the Franchise Bill of 1884—so that attempts might be made to conciliate "the large but unorganized body of opinion in the South and West," was defeated by 177 votes to 91. Lord Midleton pleaded eloquently for the Protestants in the South, who had the greatest businesses and were the largest owners of land, but who would henceforth be debarred from taking any part in the government of the country. Lord Crewe, supporting Lord Midleton, declared that Ireland should have a single Parliament "with all possible safeguards for Ulster," that she should control her own finance and that no Irish members should attend at Westminster, where they would be "purely mischievous."
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