The debate on the Address was resumed on Wednesday by
Mr. John Redmond in a long and vehement speech. Starting from the statement that English government was too rotten to be amended, Mr. Redmond declared that his chief desire was to impress on the Government and the House that no advantage which might be given to Ireland would be accepted as an alternative to Home-rule. Turning to education, he said that Ireland was the most backward country in Western Europe, and asked- why the Prime Minister refused to carry
• out the pledges given by successive Conservative Governments from 1885 downwards to grant the Roman Catholics of Ireland
• University education. They had been told that Lord Dunraven's scheme had Government approval, but it had been set aside under pressure from Lord Londonderry. On this point he demanded an explicit statement, assuring the Government for his part that ,nothing short of the intro- duction of a Bill this Session would satisfy, the Nationalist Members. Mr. Wyndham in reply, after defending the Irish administration of the Government, disclaimed any under- standing with the Irish party. In regard to Home-rule the Government stood where it had stood all along. He intended to introduce a Bill amending the, Land Act, but refused to open the whole Land question. Personally he shared the, views of the Premier on University education, but stated that. the Government did not propose to bring in, as a Government, any measure dealing with the University question, holding that they had no right to put the pressure of party discipline or party comradeship upon a single .man in respect of a. question a this character.
Previous page
