LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. .
THE HOME-RULE BILL.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " spitorvros."1
SIR,—The third reading of the Home-rule Bill will soon take; place, and I suppose that it will be carried like the preceding stages, and possibly by the same means. I think it will be the plain duty of the minority to let the country know by what means it has been carried, what is its nature, and what is their opinion of the whole business. It is, of course, exceedingly presumptuous in an humble outsider such as I am to dare to give advice on such a subject ; but still,. Home-rule is a matter that concerns every individual in the still United Kingdom, more particularly every Irish loyalist, to which class I claim to belong. What I should like to suggest is this,—That a manifesto, addressed to the- people of the United Kingdom, should be drawn up, in as short and plain a form as possible, and that this manifesto should consist of an explanation of the main outlines of the Bill, and an account of the way in which the Closure has been worked so as to prevent discussion on many clauses which are really equal by themselves to Bills of the first importance. Immediately on the passing of the third reading, this mani- festo should be signed by every member of the minority in the House of Commons, and then, of course, made as public as possible.
I suppose there is no precedent for any such action in the past; but then there is certainly no precedent for the Home rule scheme, nor for the unconstitutional and arbitrary means employed to force it through the House of Commons.—I am, Longford House, Ballisodare, County Sligo, August 8th.
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