MR WINTERBOTHAM'S VIEW OF HOME-RULE. [To wra Items or urs
"Brsorrros."] Sts,—Allow me to point out why I cannot think that Mr. Winterbotham's contribution to the solution of the Irish diffi- culty would fulfil its object. He wishes, he says, to try an experiment which, by ending in failure, will disillusion the Irish people, dethrone their present leaders, and make them under- stand that their poverty does not arise from our system of administration. The experiment would, of course, be interesting to the safe observer, but exceedingly cruel to the loyal in- habitants of Ireland, who would have to be ruined in order to- disillusion the Nationalists. Mr. Winterbotham proposes to- retain the authority of the Parliament at Westminster over tho local Councils in Ireland. He forgets that it is quite hopeless- to teach a people self-control, and to control them at the same time. The Irish leaders could always triumphantly prove that alien laws were enforced by an alien executive. The experiment in corpore viii which Mr. Winterbotham advocates is tempting, but would be very cruel.
Mr. Cotter Morison, in a letter which you published a year ago, and Mr. Frederic Harrison, in a sermon preached in the Temple of Humanity, recommend that Ireland should be plunged in anarchy, and that we should resist all temptation to protect the weak until at last the fittest had survived. These great Positivists have the courage of their opinions. I agree with you, Sir, that we are quite strong enough to do our plain duty in Ireland, and that we cannot shirk that duty only because it has become troublesome.
And, lastly, I fear that Mr. Winterbotham's plan to place the local Boards he proposes to create under the direct control of the Imperial Parliament, and not of the Cabinet of the day or of the Privy Council, could not be carried out in practice, and would greatly aggravate our quarrels with the Irish Home-rule
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