Mr. Goschen showed that, according to Irish Members who would
probably form part of the first Irish Administration, one of the first duties of the Irish Parliament was to "draw the last fangs of landlordism," and yet the Ministerialists talk of nothing so much as the needlessness of "guarantees." Every difficulty was solved by a prediction that the right way out of the difficulty would be practically discovered directly it was wanted,—solviliir ambulanclo. Mr. Goschen thought the more appropriate quotation would be solvuntur risu tabulte. And he treated very severely the financial clauses of the Bill. Finally, Mr. John Morley concluded the debate in a very good-humoured speech, which seems to us to admit frankly that under Home-rule there must be much less effective unity with Ireland than now ; a much slenderer use of the British supremacy over Ireland, and a much less effective protection of minorities than is now afforded by the British Govern- ment; but then, said Mr. Morley, Mr. Chamberlain must not call mere centralisation, unity; mere self-government, a sacri- fice of supremacy; or a mere extinguishing of Orangemen's dictatorialness, a triumph of Catholic arrogance. Guarantees of unity, supremacy, and the protection of minorities are evidently tales of little meaning' to Mr. Morley, "though the words be strong."
Previous page
