THE PROBLEM OF EXCLUSION.
[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—There is one contingency with which you have not dealt in considering possible issues of the present situation of the Irish question. It seems probable that Mr. Redmond will be forced to decline to accept a Home Rule Bill from which Ulster is excluded. The Government may then drop the Bill or they may still press it. Their self-respect, if that is an appropriate term to use in connexion with them, may prevent their adopt- ing the former course. But if they adopt the latter• they cannot pass the Bill without Nationalist votes unless they get support elsewhere. In these circumstances Mr. Asquith may appeal to the Unionist leaders to assist him to pass the Bill excluding Ulster, as otherwise he will pass it with Nationalist support in its present form, which, as you point out, means civil war. My fear is that in this way the Unionist Party may be entrapped into support of the principle of Home Rule. It may, of course, seem out of the question that the Government should attempt to pass a Home Rule Bill which is rejected by the Nationalists them- selves, but I can conceive the possibility when their existence depends on it, and they have an opportunity of making their opponents commit themselves fatally. Now in the event of overtures being made to the Unionist leaders such as I have suggested, what is their duty ? My answer would be to reject them absolutely. It seems to me entirely inconsistent with Unionist principles even to seem to coquet with Home Rule, and much more so to support a Home Rule Bill of any kind. Talk about coalitions ! What could be more unnatural than an alliance between the present Government and the Unionist Party for the purpose of passing such a Bill? I am con- vinced that most Unionists will feel with me that the only safe course for us is the straightforward one—to have nothing to do with the unclean thing in any form.—I am, Sir, &c.,
G. E. B.
[In the supposed case the Unionists would, of course, say, " We cannot help you to pass a Bill rejected by every section of the Irish people. If the Nationalists do not want your Bill no one wants it, and therefore it must be dropped." Refusing to help the Nationalists to turn the Government out is another matter, but all history shows that Governments kept in office by the tolerance of the Opposition are never very long-lived.--En. Spectator.]
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