The Home Rule Bill, being a prelude to a general
scheme of federation, could Ministers point to any case in which a centralized and unified Government had been broken up to meet a demand for national self-government and in which a stable community had been the result ? Was there any precedent for starting a federal system on a basis of inequality
Did they know of any case of tho kind in which the claims of an important and homogeneous fraction of a people had been ignored P
Had there not always been a desire when federation had been proposed to have general national services and to abolish fiscal divisions between countries ?
Lastly, had not every successful federal system been set up to meet a desire for closer unity ?
These questions could hardly be bettered. They are by no means mere " catch " arguments, but they do really exhibit in a way which questions only can the monstrous and deformed character of the Government Bill. Though it might have been a little out of scale, we almost wish that Mr. Balfour had added a question dealing with the Post Office. Usually the first step towards a Federal system is a united Post Office. We begin ours by destroying the Postal Union.
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