The great debate on Home-rule, raised b0.tv.puttaltfityl through the whole
of Tuesday and ThtusdayallAtty It ist,..er4 course, impossible for us to condense even the prinCiial siieeches,: though we have noted the great lines of argument elsmetere ; but the debate would have been a brilliant one, had it been more equal. The Home rulers were as far below the Repealers' mark as Home-rule is below Repeal as a practicable policy. Mr. Butt was too historical, and will talk nonsense about Austro- Hungary, as if there were any equality in physical powers between Ireland and Britain. Mr. M'Carthy, at excessive length, stated proposals as to the division of powers which would place Ireland in the position of Massachusetts, and the rank and file added nothing of interest. By far the best speech on the Home-rule side was Mr. Sullivan's, who, in a burst of true oratory, listened to with deep attention by the House, pushed aside the argument that Ireland was prosperous, by asking if Ireland outside thter was contented. "Exactly as a county of Ireland was prosperous, there the cause of Home-rule triumphed. Should he appeal in vain to this country; which once led the way in the struggle for liberty on the battle-fields of Europe, to recognise that there was something greater and grander than mere animal life, than mere bread-and-butter and clothing? He refused to allow the question of his country's national life to be reduced to the mere level of the pocket or the stomach. Take any man, feed him, clothe him, regulate his household in the best possible way, and ask him was he satisfied? If not, what did he want? He would say, I want liberty.' " The tree and the only answer to that is, that Ireland has exactly as much liberty as England has, and that the difficulty Irish Catholics find in rising to high office is a difficulty which will die here, as it has died in America, where the strong suspicion that President Grant is a Catholic has scarcely cost him a vote. The brilliant speech of the O'Donoghue was on the other side, and the effect of it was very naturally, though rather absurdly, impaired by the proof produced by Mr. Power that he also had been a Home-ruler.
Previous page
