Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/198

* HOME RULE. 170 HOME KULE. showed an increase of the Home Rule delegation in Parliament from 00 to 08. But the e.vtrcme views of Parnell and his followers on the land question tended to alienate the moderate element in the parly, already disgusted wilh his Parlia- mentary tactics. During the desperate struggle made hy the Parnellites against the Coercion Hill in .laniiary, 1881, Shaw and his followers for- mally withdrew from the Home Rule Parly in Parliament. This action was significant of a great change in the character of the parly outside of Parliament. By connecting Home Rule with the land question, Parnell drew to his support a great following which Butt had never won ; but he lost the Conservative and aristocratic ele- ment, which had practically inaugurated the movement. A Catholic peasantrj' instead of a Protestant middle class became the chief support of the party. With this absorption of the larger element one end was achieved which has been a source of about equal glory and reproach to Par- nell — the physical-force faction, hitherto apa- thetic, was drawn into the constitutional agita- tion. The Irish National League, organized Oc- tober 17. 1882, was the formal expression of the ParncUile policy. Its programme combined es- sentially the principles of the Home Rule League and those of, tlie recently suppressed Land League. In the elections of 1885 the success of Parnellism was demonstrated. The Nationalists returned 86 members to the House of Commons, and se- cured the balance of power between the Liberals (333) and the Conservatives (251). Of the 103 members from Ireland, 85 were followers of Par- nell. TniRn Period. With an absolute Liberal ma- jority in Parliament, so skillful a leader as Gladstone had found it almost impossible to transact business in the face of Nationalist ob- struction. Now that Parnell held the balance of power, and could displace Ministries at will, the conduct of the Government on any principle known to British practice seemed hopeless. On January 27. 188C, the Nationalists aided the Lib- erals to overthrow Lord Salisbury's Government, just as in the preceding year they had joined the Conservatives against Mr. Gladstone. The Con- servatives now made advances looking to an un- derstanding between the Nationalists and them- selves, but without results. On the other hand, Ciladstone, after careful consideration and con- sultation, decided to accept Home Rule as a Liberal principle, so on the Gth of April he brought in his famous Home Rule Bill. In it was embodied the long-sought provision for a distinct legi,=ilative body for Ireland, with powers extend- ing to all subjects except those specifically re- served to the Parliament at Westminster. At the same time a sweeping measure for land pur- chase was announced, wilh the declaration that the two should be inseparable, together forming a complete scheme for the settlement of the Irish question. Parnell. with certain qualifications, accepted the bill on the part of the Irish Na- tionalists, and his party threw themselves heart- ily into alliance with the followers of Gladstone. The question of Home Rule now became one for the people of Great Britain to settle. With the adoption of the Irish demand by Gladstone, a great section of the Liberals declined to follow their old leader. Protesting against anything ■which looked like a step toward separation of the two islands, they took the name of Liberal Unionists, and ultimately entered into alliance wilh the Conservatives. Glad-slonc's bill was de- feated on the second reading hy 343 to 313, tl3 Liberals voting in the negative. Upon the ap- peal to the constituencies, the adversaries of Home Rule gained a majority of 113 over the combined Gladslonians and XalionalisU. Lord Salisbury assumed power with a policy of coer- cion, with possibly some eventual measure of concession in reference to local government in Ireland. Home Rule remained the most promi- nent issue throughout the four succeeding years, the Gladslonians expressing confidence in the ultimate support of a British majority, a belief which tilt bye-elections seemed to justify, as the Liberals ■■ained 10 seats in 09 contests. In the winter of 1890-!)! a divorce case in which Parnell was corespondent brought much odium upon him, and raised the question of his retirement from the leadership of his party. Gladstone announced that he could not hope to hold the Liberals to the Nationalist alliance unless Parnell resigned. The latter rejected all suggestions of his own withdrawal, and by his course alienated a large section of his Parliamentary followers. The re- sult was a schi-im in the Irisli Nationalist Party, which made the future success of the Home Rule movement exceedingly doubtful. The death of Parnell. in October, 1891. only served for the moment to intensify the animosity of the ParncU- ite faction toward the majority of the Home Rulers, who accepted the leadership of Justin McCarthy (q.v.). The elections of July, 1892, resulted in a Liberal majority in the House of Conmions of 40, so that Gladstone again became Premier, and in March. 1803. introduced a bill granting Hume Rule to Ireland. It provided for an Irish legislative body of two houses, the mem- bers of the I'piK-r House to be chosen by electors having a property qualification, and for complete self-government in local matters. The ditlicult question of Ireland's representation in the Im- perial Parliament was first decided in favor of the 'in-and-out' plan — Irish members voting on some questions, not on others — but later in favor .of a reduction of its membership in the House of Commons from 103 to 80. giving them the same rights as to other members. The bill passed the Commons September Lst (301 to 267), but was overwhelmingly defeated in the Lords, receiving only 41 votes out of a total of 450. Gladstone resigned in March, 1894, and Lord Rosebery as- sumed the Premiership, professing adherence to Home Rule, but doing nothing for it during his Ministry, which came to an end in .June. 1805. Foi'KTii Pkrioi). This period oi>ened with the Conseratives in power, the Home Rulers split into cliques and factions, and the Liberals de- moralized and lukewarm toward the cause of the Irish Nationalists. The Conservatives, believing that Irish discontent had its source in economic conditions, in poverty and want, passed, under the cry of 'killing Home Rule by kindness.' a land act which simplified the rent problem, pro- vided for land ])urehase. tended to bring a pens- ant proprietor class into being, and in general ameliorated economic conditions. In 1808 a Local Government Bill was introduced, and became a law in 1899, which placed county and municipal governments in the hands of the people, with pro- visions for an almost universal suffrage. In part due to improved conditions, in part due to these reforms, public agitation had almost ceased, and