Home Rule Bill passed again by House of Commons
London, 6 April 1914 - The debate on the second reading of the Home Rule Bill was concluded in the House of Commons last night with a vote in favour of closure carried by a majority of 84.
A subsequent motion from the Conservative MP, Walter Long, proposing that the Bill be rejected was defeated by 356 votes to 276 votes.
The government has put no timeframe on the passage of the Bill to the House of Lords, with calls from various quarters for a delay in the hope that some resolution may be reached in respect of the enduring opposition of Ulster unionists to Home Rule.
Walter Long's motion against the bill was rejected by 356 votes to 276. (Image: © National Portrait Gallery, London)
In the course of the debate, the Irish nationalist MP, T.M. Healy attempted an analysis of the ‘extraordinary performance’ of Sir Edward Carson over the past two years.
Mr. Healy said: ‘He is not a strong man physically. He has a poor digestion, sensitive nerves, bad sleep and a melancholy temperament. And yet he has carried the enterprise through with skill and courage it must be admitted.’
He continued: ‘Vanity is one the chief ingredients of his character. It explains the inexplicable. It makes honest men adopt dishonest methods. It makes truthful men into Professors of Mendacity. It makes men mad who are otherwise sane. It is the explanation, secret and undiscovered, of many of the tragedies of the lives of parties and of nations. Its victims become some of the most dangerous of men.’
In his final contribution to the debate, John Redmond MP said that there was no denying the difficulties which the government now faced but that firm and decisive action was needed to end the matter: ‘I believe I am speaking the mind of every reasonable man of all parties in this country, inside the House and out of it, when I say that the country as a whole is sick and tired of this Irish problem and it must be settled here and now.’
The proposal of a federal solution and of the unlimited opt-out of Ulster counties was again rejected as Mr. Redmond reiterated a willingness to allow for the exclusion of Ulster counties for a period of six years. He noted that this was rejected by Unionists and said: ‘Under these circumstances, all that remains, in my opinion, for the House of Commons is to proceed with the Bill as it stands.’
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
