species of property, the ownership of land; and although under the
operation of the Land Purchase Acts this cause of conflict tends to
abate, it still breaks out from time to time in the form of cattle
drives and attacks on "land grabbers."[31] Hitherto we have, broadly
speaking, kept the peace. That we should now forsake this duty, and,
washing our hands of Ireland, leave the Protestant and the landowner, at
or small, to his fate is unthinkable.

In connection with the question last-mentioned it may be necessary at
some time to consider how far it is the constitutional right of this
country to impose upon the minority in Ireland the new obligations
implied in a grant to the whole island of colonial Home Rule. It may be
that the Imperial Parliament can disallow the claim of a section of the
population of Ireland to remain subject to its own control. But it is
one thing to reject the allegiance of a community, it is quite another
thing forcibly to transfer that allegiance to a practically independent
legislature; and this is especially the case when the transfer may
involve the use against a loyal population of coercion in its extreme
form.

CHECKS AND SAFEGUARDS.

In every formal proposal for Home Rule in Ireland, weight has been given
to the above considerations, and attempts have been made to meet them by
qualifying the grant of responsible Government. The qualifications
suggested have taken the form of _(a)_ the reservation of certain
powers to the Imperial Parliament, or (_b_) the restriction of the
powers granted to the Irish legislature by prohibiting their exercise in
certain specific ways, or (_c_) the provision of some form of Imperial
veto or control. It is important to consider whether and how far such
checks or "safeguards" are likely to prove effective and lasting.

The "safeguards" proposed by the Government of Ireland Bill, 1886, were
somewhat extended by the Bill of 1893; and the proposals shortly to be
submitted to Parliament, so far as they can be gathered from recent
speeches of Ministers, will not in this respect differ materially from
those contained in the latter Bill. It will therefore be convenient to
take as a basis for discussion the provisions of the Bill of 1893, as
passed by the House of Commons.

The Bill of 1893, after stating in a preamble that it was "expedient
that without impairing or restricting the supreme authority of
Parliament an Irish Legislature should be created for such