e the Catholic population
were trained to the use of arms, combined with the rigorous
suppression of every Protestant association suspected, rightly or
not, of preparing resistance to the Parliament at Dublin, bring
about the arming of Catholic, and the disarming of Protestant,
Ireland, and, at the same time, raise a force as formidable to
England as an openly enrolled Irish army. But the mere inaction of
the executive might in many spheres produce greater results than
active unfairness. The refusal of the police for the enforcement of
evictions would abolish rent throughout the country. And the same
result might be attained by a more moderate course. Irish Ministers
might in practice draw a distinction between 'good' landlords and
'bad' landlords, and might grant the aid of the police for the
collection of 'reasonable,' though refusing it for the collection
of 'excessive,' rents."

Irish Ministers might even refuse actively to oppose the "moral claim"
of the Irish Catholics to the use of the cathedrals and of the
accumulated capital of the Irish Church.[34]

To contemplate the possibility of action or calculated inaction of the
character above described is not to attribute to Irishmen any special
measure of original sin. In every case where the executive power is
divorced from the ultimate legislative authority such divergencies are
likely to recur; and more than one instance may be found in our own
recent history. In 1859 the Canadian Government warned the Home
Government that any attempt to interfere with the customs policy of the
Dominion was inadmissible, unless the home authorities were prepared to
undertake the responsibility of administering the whole government of
Canada. The Home Government gave way.[35] In 1878 the Governor of Cape
Colony proposed to place the colonial forces under the control of the
officer commanding the Imperial forces. The Cape Government resisted,
and refused to resign; and eventually the Governor, on the advice of the
Home Government, dismissed his ministers. In this case a change of
government occurred after the general election, but in the end the claim
put forward by the Imperial authorities had to be withdrawn.[36] In 1906
the Natal Government proclaimed martial law, and ordered the execution
of twelve natives on charges of murder. The Imperial Government
intervened, and suggested the suspension of the order pend