THE IRISH SITUATION.

Bruce Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 43, 4 June 1917, Page 4

THE IRISH SITUATION.

Right Hon. D. Lloyd G<sorge (Prime Minister) has made another attempt to achieve at least a temporary settlement of the Irish difficulty. As the Irish Nationalist leaders have refused to negotiate with the Government, he has formulated his proposals in a personal letter to Mr John [Redmond. The Government, he says, desires to grant the largest measure of Home Rule that can bo immediately secured by agreement between the parties, and Parliament will effect a settlement of disputed questions after the war. Thus he proposes to 1 introduce a Bill granting Home Rule, but excluding six of the nine counties of Ulster. At the end of five years this exclusion will be subjected to the consideration of the Imperial Parliament, unless previously terminated by the proposed Council of Ireland. This Council constitutes the most remarkable feature of the proposed settlement. It is to be formed of all members returned to the British Parliament from the excluded counties, and,on the Nationalist side of a delegation of an equal, number of members from the Dublin Parliament. This Council will be empowered to pass private Bills and measures affecting any part of Ireland on the votes of a majority of each delegation. It may also reeommend the Crown to extend to the excluded area any Act passed by the Irish Parliament, may make recommendations upon Irish questions, including the amendment of the Home Rule Act, and, subject* to the assent of a majority of voters in the excluded Ulster counties, may agree to their inclusion under the provisions of Home Rule. In event of these proposals not finding favour with the Nationalists, Mr Lloyd suggests a's a last resort the ealling of a convention of all parties of Irishmen to devise a scheme of selfgovernment. He points out that the constitution of the Union of South Africa was framed by a convention •representing all parties and Interests of the country. The precedent of South Africa is indeed an encouraging one, for there surely the diversity of races and the bitterness of recent conflict made the task of framing a national, constitution as difficult as the task of devising a satisfactory scheme of selfgovernment for Ireland. And the convention -scheme is received favourably by the leaders of both Irish parties, while the nationalists will have nothing to say to Mr iLloyd George's proposed Home Rule Bill. They are irreconcilably adverse to the exclusion'of Ulster, not only on account of the economic effects of the severance of the most prosperous portion of Ireland, but for sentimental reasons. Ulster is Ireland; it was the home of the Irish race for ages before the English conquest; its soil is endeared to them by tradition and poetry. They regard the partition of Ireland as an outrage. And on the other hand, Protestant Ulstermen regard it as an outrage that they should be put under the jurisdiction of an Irish Parliament. They will not be unless by their own consent, for the exhibition of their opposition two years ago was an effective warning against coercion. With Trish Nationalists refusing any system of Home Rule that does not include all Ireland, and Ulstermen refusing inclusion under Home Rule, the prospect of finding a workable scheme of self-government for Ireland is not hopeful. 'But the examples of Canada and .South Africa forbid despair. Hopes have been held out that if Home Rule were established and found to work fairly and not to result in oppression of the Protestant minority throughout Ireland, Ulster would be won to join herself with the rest of the country. This result is evidently contemplated in 'Mr 'Lloyd George k 's proposed Council, which is evidently devised as a conciliatory and advisory body to reconcile the conflicting interests of Nationalisi* and Protestant Irish. 'But Mr 'Lloyd George's Home Rule, scheme has been rejected in toto, and now the expedient of a conference in which Irish problems shall be debated by Irishmen themselves with due representation of all parties seems to afford the best hope of settlement of the Irish question.