HOME BULB FOR IRELAND

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5488, 23 March 1910, Page 3

HOME BULB FOR IRELAND

LO-Rfi »UI>LR\"S POSITION,. MELBOURNE, March 19. Correspondence arising out of public criticism by Mr 0. Snowball, M.L.A., head of the Orange Order, of the speech delivered by the Earl of Dudley (Governor- Get eral of the Commonwealth, and ex-Lord-1 ieutenant of Ireland) at the openip.g of the Catholic College, has been published. Mr Snowball made reference to Lord Dudley's reported remarks in favour of giving the Irish separate rule, addi ing that Lord Dudley might have thought his position as GovernorGeneral justified him in saying such things. The Governor General's private secretary wrote pointing out the difference between Lord Dudley's actual lemarks, which were that he would take no part with any organisation or body which had not for its purpose the advancement of the progress and prosperity of Ireland, and those tbat had been attributed to him. Mr Snowball, justifying his criticism, added it was distinctly offensive to a large section of the people ftr their Governor -Gen ral to publicly throw his necessarily weighty official influence into the advocacy and encouragement of the agitation in favour of Home Rule for Ireland. The private secsetary's response to this was that Lord Dudley did not pro* poße to discuss the desirability of either Borne Rule or the government of Ireland. He had expressed no opinion <,n the former— the latter he advocated when in a position to take part in political controversy ; but never then nor now had he any sympathy wih any change in the government of Ireland which wou'.d involve, or would in the slightest degree lead to, separation from the Empire.

The correspondence closes with a letter from Mr Snowball expressing pleasure that he row perceives that Lord Dudley bad no real sympathy with those who advocated Ireland's separation from Britain.