THE IRISH PARTY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 80, 28 December 1907, Page 5

THE IRISH PARTY.

PROPOSED REUNION. A HITCH. BY TKLEGHAPU—ri'.ES3 ASSOCIATION—COFYRIGIIT. London, December 26. In connection with tho decision of Mr. Win. O'Brien (Nationalist M.l\ for Cork) and Mr. John Redmond to reunite their forces on tho basis of striving for Homo Rulo—while at tho same tiino endeavouring to secure practical amelioration from' tho English parties—Mr., O'Brien rcquostcd that /this agreement bej submitted to tho Irish National Convention. Mr. Redmond says ho is unablo to agreo to this coarse, on the ground that the right to convene tho Convention rests with the Directory. Mr. O'Brien declares that there is no other moans of giving practical effect to tho principles agreed upon. IVhon the National Convention last met, it was to consider tho Liberal Government's Irish Councils Bill. Mr. John Redmond, who, as leader of the Nationalist party in tho House of Commons, lin<l spoken expectantly of the Bill before its appearance, placed himself in l the hands of tho Convention, telling' its members that they wore tho masters; and the Convention unanimously rejected the Bill. That action Mr. O'Brien attacked vigorously, and a speech of liia oh October 2, throws a lot of light on his attitude to Mr. Redmond and the Nationalists' parly managers. Mr. O'Brien said he had withdrawn from tho sceno during tho preceding six months in order to deprive tho party managers of any pretext for pretonding it was ho who marred their plans. When ho enme back it was to find that they had not only damned Home Rule for the present Parliament; and possibly for the next, but had led the Irish people into the ridiculous position of saving the House of Lords the trouble of damning Home Rule by their own will and deed. They bunquoted Mr. Birrell. the night before the Bill was introduced, and, when they went over to Ireland and found themselves. in danger of defeat, they swung right round, and themselves took the' lead in rushing the Convention into a decision which Mr. Redmond himself had since admitted was founded upon a complete misapprehension of tho most vital portions of tho Bill. Mr. O'Brien went on to explain that, though as a final settlement every Nationalist would have spurned it, the Bill was preliminary,'and, if successful, cotdd have been altered in the direction of complete Gladstonian Home_Rule. Talk of their getting Boer Home Rule as a minimum! If ever they were to get Boer Home Rule as a minimum, tlfe.v must first show Boer commonsense as a minimum. The party managers had broken ' with every English party in turn, and had not succeeded in injuring any party except their own. lie nud his friends were for recognising that in this world of second bests and compromises, half a loaf was better than no bread. The foolish policy of the past four years liad been an attempt to win Home Rule by preventing any other Irish question from being settled until they • had first won Boer Homo Rulo as a minimum. Speaking as to reconciliation with the Nationalist party, Mr. O'Brien said he had supported evory proposal for friendly' agreement within the past-few years, and was prepared to como to a settlemont either by.private conference' or compulsory arbitration, so as to bring about a genuine reunion. Speaking about threo weeks later than tho above, Mr. John Redmond said ho wan prepare dto make any sacrifice short of principle, to unite in one fold every Nationalist who pared to mako any sacrifice, short of principlo, spoke of unity he meant tho union of a poopl'o behind a pledge-bound party, in" which the' opinion of tho majority should prevail.