The Dominion FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1921. THE KING AND QUEEN IN IRELAND

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 231, 24 June 1921, Page 4

The Dominion FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1921. THE KING AND QUEEN IN IRELAND

AVhatkvee its ultimate effect may be upon the Irish situation, the Royal visit to Belfast has added another to many demonstrations afforded in recent years that the Monarchy is a living reality in the life of the Empire. It seems very possible that toe King and Queen insisted on going' to Ireland in spite of some, opposition by the responsible advisers of the Crown. Looking only at the disturbed state of the country, the time might well have been deemed inopportune for a Royal visit, and no one could have wondered if the King and Queen had themselves concurred m that view. An overwhelming, part of the population of Belfast is. of course, enthusiastically loyal, and nrobably it is tenlv fai'r to the Sinn Fein to assume that it would discountenance any attack on the King or Queen, but in its present slate of unrest and disorder Ireland is a happv hunting ground for fanatics and undesirables of various kinds, many of whom are canable of going to anv lengths in violence .and crime. In these conditions, the possibilities of danger attending the Royal visit might easily have led to its being indefinitely postponed. At the same time, there is no doubt that in dis-’ regarding these dangers, the King and Queen were guided by a sound sense of public duty. The firm hold they have, already established on the respect and affection of their people cannot but be .strengthened by this new and signal instance of a resolute refusal. to adopt any fair-weather conception of their Royal obligations. The example set by the Queen on this occasion is particularly worthy of admiration. In accompanying the King on his visit under , the disturbed conditions prevailing in Ireland, she faced an ordeal from which any woman might have shrunk.

The Royal visit to Ireland finds its sufficient justification in the fact that it represents a noteworthy contribution to the creation of a new and more wholesome atmosphere in that country. Tn opening the, Parliament of Northern Ireland, the Kino deolared that ho could not allow a deputy to perform the ceremony, and the preface to his Speech and all the circumstances attending the Royal visit combine to show how far this was from being an empty form of words. The passearcs of TTis Majesty’s Speech which are cabled to-day depart so boldly from the formal and routine type of utterance to which Royalty is often restricted that they nerhaps establish a precedent. They certainly constitute an appeal of moving effect to" those' 'with wlmni it rests to solve 'The age-long Trish problems.” No one. who. reads what the King had to say on this ‘historic occasion .can doubt that he spoke spontaneously and from hi" heart alike in declaring his love for Ireland and in his references to the far-reaching Imperial issues that turn unon the establishment of peace in that distracted country. As its titular Head, the King ba« a. better, right to speak for the Empire than oven the most,influential statesman in the United Kingdom or in any of the Dominions, and undoubtedly his oversea subjects will wholeheartedly applaud his statement that everything which touches Ireland finds an echo in the remotest parts of the Empire. In the outer .Empire differences of any importance between people of Irish blood and descent and their English or Scottish fellow-citizens have been all but totally obliterated. That fact plainly noints the way to a full remedy for the dark and troubled situation in Ireland. The _ Kino annealed for the application of this remedy in words which will be endowed and echoed in every part of the Empire:—

I am emboldened to look beyond th'o sorrow and anxiety which lies clouded my late vision of Trish affaire, and I speak from a full heart when I pray that my coming may prove the first step towards the end of the strife amongst the people. In that hope I appeal to all Irishtnen to pause and stretch out the hand )of forbearance and conciliation, and forgive and forget, nnd join in making for the .land they love a new era of peace and good*will. Whether the hope the King has expressed with to much good feeling and sincerity is destined to be realised, the course of future events must show. It at least stands’ to his credit that he has lifted the Irish question to a higher plane. Scrupulously avoiding anything that in the most prejudiced view could be regarded as partisanship, the King went to the heart of the matter in appealing to all Irishmen to. set aside hatred and unite in bringing happier days to their country. It cannot for a moment be doubted that if an atmosphere of conciliation were once created in Ireland all detail questions in dispute would soon be settled. The opening of the Northern! Parliament is in any case, an event of hopeful augury, and one that makes for ultimate bea.ee. Henceforth this Parliament will stand as a concrete and ever-present reminder that the Horne Rule for which Irishmen have so long been striving is freely at their disposal. Only flic °nirit of conciliation for which the King has so effectively appealed is needed to ensure the speedy establishment of a, single united Parliament, invested with nil the powers of self-government that Irishmen enn reasonably demand.