NEW ZEALAND VIEW

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 88, 13 April 1912, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND VIEW

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S APPROVAL A MOVEMENT TOWARDS IMPERIAL UNITY. Sir Joaapli Ward received a cable lliis morning from Mi\ John Redmond, London, asking his opinion of the Homo Rule Bill. Sir Joseph replied as follows: — "John Redmond, London. — Strongly approve Homo Rule Bill, which gives proper freedom, with every reasonable safeguard to minorities. It will settle Irish question; will contribute enormously to solidarity of Empire, and increase goodfellowship America and ling-hsh-epeaking world. — Ward. Asked by a Poet representative if he had any objection to amplifying lub viewe, Sir Joseph said he would with pleasure give a brief outline of what he based his reply upon. He supported Home Rule for Ireland on two broad ground*:— First, that it was in the best interest* of the Empire as a whole, and secondly, it was due to Ireland herself att a matter of common justice. From the Imperial point of view the Bill was only a recognition of the principle that the more you decentralise from the Government control what are purely local affairs, the more you add to the efficiency and energy of that Government, the more you stimulate an active general interest in it._ _ Mr. Asquitb, he said, is simply emphasising this when he points out in the speech cabled this morning how hopeless it is for a Parliament sitting at Westminster, overloaded to the- breaking-point with all the present and yearly increasing multifarious work of the Empire, to govern Ireland and the local affairs of Ireland with any degree of success. This is independent of that insistent and persistent national desire on tlie part of the Irish people to govern themselves. ; BARRIER TO UNITY. The one barrier at the present moment to British Imperial unity is the acute and deep-felt sense of wrong which the- withholding of self-govern-ment has created in the breasts of the Irish people at Home and abroad.' History is full of proof that increased freedom for self-control has done more to increase unity and loyalty io a common centre than all that arms and military power has ever achieved. This is specially true of such a liberty-loving people as thelßritish nations. It is, unfortunately chiefly racial prejudice and traditional party antipathies which prevent many of the opponents in England of Home Rule to Ireland from recognising that more freedom io Ireland means greater security to the Empire. THE IMPERIAL ASPECT. But is is the "Empire aspect of this matter that impresses me most. Fir6t, the resentment felt by Irishmen the world over, and notably in America, towards England for keeping Ireland in her present position of subjection has contributed immensely to prevent that international unity which is the only permanent basis of international goodwill throughout the English-speaking world. Secondly, Homo Rule to Ireland will mark a great new era in the development of our Empire. Thi6 is plain ly fore&hadowed m Mr. Asquith's speech. It means no less than a marked stride ' towards Imperial Federation. Home Rule to Ireland, one is y told by several of the British leaders, will be followed by Home Rule to the other national divisions of the now imperfectly United Kingdom. This, it is clear, is to involve a local legislature controlling local affairs consistent with representation in an Imperial Parliament at Westminster. Thus Ireland will have, as New Zealand has, local autonomy and a voice in the Imperial Parliament upon all questions of Crown and Imperial affairs, upon all questions touching the Army and Navy, and the great and vital question of peace and war. The creation of these separate legislatures will demand the creation of a broad and well-defined central or Imperial Parliament, and this in turn will necessitate the construction of the corresponding written constitutions demarking the respective areas of jurisdiction under each. THE OVERSEAS ASPECT. This, broadly, paves the way for Imperial representation of all^ the selfgoverning oversea Dominions in the new Imperial Parliament, for it would be obviously unjust to grant not only selfgovernment to the national divisions of the United Kingdom but Imperial representation as well on all the vital questions of Empire, while denying that representation to Canada and the other great and growing young nations under the British flag. Consequently, there is now opening a vista of true Imperial citizenship, under an organised federation, which must check the present drift towards disintegration, give strength, unity, and solidarity to the Empire as a whole, and make us what, m the widest aspect, we all desire to be, one great powerful British Empire, subject to one Throne and under on© flag. THE BILL REVIEWED. Speaking of the Bill, a» far as one cah follow it from the brief outline cabled, it provides complete protection against religious interference or oppression; it secures equitable representation to the different sections of the Irish people ; provides at the some time sufficient machinery for the government of Irish affairs; and, financial and other powere adequate, but not more than adequate, for the purposes of local autonomy. The matters excluded from the scope of the proposed Irish Parliament show that Parliament is effectively barred from any matter which can properly be called Imperial. It i« clear that the draughtsman of the Bill has used and profited by the Bills of 1886 and 1893, and meets, I think, fully and fairly all the main objections which have been previously raised to these two proposed earlier measures. Every large extension of self-government has had its opponents in England. Mr. Gladstone emphasised this in eloquent terms in 1893, when he recalled the long and bitter opposition which was shown in Great Britain years ago to the grant of complete self-government to Canada. Time has completely justified the widening of freedom, broad-based upon the people's will, and 1 am coniidont that in a few years, when undei her own self-govern-ment, Ireland is working out her own dtetiny, she is found growing in even closer unity to the rest of the kingdom, men will wonder at Ihe bitterness of present opposition, and jpnlaud the courageous step for which the present advocAtea in the Motherland of Rule for Ireland are now fighting for."-