THE STATE OF IRELAND

Evening Star, Issue 17366, 31 May 1920, Page 8

THE STATE OF IRELAND

We have been permitted to make the following extracts from a letter just received from a lady who resides in the vicinity of Belfast, and who, writing at the end of March, says.— “We have no politics in Ireland at present—that is, if we telco the word in its original sense and meaning, ‘ The Science and Art of Government.’ There are 60.0C0 Britsh soldiers in Hr land lust now helping, ns an old Irish neighbor of ours used to say in another connection, to ‘keep down pence!’ And, indeed, this somewhat involved sentence exactly describes the situation.

Tlie bitter feeling engendered by the Ulster volunteer movement six or seven years ago has simply been intensified ail these years, and now when Horne Rule is likely to lie granted it finds the country in a very bad temper. J.f Ireland had been granted a workable measure of Home Rule, say, 10 years ago, I believe it would have been accepted. As it is now. the

country is in a state bordering on revolution because of the delay and vacillation of a feeble Government.' But most great reforms have been preceded by revolution in some form or other. Even our tardilygranted woman’s suffrage was wrung from a reluctant Government by more or loss revolutionary methods. r fhere is always a point where -patience ends, you know; but no right-minded person can condone bloodshed, and we all deplore that men have stained their hands with blood in their hatred of tho Government’s officials. “’the new Horne Rule Bill is far short of the more generous Uomiiiion Home Rule that people hoped would be applied to Ireland ; but that will likely come later, when England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will all be on an equal basis, as they ought to bo. “ Sir Edward Carson ia now engaged in preparing his henchmen to accept the Home Rule Bill. The lion has indeed become a lamb! After all his wild words ho now bells his followers to ‘take the situation logically, reasonably, and in accordance with the. real circumstances of the case.’ What a pity he did not apply logic and reason to the eircumstai.res rears ago I And so the Ulster Unionist Council have decided that, 'while not accepting responsibility for the I> -' 1 «’••••. not assume the responsibility of advising th-ir f’su- -vp - : ... 6 defeat the Bill, but should press for such amendments as are necessai-v in the interests of Ulster and tho .Southern Uni-m----is to ’ ; and so tamely ends the wild i-.nii-paign, and they are apparenllv -;>ti.-:icd with _ their six counties, and to'nllow the remainder of Ireland to work out her own salvation. So much for politics!”