IRISH AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 April 1920, Page 5

IRISH AFFAIRS

' RECENT OUTRAGES. FURTHER DETAILS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) Received this dav at 1.45 a.m. LONDOIN, March 28. The details regarding the Irish outrages show that the murderers usually work in gangs of ten. Crack shots are chosen to pick off the victims while the others act as outposts. The Government has secured evidence of almost incredible sums paid to some murder gangs. Anyone visiting Dublin Castle approaches, which are continuously" watched, becomes a marked man.

High Government officials no longer dare leave the Castle to visit their own families! The "Sunday Express" states that a Nationalist member of the House of Commons received a written warning, marked with a black cross, intimating that his life was wanted in the cause of a free Ireland. Mr Garvin declares that the atrocities are almost surpassing those of Bolsheviks, awakening a new temper in Ulster, threatening to rend Ireland asunder, and forever. It is useless to talk of Dominion Home Pule. The Government must go straight ahead on its own lines. LONDON, March 29. Following the recent seizure of smuggled guns, the Admiralty detained the captains of two ships and secured the details <n n scheme for supplying the Sinn Eeiners with great quantities of. arms. The ring-leader operates in Hamburg, posing as a German nobleman. POLICE PATHS. SINN EEINERS~ARRESTEP. (Australian and N, Z. Cable Association} Received this day at 9.45 a.m. LONDON, March 30. Dining the military raids 'in Londonderry, Tyrone and Donegal, a- number of Sinn Eeiners were arrested, including Sweeney, a member of the House of Common s. HOME RULE PILL. SECOND READING CARRIED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, March 31. The second reading of fhe Home Pule Bill was carried by 348 to 94. LORD MAYOR OF CORK. SINK EEINERS ELECTED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received this day at 11.45 a.m.) LONDON. March 30. ■ Alderman McSiveney has been elected Lord Mayor of Cork. He is the h-.mi Fein leader who been deported and imprisoned several times. ANOTHER MURDER. A BAKER THE VICTIM. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.') (Received this day at 1.45 p.m.) LONDON. March 28. James McCarthy, a baker at Thurles, responding to a knock at his u >or after midnight on Friday, was shot dead. His brother accuses the police.

DISORDERS FEARED. LONDON, March 30

There are now are 70 Sinn Feiners in Londonderry gaol. There have been lately demonstrative singing of rebel songs and the authorities fearing disorder have introduced a strong VIGOROUS DEBATE. SPEECH BY MB. ASQUTTH. (Australian and N, Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, March 31,. In the House of Commons; the Irish debate was resumed. Mr. Asquith disagreed with the view that order must be restored 'before constitutional change;: could be considered. He expressed the opinion that the root of the mischief was not touched until by wide reforms in the system of Government the general cooperation of Irishmen is enlistted in the enforcement of law. He recalled his pledge that the vast majority of trie people of Ireland should have an Irish legislature with an Irish Executive, subject to the necessary safeguards for Imperial supremacy and the protection of the Irsh minority.

Replying to an interruption by ;Mr. Bomir Law, Mr. Asquith said that his pledge involve! the grant of a parliament"to the whole of Ireland. The Bill was cumbrous, costly and unworkable, and not demanded or supported by any sectiovi of Ireland. ) r le suggested that the Home Bide in some"ot the moss vital particular*. P/ll should be retained, but amended in some of the most vital particulars. For example, the powers of the Irish Parliament and executive under the Ant should be enlarged so as to give them practically a Dominion status, though, lie admitted, the geo faphical contiguity of Ireland made an important difference in. her position, particularly in military sense from the position of the Dominion. He also suggested extensive financial adjustments and the county option in Ulster.

*.. Mr. Bona? Law emphasised that the Government was compelled to introduce the Bill at present because otherwise thedlome Rule Act would automatically come into operation. Also Ulster must not be brought, under the Dublin Parliament except by her own free will. The Bill was intended to give Ireland the largest measure of Home Rule compatible witli national security, and the pledges given Mr. AsquithV suggestion did. not mean Dominion home rule, the essence of which was the Dominions' control of their fighting forces, whereas Mr. ABquith proposied to

reserve the armed forces. The connection of the Dominions with the Empire depended on the Dominions, and if anyone chose to-morrow to say it will no longer remain part of the Empire we should not try to force them. Dominion "Home Rule meant the rigKt to decide its own destiny. This was demanded by the legal representatives of the Irish people, and for Mr. Asquith to say that he was prepared to give Dominion home rule must mean nothing less than that he was prepared to give an Irish republic. There was no difference between honestly granting Dominion Home Rule ami openly giving selfdetermination and the elected representatives of southern Ireland. He challenged the Labourites to say whether they meant if the elected representatives of Ireland wanted a republic they would give them a republic. Mr. Bonar Law continued and aaid that if the Bill became law and the Sinn Feiners refused to work the Parliament, provision could he made in the Bill for an immediate reversion to the precsent position. If the whole of southern Ireland would have only a republic no settlement was possible. If, however, there was a large *ane element amongst, the population he did not believe that with parliament operating in another part of Ireland they would refuse to ,'work the southern parliament.

Mv Devlin strongly attacked the Bill. They might" send the whole army and navy to Ireland, but might was* right*brily for a time A_ nation's hearts desire was only_ satisfied by a recognition of the spirit of justice and concession of freedom. Sir Edward Carson, while lecordino' his unalterable opposition to the ■whole policy of Home Rule, and disclaiming responsibility for the scheme, said that it would hare been easy for him to flay that he would continue the tight'"to a finish, but cardinal factn were that the Act of J9U was on the Statute Book, and

pledges were given Ulster Many of his C old friends were calling him a traitor because he was not fighting to the end, but he had been offered parliament for six counties, and could not ank Ulster to r°t their rifles and fight for what they were offered peaceably. He would/not vote for the Bill, but would not prevent it. pa -'.sing. He challenged the Labourites to go to the country with the announced" determination 'to drive Ulster under the 'Sinn Fein parlia- f ment. or give Ireland an actual po-, tential republic.