IRELAND AND HOME RULE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6052, 9 November 1906, Page 5

IRELAND AND HOME RULE

MR. REDMOND’S DEMAND. “HALF-WAY HOUSE” NOT ACCEPTABLE. Mr John Redmond, M.P., addressed a largely attended meeting hold at Grange, County Limerick, on September 23rd, under the auspices of tho United Irish League a'nd the. Land and Labour Association. Mr M, I’. O’Shaughuossy presided. ■ Mr Redmond, who wap warmly received, raid that when the present Government came into office they declared that they were about to consider some scheme for conferring self-government on tho people of Ireland, and in the circumstances the Irish party decided that it would ho a wise policy to give Ministers ample to mature their plants. Therefore the Irish party confined themselves to pressing tho claims of the labourers and to removing certain administrative grievances. They obtained a large measure of justice for the labourers, hut not a full one. for he did not believe it would bo possible to obtain a full settlement of any Irish ques-,, tiou except from an Irish Parliament. (Hear, hear.) At tho same time the Bill was a valuable one, granting four and a quarter millions of money from the British Treasury at 31 per cent., and enabling them to build 30,000 additional cottages in Ireland. The Bill did net touch, however, the artisans and workers in towns, and therefore did not settle the labour question. GOVERNMENT ACCORDING TO IRISH IDEAS.

The Government had declared that they were going to govern Ireland according to Irish ideas, but they had tlie_ gravest reason to complain of their action in that respect. It was not fair to blame them altogether, for no British Government, however able and sympathetic, could ever govern Ireland according to Irish ideas) because they did not understand Irish ideas. (Laughter aiid Hear, hear.) In a score of instances the Government had d('«; regarded Irish public opinion and falsified the promises given, thereby proving that it was constitutionally impossible for any British Government to govern Ireland. At the present moment the Irish party stood face to face with a most critical, delicate, difficult, and yet a most extraordinary political situation.. Tho Ministry, with two or three exceptions, wore avowed Home Rulers, and they were told that they would introduce a Bill next year dealing with self-government, in Ireland. This was on the highest au'tliority, but .the extraordinary portion of tho situation was that they also were told that this Home Rule Government was only to introduce what was called administrative Homo Rule. Ho was anxious that the Irish public should fully understand that tho Irish party and he could have nd (responsibility whatever, direct or in-, direct, for the proposal of any such makeshift as that. Neither his colleagues) nor he had been consulted, and he knew that neither the leaders nor any representatives of Ireland were consulted. (They had, however, this consolation. If they did not know the Government’s mind the Government must know theirs. (Hear, near.) H© declared that the Irish people stood where they always stood, fihey declared that nothing short of a complete measure of Home Rule, and by that he meant ,a Parliamentfreely elected with an executive responsible to it, could ever be accepted as a settlement of the Irish question. (Hear,bear.) HALF-WAY HOUSE PROPOSALS The Prime Minister had spoken of certain proposals loading up to Home Rule. When they wore produced the Irish Party would consider them and cJuhmi-t them to the judgment of ■ tho ,rish ’people, and no decision would -o come to by him or the Irish Party until the whole question had teen submitted to a National Convention. He, wished to 'say this for himself—tha't when the -hour came any influence he possessed would be used to induce his .countrymen to reject any proposals, no matter how plausible, they might seem, which tended in his judgment to endanger tho prestige and power of the Irish National Party and to weaken or disrupt the national movement. His first and greatest policy, which overshadowed everything else, was to preserve the union of the National Party in Ireland, to preserve a united and powerful national organisation in Ireland, until they had achieved the full measure of national freedom they were entitled to. Someone said there was a half-way house, that was a matter of opinion, but his policy above all was to preearvo those great weapons of unity unblunted, and therefore his advice ‘would be to reject it. Never in tho history of their land was there a greater need of a strong united party and a strong and fearless organisation behind it than there would he during the next twelve'months, when the people would have to'discuss those grave problems, and ho appealed to the people to put '•o the hands of their represents gives the weapon of a powerful organieation. If they did they would have a united and powerful party in the Commons from Ireland. THE LAND QUESTION.

Unfortunately the land question was not yet settled. Tho breaking-up of the grass lands and the restoration of the evicted tenants were the whole land question to-day, the really acute ■question, and not the number of sales under the Purchase Act. The evicted tenants could not be restored unless hey got possession of the untenantod a.nds.° Tho Tory Government zhnmeeajy broke their promise of immediately restoring the evicted tenants, ."he situation was now changed. The Government were now friendly, but the proceedings were slow, and years must elapse before the evicted tenants oould be restored. Why was tihis?

it was owing to tlic action of a secion of tbe landlords. (A Voice: ‘‘Yes. nd a section of the farmers, too.”) i'cs, and a section of the people who were blocking the working of alio evicted

.'Hants clause of the Land Act. He ■ras glad to learn that in this neigh-urhe-ad there was every probability that untonanted laud would be sold to the Commissioners to divide it in tho enlargement of tho holding® of those who really needed land. Ho had noticed with pain that there seemed to 10 a desire to use the evicted tenants as pawns in the game of discrediting the Irish Party and dividing tho -ational forces. (Hear, hoar.) They woro told recently that tho evicted .emints should look for reforms not o a united party in Parliament, not to the League, but to a new land conference. A new land conference would, in hio opinion, he absolutely useless. Phcy had it then solves in their own power to force a speedy settlement of this matter. (Hear, hoar.) Let the Government understand that if they did not Lake measures to solve this problem they would take the matter into their own hands, and once this Government understood that Ireland would not stand any further nonsenoc in this matter they would speedily put their hands to the work. (Hoar, hear.) A little taste of determined agitation would soon have its effect. Tho way to deal with tho question was not by a new land conference, but by lotting everyone concerned, including the Government, know that Ireland would not stand any nonsense in the matter. Let no one make any mistake, their policy was to hold aloof from all Euglkih parties and Governments, and. it would he well for the, present Government to realise that, while they were undoubtedly strong enough to do justice to this country, they were not strong enough, no matter how largo their majority, to govern Ireland against tho wish of the Irish people (Cheers.) Among, the resolutions carried wa.s distribution of the untenantod land among tho small farmers and labourers. and thanking tho tenants on tho De Sails estate in the neighbourhood for refusing to discuss the terms of purchase with the landlord until 450 acres on the property were given to the Estates Commissioners for distribution among poor farmers and. labourers.