HOME RULE FOR IRELAND

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 19

HOME RULE FOR IRELAND

SPEECH BY MR O'BRIEN.;

MR REDMOND'S EXPLANATION. . LONDON, January 2. Mr William O'Brien, addressing a Nationalist demonstration at Buncrane, i said he would not trouble 'further about peace negotiations. The mass of tha people must' assert themselves and" 1 compel reunion. The real cause of the troubles 1 was that for* four years the Parliamentary, party and the National Directory of tho League, had usurped the people's power, N and had obtained control of the people. The boundless Australian funds at the . party's disposal s could not be better employed than by summoning a convention to re-establish' ■ unity, but Mr Redmond" shrank from such a convention.

■ - ' s - '> - Januarys 3. Mr "John Redmond, in a lengthy states ment concernirig the alleged - failure " to summon, the party and of • the National Directory to endorse the action of tha conference, alleges that the position is du^ to Mt G'BrieriV-demand that ,tk> immedi-' ately summon the party would be inoppor-J tun© arid would .not' make- for unity' bu^ ( for strife, .and, further, that the failure Was due. also to Mr William O'Brien's pro-j posal to transfer the arrangements to convene „ the . party from- the hand 6of the directory to a committee of three, who ar< Mr O'Brien's nominees. . i January 4. ' Mr O'Brien describes as. <r an absolute untruth/ the statement that he had mad-f proposals to transfer to .a committee of three the arrangements in connection with a meeting of the Irish Parliamentary party and - the - National Directory. H* 1 . explains that the -proposal was that th<l directory alone should convene a meeting^ but that; with a view to commanding the confidence of all sections, the mechanic cal arrangements . to carry out the 1 directory's ■ regulations should be entrusted ta three secretaries. ,

Mr O'Brien adds that he merely suggested the names of Mr Harrington, Mt Devlin, and Father Clancy, two of whon? represented "Mr Redmond's own party, Mr Redmond's objections had been vented since then for the purpose of extracting himself from a dilemma. •> /