ALL FOR IRELAND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 85, 17 April 1913, Page 6

ALL FOR IRELAND.

A LETTER TO NEW ZEALAND. “FAITHFUL AND DEVOTED FRIENDS.’* Mr William O’Brien has sent the following reply to the resolution passed by the Auckland Young Ireland Society on January 9 urging, all sections of the Irish party in the House of Commons to c'o-’operate in-making the Horae Rule Bill ‘‘satisfactory to all shades of , reasonable Irish public opinion” :

“I wholly share the view '-of the Auckland Young Ireland Society that in the present crisis of our country’s fate all Nationalists ought to put-all personal considerations under foot- to make Mr Asquith’s- Bill as-tolerable a 1 fljfeidifaV set tlieitldfit bftrif now »' p+dt* ticable. When the Bill was, introduced I publicly offered, in the name of my All-for-Ireland colleagues,, to bury all past-differences iff order' to cooperate with Mr Redmond,- and his friends-in amending the Bill' and ensuring its passage ipto law. The offer, I regret to say, ,was rejected with insult and contempt.

“All through the debates'in ParHam en iron the Bill We steadily avoided the slightest reference to domestic differences among Nationalists, ignored the gross, defects of the Bill, and gave a whole-hearted support to its principle, which, at : all;events, acknowledges in some degree; Irelahd!s right to national' I went further,; and when .the, idea of a .settlement' by consent was broached as the best, if hot; the only .means of securing the enactment pf. the. Statute, or its peaceful working, I suggested Mr Redmond, as the Nationalist representative at a conference from which I' excluded myself..

“At this moment', when the "settlemen by'consent'we have so lon'g;struggled for, isi more; and more generally recognised l (even- by .Mr, Redmond: himself)! to be. the only happy, or even practicable solution, my friends and myself are more than: willing ever , to aid in that-solution, either by, friendly co-bperation'wiih Mr Redmond and .his friends or by effacing ourselves i altogether from the peace negotiations. “Thus far, as- during, the past ten years, our repeated friendly overtures have .not' received a word of 'acknowledgment, except in the shape of renewed and more malignant- misrepresentation of our action and motives., No amount of unpatriotic ■folly on .the part of onr opponents will ' fOj- a moment alter our readiness, at all times and under any circumstances to eviitcd a spirit of kindliness and conciliation towards every "section, of our countrymen—Orange or Green.

“We 'have.'always carefully abstain'ed from paining our exiled countrymen in Australia and America by involving them in controversies, the merits of which they cannot possibly be in a position to understand. We arc quite content tq be judged by the results of time and experience, Which have, indeed, already so far prevailed, that Mi' Redmond is now the most eloquent advocate of those principles of conciliation between class and class and between creed and creed, for preaching which we were, up to 12 months ago, batoned, stoned, and ievolverised by a certain misguided section of'our fellow-countrymen. ■' “I'leave our countrymen in New ’’Zealand to judge for themselves between this reply to your letter 'and any that Mr Redmond and Mr Dillon xrt’ay be pleased to make in their own part. “With all best wishes for New Zealand, as one of Ireland’s most faithful and devoted friends, —Believe me, faithfully yours, William O’Brien.”