MR. B. R. WISE ON HOME RULE. (Sydney Freeman's Journal.')

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 27, 22 April 1892, Page 31

MR. B. R. WISE ON HOME RULE. (Sydney Freeman's Journal.')

Mb B. S. Wise certainly owed some amende to Ireland in the old country where in his Macmillan article he so infamously maligned Irishmen in Australia and we are glad to see that be has paid it. In* terviewed during his late visit to England by the Pall Mail Gazette as a " rising Australian politician " (curious these mistakes of Home papers), he of course could only refute the stupid statement of Lord Knutsford that to grant Home Rule to Ireland would cause disunion in the colonies—" the colonies would go 4n disgust "—as well as between Great Britain and Ireland. If this is a sample of the intelligence of the Conservative Colonial Office, Lord Carriogton's late criticism of that department was fully justified, and one wonders which particular " globe-trotter " it was of the many ot the tribe who so stuffed the ear of Lord Knutsford. Mr Wise might have had no difficulty in saying that the colonies were much more likely to " go in disgust " if Home Rule to Ireland were not granted, but what he did say was that it would be impossible to find ten candidates in the whole of New South Wales opposed to Home Bule, or if found, one of whom would be returned for any constituency if he expressed such a view. " Australians," said Mr Wise, "do not wish to mix themselves up with English party politics, but perceiving the advantage which they themselves enjoy under Home Bule they cannot, either through sentiment or through reasoniog, be brought to believe in the policy which denies Home Bule to Ireland." This is almost good enough to wipe out the memory of that Macmillan article , if anything could ; but all the same the writer of that article could not help repeating here his old jibe against what he calls the alien Irish element in local politics. Speaking as an Australian, so long, he says, as Home Bule is refused so long will the Irish in Australia continue to " hold aloof from national questions, and isolate themselves both in politics and social life." Well, do they ? We should have thought that in late politics here the Irish were in evidence enough at any rate for Mr Wise and his friends, and when he says be believes that " a large measure of Home fctnle would remove much if not all of the present bitterness in colonial party warfare." We may ask where, arising out of this or any other Irish question, is there any such party bitterness to be found ?