THE PRIME MINISTER IN DUBLIN

New Zealand Tablet, 12 September 1912, Page 49

THE PRIME MINISTER IN DUBLIN

UNPRECEDENTED SCENES OF ENTHUSIASM Our Home exchanges give very extended reports of the enthusiastic reception accorded to Mr. Asquith on his visit to Dublin. The Prime Minister left Holyhead for Dublin on Thursday evening, July 18, and arrived at Kingstown shortly after 9 o’clock. On the steamer reaching the wharf, Mr. John Redmond, Mr. John Dillon, and Mr. Devlin went on board and cordially welcomed the Premier and'Mrs. Asquith to, Ireland. Mr. Birrell, Chief Secretary, was also present to receive the distinguished visitors. The Kingstown, Blackrock, Dalkey, Pembroke, and other local Councils were largely represented, while many clergymen and provincial public men were also in attendance. Kingstown Pavilion and the shore adjoining the pier were crowded with people, who enthusiastically cheered. Mr. Asquith, on leaving the steamer, stood bareheaded, bowing his acknowledgments, while Mrs. Asquith waved her hand in salutation. Mr. Asquith and his party, with Mr. Redmond and the other Irish M.P.’s, then, amidst great enthusiasm, left for Dublin by special train. There was a large and representative assembly to welcome the Premier on his arrival at Westlandrow station, where there was in waiting the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Lord Mayor of Cork, the Mayors of Limerick, Waterford, Drogheda, Clonmel, and Sligo, as well as a number of clergy, chairmen of county councils, and representative public bodies. When Mr. Asquith left the Westland-row railway station there was an extraordinary scene of enthusiasm. The enormous crowd, which had collected for hours beforehand, cheered over and over again, and Mr. and Mrs. As„quith, standing up, had continually to bow their acknowledgments. All the way along the route every window was filled with cheering spectators, amongst whom were many ladies. College Green was ablaze with the light of torches and electric fairy lamps when the Premier reached the historic spot. ' In striking contrast with the sombre appearance of /Trinity College, the brilliant illuminations around Grattan’s statue stood out in a remarkably significant fashion. As the carriage passed the statue of the patriotic leader of more than a century ago and the home of the old Irish Parliament, Mr. Asquith and Mr. Redmond waved their hats in salutation. Along O’Connell street there was a renewal of the acclamation of welcome, which the Premier and Mrs. Asquith delightedly acknowledged. The reception of Mr. Redmond was not less cordial. Outside the Gresham Hotel the scene was one of inspiring enthusiasm. When Mr. Asquith arrived the spacious thoroughfare was literally packed with spectators, and as he passed inside, followed by Mr. Redmond, he was greeted with resounding acclamations. Mr. John Redmond, M.P., and the Lord Mayor of Dublin delivered, from the portico of the hotel, short speeches welcoming: Mr. Asquith. b

MR. REDMOND’S WORDS OF WELCOME. This is not an occasion for many words (said Mr. John Redmond), and, indeed, many people who have witnessed the extraordinary scene in the streets of Dublin to-night may be inclined to say that words are almost out of place. And yet it seems to me that this mighty and unparalleled demonstration, this mighty demonstration of enthusiasm and of confidence, by far the mightiest demonstration of enthusiasm and confidence that ever greeted a British Minister, this great gathering, many people may, perhaps, rightly think, should not separate without some poor words of welcome to our guest. I desire, therefore, quite simply and qmte shortly, to say, in your name and in the name of the millions of our people within the four shores of Ireland, that we welcome Mr. Asquith. (At this point there was a tremendous roll of cheers, which continued for some moments.) Mr. Redmond—We welcome Mr. Asquith with enthusiasm, with deep gratitude, and, as I think he will believe, with all our hearts. He comes here, fellow-countrymen, on a mission of peace and justice

and liberty. After all the many generations of misery and of misgovernment in Ireland, and after the many miserable generations of disaffection and disloyalty and ill-will between the two countries, he brings you here a message of hope and of peace. He is the representative of the great friendly democracy of Great Britain, and on behalf of England he comes to us and offers us the hand of friendship; You to-night have grasped that hand with alacrity and good faith; and I tell you, Mr. Asquith, here to your face in Dublin to-night, that when we make friends with England there will be no more loyal and devoted subjects than the people of that land who, even in the dark days of the past, have willingly made sacrifices of their liberty and their lives in defence of the Imperial greatness of England. Now, fellow-countrymen, 1 therefore say to Mr. Asquith and to his wife, who has ..honored our country by coming here in his company to-day—l say to them, in your name and in the name of the whole Irish nation, Head mile faille. The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of Dublin (Mr. Lorcan G. Sherlock, LL.D.), Fellow-citizens, tonight in your names I have to tender to Mr. Asquith the warmest welcome the Irish ' people can give to a Minister anxious to do justice to Ireland. The words of the greatest orator would be cold, the words of the most eloquent speaker would be puny and worthless in trying to convey to Mr; Asquith the feelings of the Irish people towards him. But you, my- fellow-citizens, have made my task an easy one. You to-night ■■ have made your speeches of welcome to the Prime Minister, and the warmth of your welcome, the magnificence of your demonstration of fealty and loyalty to him in the great cause he has taken as his ownfreedom for this land of ours the most eloquent and the best possible thanks that can be paid to him . In your, name, simply as a matter of form, I convey here to-night to the Prime Minister the warmest possible welcome, not only from the citizens of Dublin but from every Irishman the whole world over. I would ask you now, when Mr. Asquith comes to reply, to recollect this in giving him a cheer—that Mr. Asquith is the man who in the House of Commons, before the combined forces of all the Unionists, and before his fellow-countrymen throughout the length and breadth of the land, declared with noble pride, and declared with perfect truth, Ireland to be a nation. THE PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY. Mr. Asquith, as he stood in front of the portico preparatory to addressing the vast assemblage, received a remarkable ovation. A great volume of cheering arose which continued for a considerable time, and hats and handkerchiefs were enthusiastically waved above the great sea of upturned faces in O’Connell, street and from the windows of the Gresham Hotel and the other buildings in the vicinity, which were occupied by enthusiastic onlookers. Mr. Asquith stood bareheaded surveying the remarkable scene, waiting for the demonstration to subside before commencing his speech.. When at length comparative silence had been restored he said My Lord Mayot, Mr. Redmond, ladies and gentlemen, you will readily believe that I am moved beyond the power of adequate expression by the magnificent and memorable Irish welcome which you have given me to-night. I believe that this is the first occasion on which the Chief Minister of the Crown since the Act of Union, or perhaps since a much more 'remote date, has paid a visit to Dublin, and I recognise that the welcome which you have given to me to-night is something which is not merely or mainly a personal tribute but a greeting to those on whose behalf I come and in whose name I speak=— The Democracies of England, Scotland, and Wales, who have made common cause with you in the achievement of your great national purpose. As Mr. Redmond has said, and said truly, I come here on a mission of peace, of hope, and, I will add, of union, of peace between nations that have been artificially estranged of hope to a people who have wandered long in darkness and sometimes in despair in pursuit of their national ideals; and of union—a lasting and an abiding union founded upon the common enjoyment of justice

and of, freedom between all parts of the United Kingdom. As I came along the streets to-night I saw there | illuminated the statue of Grattan, and here we have,'' I see, not far from me, a monument to Parnell. Those are great names, cherished by the Irish race all over the world as the names of those Who Lived and Worked for Irish Freedom and Irish self-government. You will not forget them—we will not forget them— that you are entering into the fruits of their labors. Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to sign a treaty of enduring peace between the peoples of these countries, and I come here to-night and to-morrow as- its ambassador. I thank you once more from the bottom of my heart for the warmth of your welcome, and I assure you, not on my own behalf only, nor on behalf of my colleagues, but of the Liberal Party and of the Democracy of Great Britain, that we mean to bring your cause to a complete and speedy issue. ■ : After the meeting Mr. Asquith and party left by motor car for the Chief Secretary’s Lodge, where they were the guests of Mr. Birrell during their stay. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Mrs. Asquith, Miss Violet Asquith, and Miss*Elizabeth Asquith ; the Right Hon. the Master of Elibank, M.P., Sir John A. Simon, K.C., M.P., Solicitor-General for England; the Right Hon. E. S. Montagu, M.P., Under-Secretary for India; Mr. A. Asquith, Mr. C. Asquith, Lord Ashby St. Ledgers, who is to take charge of the Home Rule Bill in the House of Lords; Sir D. Brynmor Jones, M.P., chairman of the Welsh Liberal Party; and the Right Hon. Eugene Wason, M.P., chairman of the Scottish Liberal Association.