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New Zealand Tablet, 6 April 1916, Page 43

LORD MIDLETON AND IRELAND.

• Lord Midleton’s reference in debate in the House of Lords to Ireland’s exclusion from the Military Ser* vice Bill as ‘ a special stigma ’ placed on her by the Government has brought forth a reminder to the public of the interest his Lordship takes in her welfare. Mr. Swift Mac Neill recalls the fact that when for the first time the. Irish masses were offered the opportunity of being , truly represented in the Imperial Parliament Lord Midleton, then Mr. St. John Brodrick, strongly opposed Ireland’s inclusion in the Bill for the extension of the franchise. Though Sir Stafford Northcote, his leader in the House of Commons, discountenanced his action, he proposed an amendment for her exclusion, the motion being rejected by three hundred and thirtytwo votes to one hundred and thirty-seven, ‘ probably,’ says Mr. Swift Mac Neill, ,‘ the largest majority till that time ever recorded in favor of an extension of popular liberties.’ It is but natural that the man who fought against the concession of the franchise to the rank and file of the population in Ireland should also be anxious to impose the fetters of conscription on her people. He is but following the tradition of the peers who can justly claim that they have always been against the rights of the people in Ireland, so that the progress of popular movements in Great Britain might in that way, if possible, be retarded. 1 - // IRISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT. , A representative of the Dublin Freeman’s Journal, who paid a visit to the Western front at the end of January, writes as follows:—‘We visited the battalion headquarters of the Royal Irish Regiment early in the day, and we found them in the trenches in the afternoon. It was not difficult to know that Irishmen were about, and Tipperary men, when you entered these trenches. Coming to a traverse your eye caught a signpost with the words, ‘Limerick Junction; change here for Tipperary and Clonmel.” Later on you turned into “Clonmel avenue, Thurles road, Fethard road,” etc. Here we were within 300 yards .of the German front line trenches, and the snipers were particularly active. It was while in these trenches that one of those incidents with a spice of danger which make them linger pleasantly in the memory occurred. The going was particularly bad for one portion of the journey; indeed we were well above our knees in water. The trench was beside a high road, and the road was practically dry and inviting, but a man standing or walking on it meant that his head and shoulders would .be above the parapet of the trench embankment, and he would certainly be sniped. We waded along until at last the water threatened to reach the hips. We called a council, and learning that the deep water extended for not more than fifty yards or so, we begged leave to be allowed to negotiate that part of the journey via the road, promising faithfully to go as near on all fours 'as possible. lam glad to say the feat- was accomplished without hishap.’ ■ ■ *