The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-11-21
A Determined Unity Would soon
Crush Out All Oppo- y5I
sition.
The Progress of the Convention
Was KeenIy Watched by ~
Politicians. a ... ss 55
Home Rule Members ftaye Ceased
to Be a Mere Wing of the
Liberal Party.


s. w., comments editoriaily as follows on
the recent Irish Race convention in Dub
lin: s5t
! The weight Of unity ,once it is brought to
bear, must, soon crush out the opposition
! on the part Of the factionists, and this
convention is a means to that end. Even
Mr.. Healy seems to begin to percejye this
and we may take it that his admission to
an interviewer Of unfitness for the leader
ship, SO long the object OF his ambition,
| is a result Of the conventions influence.
| Another may be found in the clean sweep
| the Irish National League of Great Brit
ain has made Of It's Healyite officers
! There are evidences of strength, not in-
| judicjously used in the attitude OF the
convention so far. It's t1rmness appears
! to be tempered with a. desire to ackn0w1-
edge past services, While II is clearly
stiffened by a determination not to bresk
up without doing somthtng real tor the
cause Of Irish unity.
| II was to have been expected that the
progress Of the convention would be keen
! ly watched by political critics everywhere.
Ever since the defeat of the Liberal min
istry and more particularly since the.
Irish vote ON the educational bill, the fact
is becoming moro and more plainly ap-
parent that the cid Liberal ana nome
rule fighting compact is broken up. 1t
practically came TO an end when Lord
Rcsebery was defeated and the Liberals
| went out OF office Without being able TO
redeem their promise to their allies. The
compact was faithfully kept while it last
ed. No one has ever said that the Irish
men were not loyal to the condi1tins,
expressed and implied. They undoubted-
ly Kept the Liberals In Office much longer
than they otherwise would have been.
But circumstances have broken down the
coalition, and we must return to first
principles again. By holding themselves
independent OF parties the Irishmen
brought home rule within measurable dis
tance and converted Gladstone. This was
the secret of Parnelrs succass as payla-
mentarian. Departure from the policy
seems TO have been A chief cause Of the
existing disunion. One Of the most en-
couraging signs OF the convention is The
desire to get back to the old condition of
things, and this is wha! Mr.. Dillon meant
when he said the other day that a united
Irish party could SO direct its forces on
imperial questions as to make the govern
nent or 1nisgovernment or Ireland lni~
possible. And frOrn this point Of view We
need have no difficulty in understanding
what the Liberal press Of London means
when it says that the convention Is dis
couraging, and that the, antj-Liberal atti-
tude of the priests is "brutally plain
The home rule members have ceased TO
be q, mere wing of the Liberal party, and
a counter in any game which English
politicians may choose to play. Fney are,
we will hope, about to re-enter On policy
of their own. 1t is, of course, unfortunate
that their late Liberal colleagues should
have so far misunderstood the conditions
of the compact AS to think that the irish
u.en would commit themselves to a policy
of secular education for example, Or 9TH
erwise 20 contrary to that body OF Irish
public opinion that places them where
they are There are reasons Why the
Liberal press should be furious, but the
press has been furious against nome rul-
ers before and no great harm came OF u
Whatever the result of the convention
may be, it seems evident that on this
point it will mark new departure The
Irish party in the house of commons must
become independent once more, as 1t was
in the old days Of the iron discipline Of
Parnell. 1t will hold the balance OF pow
er in parliament if 1t can only present q
united front, and by fixity of aim and
singleness of purpose 1t will obtain from
the necessities of party government re-
forms that it may wait indefinitely TO 4
wiring from the purchased promises OF the +
Liberals. and their uncertain power to
perform what they promise The Irish
party in Westminster must always be All
fighting party--.r1ot a hireling free conn
pany, but party fighting openly for ~
policy of its own. II the convention helps
to bring about that state Of thing again
it will do good work. iE8s s.5$33s III.