The Irish standard., 1902-05-10
Tells the Leaders of the Government Why
Most of His Countrymen are
Utterly Disloyal.
Gives Facts and Figures to Show That No
Necessity Exists for Such
Drastic Measures.

King Edward of England desires
peace in South Africa before his cnro-
nation day. but he permits his minis
tcrs at the solicitation of Irish land
lords. tn precipitntr Ireland into dis
tllrhancr. In the debate ON the Irish
coercion act in parliament, on April
~. chief Secretary Wyndhnm at
tempted tn Justify the proclamation of
nine counties and two cities in Ireland
under the Criminal Law and Proceed
urr Act of 1887. John Dillon replied
to him as follows:
Anyone who has followed closely
and with attention the history of the
last six months in Ireland knows quite
we'll that the policy adopted by the
government yesterday in Ireland is
not the policy of the Irish government
but is the policy of Lord Londonderry
ana Lord Ardilnun and the gang who
with the aid of the Times newspaper
have driven the Irish government int,
Il path which is against their own
Judgment and their own desire
(Chcersl Unhappy Ireland is now rc
duccd to this position that while one
would suppose II was bad enough to
he governed as we have been governed
for n hundred years by strangers who
came TO our country ignorant of our
history and of the pcculiariticS of our
social conditions ana all the elements
Of the Irish problem they are called
upon TO solve. we have reached Il
lower stage still at the present mo-
mrnt. lrcn,ISr we are governed now
not by the nominal government of Ire
land. hut by Il clique that stand be
hind that government. and are corrc
ing them into Il policy against thcil
will. WhcrrS). ! have Il big expert
cncc of tho passage OF coercion acts
in this House. ana ! say deliberately
that never have ! heard Il chief Sccrc
tnry make 50 faint-hrHrtcd Il drfrns,
of coercion as we have listened to to
night. Cheers. don't know whrth
or members Of this House have takrl
the trouble to read the proclHmAtiOns
that have appeared IN the Gazette
These prmclamntions applying provis
ions of the Coercion Act. which tho
chief secretary comedies constitutes {;
very serious departure of policy, arc
signed by whom? They are signed
by Lord AshInlrnr, Lord PowcrSc0urt
Lord Clonbrock, and by Mr. Smith
Barry ("Oh, oh'). ! say that If any
sense of dccrncy remained in the gov.
erimcnt of Ireland the names of Lord
CIOnbrock and Mr.. SmitI-Rnrry should
not be signed to a proclamation sus-
pending the Constitution. Cheers.
Mr.. Swift MacNriII-W did not
they get Clanricnrdc?
Mr.. DiIlon-It would not be Il bit
more indecent. (ChccrS). These proc.
lamations are signed by the Lord
chancellor and three of the great Trisll
landlords, all Of whom have been as
sOciatcd with this whole campaign of
blackcning the character of their own
people in the eyes of the people of this
country by every conceivable system
Of misrepresentation and falschoOd
and have been associated throughout
with the policy Of the extreme land
lords ana Coercion party in Ireland
We know perfectly well whose policy
this is. 1t is thc policy. not of the
government. nor even of the whole
UniOnst minority in Irclnnd-it is the
policy supported only by small mi
nority of the UniOnist minority itself
They are the lineal descendants of that
Orange gang who have been equally
the curse of Ireland and of your gov.
ernmcnt. regret that the honorable
member for South Belfast. for whom
we have n sort of affection. was not
allowed to quote from speech-a
speech which If I delivered in Ireland
would he put in prison for. for VIC
are blamed for being disloyaI, and told
on high a,lthOrity-sOme one of the
emincncc Of Lord Londonderry OF
Lord Artilaun-that we can never get