New-York tribune., 1903-03-17
THE IRISH OUTLOOK.


st. Patrick's Day has long been cherished as
an Irish popular holiday. We can scarcely say
. national holiday, because 1t is questionable
| whether there is an Irish nation even III ire
| land, and because there is certainly no such
thing as an Irish nation in the United States
where the observance of the day is more marked
and muItitudinous than anywhere else in the
world. But as one of the chief red letter days
in the Irish calendar It affords suitable occa-
sion for regarding the present condition OF Ire
land and the outlook for the future peace
and prosperity Of that much ve1ed island. IN
doing so 1t will be we'll, however, to look 10
Ireland itself and to the Irish leaders there,
rather than to the Irish organizations In the
United States. These latter, perhaps because
infected with the breeziness and exaggeration
of our Western air. are wont to be more Irish
than Ireland itself. There are to be found here
bitterness an irreconcilable rancor ana an
expressed determination. to stop at nothing
short of the most extreme measures, such as
are not to be found at Westminster, at Dublin,
or even at "rebel Cork" 1t was only the other
day that & prominent iurist at st. Louis was
inveighing against England and waving the
green flag with a vigor unknown in Ireland for
many year. But it is after all, in ireland, and
not in the United States. that the Irish ques-
ton" is finally to be settled.
Looking to Ireland itself, then, and to West
Minister we are glad to see that the prospect
continues to be auspicious. Some weeks ago
we explained I'm these columns the remarkable
agreement which had been reached by some
OF the foremost Nation&lsts on the one side
and some of the most resolute English CnionistS
on the other, an agreement which it was hoped
would form the basis OF legislation and Of
final settlement OF the controversy between
ireland and the rest Of the United Kingdom
We reported. too, the widespread optimism
| which that agreement aroused in both England
| and Ireland. 1t Is gratifying to record that
| nothing has occurred since then to alter the
forecast made at that time English and Irish
leaders still stand by that agreement, still re-
gard it as calculated to settle the Irish question
and still expect to see 1t substantially enacted
| into law. 1t is upon that basis Of expectation
| that the Irish members have been giving to
| the government at Westminster q loyal sup
port. 1t is in full knowledge Of that fact that
| the government has accepted such support. or
course, the government has not bound itself
I to anything 1t has made no promises of any
| kind TO the Irish members. 1t is free 10 In
| troduee any kind of Irish land bill it may
please or none at all But there are princi-
| pies Of reason that are more potent than formal
promises. 1t is simply inconceivable that the
| British Government could deliberately ignore
| or fail to improve the opportunity which is
now before it of getting rid, justly and profit
| ably Of the most vexatious problem Of the last
| century.
| We have said that English and Irish leaders
| are agreed upon a plan of settlement. The
/ one Irishman of importance whom we have
observed to be aggressively opposed to it is Mr..
Davitt, who is almost as irreconctlable some
OF his kinsmen IN America. He opposes it
because. as he says, IL it is enacted into law,
''tbe national land movement Of the last twenty
| five years is buried beyond the power Of pos
| '1sibIe resurrection" That, We have doubt,
| is true The other Irish leaders seem to recog-
| nize it as true. But they also seem to regard
| that as q reason for supporting instead Of op-
| posing the plan IL Mr.. Davitt is against 1t,
| Mr. Redmond and Mr.. O'Brien are committed
| to ii in the strongest fashion, and are, more
| over, apparently as confident as one can be in
politics that II will be substantially embodied
| in Mr.. Wypdham's forthcoming bill, and will
| be enacted into law. When We remember that
the general principles Of the proposed settle
nent are cordially and hopefully approved by
these two representative Irish Nationalists, and
also by Mr. WyBdham by Colonel Saunderson,
| by Mr. Morley, by Mr.. T. w. Russell By Sir Ed
ward Grey and By Mr. John Burns. we must
regard it as commanding about as nearly uBaDi-
nous support a. any measure can hope to win.
| Irish Nationalist Ulster Unionist. English
Conservative, English Radical and English
Socialist are all agreed upon Its justice and
| practically, and are ali looking for its adop-
| ton Truly that Ia such state Of Affairs
as no other St Patr1ck's Day in our time has