The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-13
REDMOND WORKS
 FOR HOME RULE Is Leader of Irish Parliamen
 tary Party IS A BRILLIANT SPEAKER In Spite of All That Ireland Has Suf- fered In the Past He Has
 Hopes of Brighter
 Days.


 Days.
 Dublin. October 12-John E. Redmond. NJ. P, leader of the Irish parliament par tv. is hard at work for the cause of home rule in Ireland. He has been speaking considerably of late, and has been re- ceved everywhere with large and enthus- iastic audiences Redmond is a brilliant speaker, and gets right at the heart of things In spite of all that Ireland has suffered he has hopes of brighter days ahead. through the efforts of the party of which he Is the leader. Redmond is undaunted by setbacks, and every defeat makes him more vigorous and active for the cause to which he has devoted his life. Recently he has been devoting much time to figures which show how Ireland has been robbed by taxes and how this has caused her industries to be paralyzed, lnjuring Belfast SIS well as Dublin.
 Referring to the tax question and the burden Ireland is staggering under, MT. Redmond presents the picture thus:
 Having regard to the relative wealth of Great Britain and Ireland, Ireland is paying two and three-quarter millions taxation more than her fair proportion. That has been going on more or less since the union and the result is that Ireland has paid her 500,00O000 pounds in oVertaXaton. That state of things has grown Worse because two millions additional has in the last ten years been put upon Ireland. l say that this is the greatest of all arguments in favor of home rule. It is the greatest of all our national grievances Ireland is be- ing bled to death and remember that it is the poorest part of the population who suffer most, because 70 per cent of the whole taxation in Ireland is raised by Indirect taxes, by a tax on tea and su- gar and other necessaries of life. This accounts for the lack of industrial en- terprise. It is the cause Of emigration: in one shape or another il is the cause of every material grievance concerning Ireland. 1t affects every class. It af- fleets the landlord the tenant. the lab orer It affects the Orange artisan in Belfast just as much as the National ist in Dubin.'
 In speaking of how Ireland has been robbed of five hundred millions of pounds within the last hundred years by tax aton. MT. Redmond says:
 lrishmen are accued very often of exaggeration, but this accusation of ours against Great Britain rests on the au- thority of a royal commission, appointed by England herself. consisting in the main of Englishmen, and including some of the greatest fnanciers of the day. England appointed the tribunal, Eng land selected the jury, and now, the verdict having been given against her. it is impossible for her to dispute it. Let me briefly recall the facts.
 ''It was provided by the seventh arti-
 
 and Great Britain were to be regarded IS separate fiscal entities and that Ire land was only to contribute to the gen eral expenses of the empire in proportion to her resources and her wealth. and Castlecreagh declared in the Irish paria- ment that Ireland could never be taxed under the union beyond the measure of her comparative ability and that the ra- tio of her contribution must correspond with her wealth and prosperity. and that even in the event of the amalga- nation of the two exchequers, which took place in 1Sl7 still Ireland was to have special exemptions and abatements, and would not be called upon to pay more than her fair proportion.
 Now these facts are not in dispute and a commission was appointed to inquire into the question whether that agreement had been carried out or whether in de- fance of that provision Ireland was being robbed Daniel O'Connell raised this question. It was the first question after emancipation. In 1890 and in 1881 O'Con- nell raised it. It was raised again and again by the Irish members of the day in 1858 when over S10000.000 a year new taxation was put upon Ireland. Again. when Isaac Butt established the home rule movement il was raised but it was only in 1884, when the party founded by Parnell succeeded in getting a conmis- sion appointed The commission decid- ed unanimously that having regard to the relative wealth of Great Britain and Ireland, that Ireland was paying two and three-quarter millions taxation more than her fair proportion.
 That was going on more or less since the union. It has been going on since 1s56 and the result is that even taking that date, Ireland has paid five hundred millions in over-taXation."
 MT. Richmond in a recent speech gave this advice to his followers;
 Let us not only have unity in our ranks. but everywhere. and let us if necessary get assistance outside. Do not suppose for moment that l am not willing with open arms to welcome any Irshman of any creed or class or politics who chooses to come in and give assis- tance upon this or any other Irish ques- ton. So far from repelling such men. would welcome them with all my heart; huI am pound m honesty 10 say this that my profound conviction is that in the long run we must rely upon our own movement and that if we allow 1t to grow slack or to be broken, or the action of the Irish parliamentary par tv suspended. then it is not worth q pinch of salt.
 "Go on you did years ago and as your fathers did. Scorn all sacrifices and suffering that may perhaps be threatened to you by the ruling powers of the day. Why. what is a little imprisonment to an Irish nationalist? My own feeling was that l was never worth my salt un- til I had slept on q plank bed
 Let them see that we are determined: that pending the realization of that hope we will if legislation is not passed, en- deavor to use other methods to promote reforms. Let them understand once and for all that if they cannot govern Ire land by methods of freedom. they won't be able to govern Ireland at all Let them understand it is a. difficult an unpleasant and a hateful task to en- deavor to govern this country against the will of the people"
 MT. Redmonds plan to secure justice for Ireland is to have a pledge bound party in parliament and united and powerful movement outside at it's back He feels convinced that when the next