Omaha daily bee., 1908-04-19
ATTITUDE OF IRISH
Relation of Party with English
Liberals in Need Of Revision.
HOME RULE PROSPECTS GONE
elevation of Mr.. Asquith Means Aban-
donment Of Project.
DEMAND FOR A CONVENTION
Future Policy of Irish Party is to Be
Considered.
STRONG PLEA FOR AUTONOMY
More National Feeling in ireland
Than in Canada or Australia
and II Has Mach Less
Local Control.

titude OF the official liberals as disclosed
by the debate Of Mr.. John Redmond's home
rule motion in Parliament is still, of course
the chief topic OF conversation In Irish
political circles and the opinion seems to
be growing general that an entire read
justment of the relations between the
Irish party and the English liberals has
become necessary The situation disclosed
Is briefly this: While the great majority
OF the English liberal NJ P.'s are theoretie-
ally In favor of Irish home rule they are
not enthusiastic enough about 1t to force
home rule on their party as a definite
program and Mr.. Asquith, who since Sir
Henry Campbell -Bannerman has been laid
on the shelf. is the undoubted leader Of
the party; is hostile to home rule, unless 1t
be of such emasculated character as to be
totally unsstisfa- -ory to the aspirations of
the Irish people
The demand has become very general in
Ireland for a national convention to discuss
the situation and decide on the future
policy OF the Irish party and it is now
likely that such gathering will be sum
moned as soon the present session Of
Parliament ends.
Sim Feiners Stronger.
There Is no concealing the fact that the
recent developments have greatly strength
herents OF this policy see in the attitude
OF the liberal government complete justifi-
cation OF their contention that Ireland can
expect nothing from Parliamentary agita-
ton, and they are becoming very active In
their propaganda all over Ireland. Arthur
Griffith. the editor Of "Sinn Fein," told me
the other day that the only thing now
left for Ireland to do was to acquiesce in
the decision of the liberal party to shelve
home rule, or to adopt the Sim Feln policy
and withdraw its representatives from the
British Parliament
There is no intermediate course" he
said we can all see now that home rule
has gone entirely out Of the region OF
liberal politics"
Alderman Kelly. the leader Of the Sim
Fein, party in the Dublin corporation. says
that he Is not IN the least disappointed at
the new development. He declares that II
Is we'll for the country that the Sim Fein
movement has developed. for otherwise the
Irish people would be quite without hope.
"The English people will never give home
rule 70 Ireland" he said. land the sooner
we realize that the better for the country.
We must take It for ourselves, expect
20 see the people flocking to the Sim Fein
standard before the year is out"
ireland as n Nation.
Mr.. Stephen Gwynne who was once
unonlst. but who is now a nationalist
member of Parliament. has been engaged
in controversy with the London Morning
Post on the claims of ireland to take
It's rank as a nation. Mr.. Gwynne Is, OF
course, a strong advocate of Irish national
ity, and he enlarged on this view in an
interview I had with him in Dublin a
few days ago. ireland is a nation" he
stp haN Aug
ada. or South Africa cannot be until after
the lapse of many generations. and yet
these colonies are allowed to govern them
selves while ireland is retained in the
position OF a department. Even the union
lists Of the northeast corner OF Ulster can
not help recognizing that and there is
really more In common between them and
tine nationalists at Westminster than be-
tween them and their English allies. II
Mr. Redmond and Captain Craig were to
meet at the antipodes they would greet one
another as Irishmen and they would fra
ternze far more readily than either OF
them would with an Englishman whom
they might meet under similar circum-
stances. nation has been defined as
something that men will die for. Well
men have died time and again for Ireland
and they are as ready to do II today as
they ever were.
The population OF Ireland is nearly
equal to that Of Australia. and believe
more capable OF expansion. see no rea-
son why Ireland IL its agriculture were
properly developed and industries spread
all over its surface. should not carry with
ease the 100000 OF population that were
its half century ago"
Power at small Cost.
A great development OF Irish industry Is
in sight It the Dublin and Central Ireland
rover bill, which Is now before Psrlia-
ment, goes through, as there is little rea-
son to doubt that II will, Hitherto the de-
velopment Of small industries in ireland has
been checked by the cost and difficulty OF
obtaining power, but Il has been discovered
that there Is untold wealth in this direction
locked ~ In the Irish bogs which have
hitherto been considered mere waste land.
Tine bill proposes TO give the company
power TO acquire about 1000 acres OF bog
land I'm the neighborhood OF Robertstown
and supply electric power to parts of the
counties Of Dublin and Kildare and OF
Kings and Queens counties. II has been
discovered that Irish peat is an ideal fuel
for the production OF electric power, and
the value OF the by-products. chiefly sui
phate OF ammonia. are so great that the
cost Of the generation is reduced 10 a
minimum. It is estimated that the com
pany win be able 20 supply power at a
cent and a half a unit. while the present
price IN the Dublin district is'4 cents. The
peat IN the district TO he acquired has an
average depth Of twenty-five feet. and Il is
estimated that the 100 acres will supply
OoO-horsepower year for over so years.
Mr., Birreli has succeeded In satisfying
everyone but few irrecononable Orange
men with his new Irish universities bill.
The official unionists have blessed H. the
Irish party has accepted Il gladly, and the
liberals declare that they will pass a. The
bill satisfies the Anglican church by leav-
ms Trinity college, Dublin entirely un-
touched, and 4 satisfies the Catholic church
by erecting new college at Dublin which
fr.,,tt,,,.-l -, a..o-s -. T, -