The Irish standard., 1909-11-06

Home Rule. l beg Of them to look at
the facts and figures quoted, or make
I. for themselves some inquiry into the
working of local government in Ireland.
They will find that whilst the Catholics.
who are in a minority in a few coun-
ties in the north of Ireland, do not get
the Catholic and Nationalist majority
in every other part Of Ireland give the
Protestant and Unionist minority fair
play-more than fair play They could
have wiped out that minority on local
affairs and local appointments had they
been animated by any spirit Of intol-
erance. The fact is that everywhere
officials are appointed without regard
to their religion when they are con-
sidered the best quality. There is not
only tolerance, but generosity.
Then there is the fear Of separation
from England. We are not asking for
separation. If we did get this parla-
ment and then asked for separation.
would you not be in stronger position
than you are now? Would we be any
stronger? Why, under Mr. Gladstone's
Home Rule bill, we would not even
get the control Of the county police for
five years until you saw how we would
behave ourselves = (laushfef). How
would you be weaker? We are de.
scribed as u disloyal people. Yes, the
Irish people arc intensely disloyal to
other country, just as Englishmen
would be il they were governed by q
parliament sitting in Paris with ma
jority Of Frenclmen. Would we be
more dislOyal under Home Rule? II
is n puerile and cowar1ly argument 70
say that you would be weaker after n
generous concession to justice than you
are now when you are refusing this
, concession to our people (hear hear)
The present system depends upon force
SO far as that force is material 1t
"oAlN IIOI NC Dy rome Hule,
but England would be far stronger to-
wards the maintenance of the integrity
Of her empire than she is now, because
she would have that moral force which
would spring from having done the
right thing (cheers). We are called
turbulent, rebcllious, unreasonable, vio-
lent, Irresponsible people, but no one
will say we are a nation Of idiots cloud
laughter and chccrs). l suggest for
! your consideration this argument-un-
less the Irish people are q nation of
fools and idiots such as the world has
! never seen, they would not be likely
II they got Home Rule, to run the risk
OF losing 1t again. Believe me, as soon
|: as we get Home Rule, we agitators will
settle down (cheers). AS we have nc
responsibility for the government OF
Ireland, we must agitate, we must push
our cause along, often at great risk
and even of suffering to ourselves. You
cannot expect us to put on the manne,
those who have responsibility upon US
and from the moment you give freedom
to Ireland, from the moment you give
us constitution like those OF Aus.
tralia, of Canada, Of the Transvaal
that moment we will settle down. We
! Will abandon the arts of agitation. We
Will devote all our energies all ou,
, heart and soul, to the effort to make
the new constitution work. to make II
; permanent, and make it lead to the i'm
r provement Of our country (cheers). Il
1t not worth while to take the risk?
: believe there is no risk. The risk lie,
, In the maintenance Of the present sys.
, tenn, but If you honestly think there /.
{ risk, remember that some element o.
t risk turks in every great reform. One
OF your political parties has ss It.
y creed that there is risk in every re-
! form. have heard every reform fo,
r the last thirty years denounced as GER
tain to lead to the ruin of the empir,
3 daughter and cheers). You mus
\ either continue the present system
: which everyone admits is a failure O
r take the other course. There is tn
0 risk. There is no half way house. Yo,
I must go on-with poverty, depopula
: ton. coercion, disloyalty, turmoil. tn