Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-15
WHERE BLAME LIES
William F. DoWney Talks of
Political Chaos in Britain.
FIGHT FOR IRISH HOME RULE
Conditions Which Existed Prior to
Advent of Parnell and Others.
POWER OF NATIONALIST PARTY
English Government Forced to Rec
ognize Civil Rights of the
Emerald Isle.
flight FOR IRISH HOME RULE

"England's statesmen are confronted
with a most serious problem and her
Legislative work Is at standstill. Who
Is to blame for this state of affdirs?'
With this remark William F. Downey
today began a discussion of the fight for
home rule for ireland that is causing a
crisis in British politics. Mr.. Downey is
a member Of the United Irish League and
active in various philanthropic and
charitable works in this city. He said, in
part:
| For centuries the house Of lords has
held the iron hand over Ireland, and to
expect to receive any voluntary measure
Of justice from the peers for the Irish
people was out Of the question. Many
efforts have been made by the Irish to
have their wrongs adjusted. but little or
no benefit was obtained until about thirty
years ago.
MANY of the members of the house OF
lords are large landowners in Ireland.
| They inherited vast tracts from their
ancestors, who. participated in causing
the downfall Of Ireland, and for these
services the crown divided the confiscated
land among them, as well as giving them
and their descendants the title Of lord
and hereditary power to legislate in the
upper house of parliament.
Aristocrats Ruled Ireland.
1.-The representatives Of Ireland in the
were landlord aristocrats who represented
the classes and not the masses. 1t was
only when Parnell, Davitt, Redmond.
D~so
bled and determined to change the po-
litical state Of affairs that the Irish peo-
pie experienced any relief from oppres-
sion.
In elecung honest representatives of
the people to represent the masses, and
true state of Irish affairs In parliament,
great sacrifices had to be made by those
| men chosen, as there was no pay at
| tached to the service and all the expense
had to be borne by the members them
| selves. This innovation and the Land
League were put into operation at the
same time. To carry on the work sue
cessfully much money was required.
This is why frequent appeals for funds
| have been made to the people.
| ITO students of history it must be APP
parent that English statesmen are be-
| ginning to learn by the sad experiences
| Of the past that 1t is due to the atrociOus
laws that bore so heavily upon America
that this great country was lost to her
| sovereignty, and in the crucible of pub
| lie opinion there is a seething and tu-
multuOus sentiment getting strength day
by day. that will most certainly tear Off
| the yoke that has CALLED so long and
painfully on those in Ireland, who have
| been forced to feel a masters rod over
| them for more than seven centuries.
Bread Cast Upon Waters.
However. it may be that the old
aphorism about the return of bread cast
upon the waters is to once again demon
strate that these cruelties which brought
about eviction, Punishment, etc, after
many years Of isolation and wandering are
gradually. but surely. establishing pub
lie sentiment and opinion throughout the
world that will. by its very force, cause
the men in charge of England's political
destiny to realize that the time has
come when yelled promises in conjunction
with pr0craStinatfOn will not suffice, and
that a real tangible home rule govern
ment must be accorded to Ireland If Eng
land herself is to remain a sovereign ma
ton.
ITO the American citizen who has not
given special or serious thought to the
subject of these recurring appeals to his
generosity, particular attention is d.
rected to the conditions that obtained
prior to and during the American revo-
, luton. In the rank and file of Washing
| toms army more than 20 per cent were
II Irish soldiers 1t was the inherent bitter
u antipathy these soldiers had to England
that gave them the cause and courage
to stand the prfvatiOns and suffering in
the long campaigns and in all the bat
ties from Bunker Hill to Yorktown It
was an Irish patriotic society Of Phila-
delphia that raised more than half
million of dollars with which to furnish
food and clothing for Washington's army
In the winter at Valley Forge.
The nationalist party; with. about sew
enty three members. has become a
Il ntsYnt 4, T1-Sk
commons. 1t is ballots and not bullets
that accomplish the present-day battles
i Legislation in Thirty Years.
During the last thirty years many
measures have been obtained by the ma
tionaist party from the British parlia-
ment. They have finally succeeded in
compelling those Irish landlords to sell
their land to- the peasant farmer at a
fair valuation, and where they do not
agree the government board Of arbitra-
means over three-fifths Of the land has
been divided into various sized farms and
sold to the peasant farmer. the govern
ment paying the landlord and giving the
buyer long time, at small interest, to pay
"This and many other favorable meas
ures have been obtained through parlfa-
ment. Even in the house Of lords they
are beginning to realize the true state
or ana1rS concerning ireland and British
political affairs.
ut was only few days ago-November
"a. in fact-in the house of lords that
Baron Loreburn. lord chancellor avowed
himself strongly in favor Of home rule
for Ireland. We shall never he said,
get the complete accord which is our
desire with the United States unless We
get rid Of the Irish difficulty, nor shall
we have that complete and harmonious
friendship of the great self-governing
colonies unless we find some such So
luton of the problem as is recommended
by the parliaments Of Canada and Aus
tralia-'
what England has lost through her
unjust laws toward Ireland can never
be estimated