The San Francisco call., 1910-02-01
REDMOND FACES TEST OF
ABILITY AS STATESMAN
Writtsn for The Call
By CHARLES ]. DOLAN.
Former Member of Parliament.

Leharles Joseph Dcl.n is ops Of the yog5asssr .5ass
and his trip to the United States is for the pnr-
pose of seeking markets for Irish products. he
vas 4 member of parliament in l906-l9O1 with
the nationalist party He is a graduate Of St
Patrck's college, cavan of the Royal uniyer, 1,
sity and of wren's in London, taking the gold
medal in the Irish intermediate examinations
and another for classics.
II will be remembered that when the
final vote was taken on the Lloyd
George budget in the house of COM
mons, last year, the Irish party ao-
stained from voting. In the new par
lament 10 OF the Irish nationalist mem
hers. under the leadership of William
O'Brien, are pledged to oppose the
budget and if the remaining q irish
nationalists again abstain from voting.
the government majority will be re-
duced almost to the vanishing point
The attitude of the nationalist party
toward the budget raises the question
of the over taxation of Ireland. The
annual contribution of Ireland TO the
revenue of the British treasury now
amounts TO $50.000,000, and it is at
once apparent that such a tax must be
a serious drain on the resources of
country possessing only four and
half millions of people. mainly subslst-
ing on the cultivation of the sell. But
it is when compared with the national
revenues of such states as Belgium,
Denmark Switzerland. Bulgaria and
Greece that the excessiveness OF irish
taxation is most clearly demonstrated.
The countries mentioned are governed
as independent states on revenues
amounting in each case to not more
than s25.O0O.O0O. while Ireland pays
$50. 10000 for the doubtful privilege
of running in harness with one of the
richest empires in the world
When the act of union between the
parliaments of England and Ireland
was passed in 1901. the total taxation
of ireland was only $4,000, 600, although
she had then the same population that
she has now In 1917 the union was
completed by the amalgamation of the
English and Irish treasures, but ii
was expressly stipulated that Ireland
would be treated as a separate entity
scale of taxation would be propor
| toned to the resources of the Irish
nation.
As time advanced, the agreement was
aIsregarded. Taxes were imposed in
discriminatory on the peoples of the
two countries. and in 1858 the last
trace of distinction was removed when
Gladstone extended the income tax to
ireland. From this time onward the
taxation of Ireland increased at an
enormous rate. despite the protests OF
the. more thoughtful leaders of tne
Irish people against the spoliation of
their country.
When Gladstone was drafting his
home rule scheme in 1856. he felt the
need of exact information on the finar~
cial relations of England and Ireland,
and on his return TO power in 1892
appointed a commission to investigate
the whole question of Irish taxation.
! This commission was composed of the
leading English statisticians of the
day and was presided over by Mr..
Childers, a former chancellor of the
1
1894, and il stated that ireland was
being overtaxed TO the extent of at
least s13,5OO, ,ooo annually
Shortly after the report of this COM
mission was issued the liberals went
out of Office and. during the subse-
quent 10 years that the tories held un-
interrupted sway the financial relations
question was ignored. Meanwhile. Irish
taxation increased from sS5.OO0.0oO t,
$50, 100000 annually.
When the liberals returned to
power in 1906, with the aid of Irish
votes, it was hoped that they would
take action on the findings of the COM
mission which their party had ap-
pointed Il years previously. These
hopes were doomed to disappointment
The dust that had accumulated on the
blue book containing the report of the
Childers commission. was allowed to
rest undisturbed. Nay. so completely
was the question ignored by the liberal
government that Chancellor Lloyd
George. in his famous budget pro-
vided for a further increa Sc of the tax
alton of Ireland by s1O,00o.OOO
Under the British fiscal system an in
crease of Irish taxation can not be
accomplished by direct means. 1t is by
the choice of commodities to be taxed
that it is open TO a chancellor to dis
criminate unfairly against Ireland. In
the present case, Lloyd-George had to
TklC WEN