Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-09

or nine years, he confessed that to all
honest observers the achievements
which had been won in every sphere
of life in Ireland were perhaps the
most wonderful, as they were the most
fruitful reforms that were ever secured
by the people either through constltu-
tional or revolutionary effort in a
similar period. They had been en-
gagged in nation building in the highest
degree, and whether 1t was land re-
form, improved conditions of the Ia
borers, the establishment of uni
versity, better houses for the workers
in towns the Improvement of primary
education-the Irish party in parl1a-
ment could point to constantly growing
monuments of the zeal and sell
sacrifice of the Irish representatives,
and to their splendid utility in every
sphere of national activity in par
lament and in the country OF course,
Notwithstanding all that had been done
and all that it was possible still TO do'
the party had to face the same nos
tility which responsible Irish public
men had ever to contend with in thelr
work for Ireland. The crank and the
factionist, the disgruntled and the
humbug, had all combined to deride
the efforts of the party and TO belittle
the character of their work, but they
stood upon the record of their service,
and on the practical outcome of their
labor they rested for the generous
verdict Of their own people.
SELF GOVERNMENT
They had now won for Ireland every
great object the movement had in
view when it was first brought into
existence by it's founders, and the only
problem that yet remained unsolved
was the greatest of all the objects for
which the movement was established.
AS they had succeeded up to now IN
winning for Ireland all the reforms
which he had indicated, so he was
absolutely convinced they would Sc
cure national self-government for the
country if they only got fair chance.
Every intelligent student of Irish af-
fairs, broadly reviewing the situation
as it stood at present, must feel con-
vinced that the question of home rule
was now nearer solution than at any
previous stage in their countrys MS
tory.
If a home rule bill We're introduced
in the house of commons as at pres
ent constituted, he believed it would
be carried by a majority of over a
hundred, and the only obstacle he could
conceive against a measure of self
house of lords. The destruction or
that institution as an instrument Tor
evil was the first essential to the estab-
lishment of an Irish parliament, ana
an Irish parliament, guiding and con-
trolling Irish affairs, was the primary
object of their political existence now
and in the future. They expected ana
not only expected, but demanded, that
when parliament reassembled in No
1Iaa,, fIa would able
to announce that the house of lords
had voluntarily resigned it's claim to
veto bills passed by the house of
commons or else be prepared to nave
the veto taken from it by general
election at the earliest possible
moment.
BEST POLICY
If the lords were sufficiently wise
they would voluntarily abrogate what
they claimed to be their fight, but
which in these modern times all genu-
inc Democrats regarded as an insulting
and indefensible tampering with the
freedom of the elected representatives
Of the people. The Irish party were
in no way responsible for the confer
ence now taking place, and their hands
were absolutely free. When the time
came they would act in the way they
best believed the Irish cause would be
served. If the conference made it cas-
Ter for home rule to be carried then
they would be perfectly satisfied, but
if not they had 1t in their power TO
force the constitutional fight again to
the front. and to demand that the
issue should be fought out, and that
the general election should take place
Immediately. They objected altogether
to have that issue complicated with
any others, and while they were pre-
pared to defend every Irish interest, II
was their business to sec that nothing