The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-03-25
Desire to Form an Alliance With
America Prompts English to
Consider Ireland.
The Situation in Ireland Now is
Much the Same as in the
Days of Gladstone.
Ireland Soon to Take her Place on
Footing Of Equality With
Nations of the World.

To bring Home Rule and it's attend
ant issues within the grasp of the
British voters several leading Nation
alists are engaged in preparing an
authorized handbook of the Irish
movement, political and agraran. 1t
will be able, lucid and authoritative,
writes Dublin correspondent of the
Catholic Columbian.
We are returning to the days Of
Gladstone. But many things have
happened since the days Of the Grand
Old Man. A new generation has
arisen. The old arguments against
Home Rule have mostly vanished.
This new campaign will have to deal
with a much less complicated ques-
tion. If anything was evident in the
recent debate ON Home Rule in the
House of Commons it was the Union
ist bankruptcy in argument. The mo-
tion itself had been altered four
times from the day it was handed in
until it finally came up for debate.
Gladstone's measure was imperiled by
the land bill. The Tories cried that
Home Rule meant confiscation. Now
the land war is over. The problem
of higher education for Irish Catholics
has been settled and will not compli
cate the new Home Rule bill. Local
government has been established and
it's workings has belied the prophets
who foretold popular incapacity and
Catholic intolerance.
In word, as [ have often pointed
out in this correspondence, Home
Rule is coming day by day and is an
inevitable development The lords
can no longer stop it, and the British
people will not, for they are begin
ming to see quite clearly that Irish
good will is a great asset in the very
grave situation that confronts them.
Want 1t Settled.
It is abundantly evident that one
powerful reason why Englishmen in
both parties want to see the Irish
question settled is their anxiety to
make more secure the friendship Of
America in the future. England is
nervous about the future; she is afraid
of Germany; she is afraid of new Eu-
ropean combinations. In visit to
England last autumn, found prac-
tically that wherever four or five men
engaged in conversation the subject
was Germany. Since the visit Of Mr..
Roosevelt last summer the popular
imagination has been very much
turned on the advantages of Amer
ica's friendship and good will. Wheth-
er rightly or wrongly, Mr.. Roosevelt
is given credit for having bluntly told
the responsible leaders of both par.
ties that a satisfactory understanding
with America was impossible while
ireland remained disaffected. Amer
cans will, OF course, first and above
all, consider the interests of their owl
country; but the way in which this
aspect Of the Irish question is viewed
by the Liberal party appears in the
following extract from the Nation
which is really the official party or
gan:
1.-TWO important developments o1
British policy have occurred since
1886. Not only have we drawn the
self governing colonies into closer
dealings with the mother country, bu
we have set up a powerful working
entente with American craftsmanship
Is that a negligible asset in what Lore
Rosebery calls 'unaggressive' imperial
ism? Is it not, rather, the pivot O
our future foreign policy? In ou1
view, an Anglo-American understand
ing would not survive a second Brit
ish refusal of Home Rule. The hou1
that holds such choice may we'll b.
called golden, for when we gain Ire
land we gain something more than q
Dreadnaughts. We gain the master
kew to the federation of the English
speaking powers, and from that to th'
worlds peace
Will Suit the Catholics.
can say that this desire to take
leading part in new future in tn
4.e 5..-