The Irish standard., 1911-10-28
Ireland had a Sovereign Independent

ireland naQ sovereign 1uQepenQoHC
Parliament for six hundred years and
more. We are not asking for the re-
storation of that Parliament. We are
asking only that you shall give to Ire
land a Subordinate Parliament; that
is, Parliament similar to the twenty
eight Subordinate Parliaments which
already exist in different portions of
the British Empire, and which, wher-
ever they were created, stilled the
voice of disaffection and stif1ed the
cry of discomfort, and created loyalty,
contentment, and prosperity. We,
therefore, admit the supremacy of the
Imperial Parliament. That means that
if this Subordinate Parliament, when
created in Ireland, is foolish enough or
rash enough-as it never would be, but
= il it were foolish or criminal enough
TO endeavor to use the powers given
to it for the purpose of Expressing any
class or any creed, the Imperial Par
lament would have the power to
stretch forth the arms of it's suprem-
acy and to say, "You shall not do
that"
The Lesson Of Africa.
These twenty eight Parlaments are
spread today all over the Empire. Only
the other day you gave such a Parlia
ment to quarter of million Dutch
men in South Africa who the day be-
fore had been in arms openly in the
field against the British Empire, and
you took LOUIS Botha, the General in
the field against you, and by the con-
cession of autonomy you turned him
into a loyal Prime Minister of self
governing country by the concession
of liberty. In that way you have
turned South Africa from being per-
feet hell of social hatred and disloy-
atty into, l believe, the most loyal and
contented OF all the Colonies of Eng
land. That is the proposal; that you
should do for Ireland what you have
done for the French Canadians in
Quebec, the Dutch Beers in the Trans
wall, and for the Australian Colonies;
that you should give us no more than
you have given, with safety to the
Empire and the happest results, to
every Colony within the Empire who
have asked for 1t.
The Effects OF Homo Rule.
Now, consider the effects likely to
Mt.
land, and to the Empire. So far as
Ireland is concerned the great advan-
tage will be this - instead of being
governed by an absentee Parliament,
with it's time all mortgaged to what,
perhaps, I ought to admit, are greater
and wider interests than ours, we will
have governing Ireland Parliament
with a knowledge of the country, and
with time to transact the business of
the country. l admit quite freely that
we have within the past generation
obtained some great and valuable
measures for Ireland from the Imperial
Parliament, but they were gained by
a generation of struggle, of sacrifice
of suffering, of turmoil, and of blood
shed, and when they were gained they
We're all of them married by defects
which We're inherent in legislation for
country by a Parliament which rep
resented another country. and which
did not understand the wants of the
country for which it legislated.
Let me point out the great out
standing Irish questions that have yet
to be settled before Ireland can become
prosperous or contented country
What time has the English Parlia-
ment for the consideration of these
Parliament even for English matters?
(hear, hear). There is a score of great
questions vitality concerning the well
fare of the Irish people that cannot be
touched at all under the present sys-
tenn for a generation by the English
Parliament, for want of time, If for
no other reason. There is the great
question of Poor Law reform, and
lnere is the question OF the transit ia
cilities-how the railroads of the coun-
try are to be managed in the future
as to whether it Is not right that the
railroads should be nationalized, Then
there is the question of the canaliza-
ton of the rivers in Ireland; the uues-
ton of drainage very humdrum
question. but one which goes to the
very root Of Irish prosperity. There
are rivers in Ireland which. for want
of drainage, periodically flood tens of
thousands of acres of land for eight or
nine months Of the year. There is the
great question Of the housing of the
working classes in the towns-a ques-
ton that goes deep down to the social