The Irish standard., 1911-03-04
Prejudice and Opposition to Irish
Self-Government Are Prac-
tically Gone.
Home Rule Means Freedom in Ireland
for Every Class and Every
Creed Alike.
The Cause Has Entailed Bitter
Fights and Prejudices, But
Victory is Near.

The signs OF the times could not be
don, England When glaciers begin
to melt we may take it as fact be-
Aond dispute that there is heat some
where about. And the glacier of
prcIndirr and opposition to Home Rule
for Ireland has begun t" melt without
any doubt. Tho remarkable lctte~
which Lord Courtney Of Prnwith sent
last week to the 'trecmans Journal"
may be taken as evidence sufficient
that thoughtful men have now come
to recognize that the concession OF
Home Rulc is inevitable. Lord Court
ney is still in wish and desire q Union
list: but he says he has to recognize
facts. 1--WE must now prepare for
Home Rule" And he wishes that at
tcntion may be centercd ON the con-
sttulion of the legislative body through
which Ireland will have government
in her domestic affairs. Ireland t.,
be governed, must have a repre-
sentative assembly. Ministers must
be -"spoushle to that assembly he
would like the national assembly 10
be representative OF the nation in the
fullest possible degree. In it s!,uu'A
fnd place the best men of all clissG--
cs ana crccIs-ccclesiastics laynlum.
landlords. farmers. merchants, student
and all who can i'm any way c"ullil,-
ute to the good of ireland ana IT,
peace ana prosperity Of her pcnp.I
Mr.. Redmond and his colleagues will
, be found quite willing to arrange Il
settlement of tho terms and Il scope
of representation when the time comes
for making plans. Hc and the Ma
ll"llaliSt purity have never disguised
their hopes ana wishes that when the
arrives, that government should be as
widely and broadly representative as
possible. Power shall be the privilege
of no single clique, but shall be firm
~ based on the popular will of the
whole country. Ulster shall have
Justice as fully as Connaught The
government will be carried on by
Jrishmem for Ireland as a whole, and
not by a section of them for any part
Of il. That is the ideal Of the Ma
lionalists. They stand for their coun-
t,.1. Il rn< iI,rI
among their members eight who arc
Protcstants may be sufficient to rebut
the idle fears that the grant of Home
Rule will lead to injustice towards
or persecution OF the minority in Ul-
ster
Home Rule means freedom in Ire
land for every class and every creed.
, There will be justice and fair deal
ing in regard to all men. The bad
old principle of ascendancy will cease
and Irishmen, faced with the prob.
lens of self government, will settle
down to work out peacefully the So
| luton Of their own difficulties. The
preliminary difficulties, those which
center around the details of the grant
Of Home Rule, will be arranged by
the government, in consultation no
doubt with Mr.. Redmond and his col
leagues. The principle itself is out
side arrangement or compromise.
That principle has been once moE,
affirmed by Mr. Redmond in these
words: "No settlement of the Irish
question will be acceptable to Ireland
which does not confer on the Irish
people the right of full self govern.
ment through an Irish National Par
Lament with an executive responsible
thereto" And when Mr.. Redmond
speaks of an Irish National Parlia-
ment he has in mind Parliament
representative of the Irish nation and
of all sections of it. In his own words
uttered at Dublin last week: 1--WE
want every class represented, every
creed represented, the men Of letters
and the men of commerce, the men Of
the professions, the workmen, the
farmers, the laborers, the artisans,
the Catholic, the Protestant and the
Presbyterian. We want equality, JUS
tice and federation for all. One thing
,,-n mill MT hovo. MO will MT "a