The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-02-25
Ireland's Demand is for Full Legis-
lative and Executive Control
of Irish Affairs.
We Stand Where Parnell Stood"
Writes Chairman of Irish
Parliamentary Party.
The Aim is to Get an Irish Parlia-
ment With an Executive
Responsible to it.

An article entitled What We Mean
by Home Rule from the pen of MIR.
John IL Redmond appeared in d re-
cent number of Il. P.'s magazine. In
il Mr.. Redmond states uncqulvocally
AS will be seen from reading the ar
ticlc the Irish leadc.' does not propose
to step down from the position taken
by his distinguished predecessors. The
article follows in part:
Proposals Of Federalism go back in
reality eighty years. Daniel O'Con-
nell proposed the Repeal of the Union,
but simple Repeal, everyone knew
could not meet tho case; it meant go
ing back to the status of Grattan's
parliament. and, not to mention other
defects. Grattan's constitution had
one fatal blot, namely, that the ex-
ecutivc government was Independent
of parliament, and went in and out
OF Office with the majority in the
English. and not in the Irish parlia-
ment. Everyone knew, therefore, that
simple Repeal could not meet the nc
ccssites Of the case.
O'ConneIPs Letter.
The first person. l believe. to pro-
pose a federal constitution was Shar-
man Crawford, somewhere about the
i'm, %ol,-
D'Connclrs release from prison in
1874 it was announced, with SEEM
ing authority, that the Wing leaders
of the day had resolved to effect an
alliance with OConncll on the basis
OF carrying Il federal arrangement be-
tween the two countries. In October
of that year O'Conncll wrote a most
remarkable letter to the Repeal as
sociation, in which he stated that
plans for Il I'cdccsu Union between
the two countries had been proposed,
and were then under his cOnsidera-
ton. In this letter he said:
Both parties are agreed that those
powers should be sufficiently extensive
to enable the Irish parliament to pro-
tect the lives. liberties, and property
OF the people. That it should have
the power to enact all the laws to be
in force in Irelandn short, that it
should he an efficient parliament for
all Legislative, financial, and judicial
purposes within her Majcsty's realm
of Ireland. The simple Rcpealcrs are
parliament should have the same
power and authority which the
former Irish parliament had. Tho
'rederalists on the contrary, appear
to me to require more for Ireland than
the simple Rcpealers do; for besides
the local parliament in Ireland having
full and perfect local authority, the
Federalists require that there should
be- for questions of Imperial concern,
colonial, military, and naval, and Of
, foreign alliance and policy, congress
Ireland should have a, fair share and
proportion of representation and pow
| er.
"It is but tight and just to con-
fess that in this respect the Federal
ist would give Ireland more weight
and Importance in Imperial concerns
than she would receive by the plan Of
the simple Rcpealers, For
my own part, will own, since I have
come to contemplate the specific diff
ferences, such as they are, between
simple Repeal and Federalism, I do
at present feel preference for the
Federative plan, as tending more to
the utility of Ireland"
Butt Restored the Movement.
Shortly after this declaration OF
O'Connell, the article proceeds, the
unhappy differences between him and
the Young 1relanders arose, followed
by the famine, and then by O'Con-
nell's death. After that period en-
sued when constitutional methods
practically disappeared altogether. It
was not until after the Fenian move
ment had broken out that the
thoughts of Ireland again turned, un-
der the inspiration Of Isaac Butt. to
Unconstitutional agitation; and when
5fthe Home Rule movement, as It Is