Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-29
D|STRUST Of PEOPLE:
Basis OF All Opposition to
Home Rule.
VIEW OF CONSERVATIVES
Spirit of Superiority and Contempt
Seen in Their Arguments.
CASE OF BALFoUR CONSIDERED
Englishmen, as a Rule. Declared to
Have Little idea of Irish
Character.
Foreign Correspondence q, Tho star

Foreign Correspondence ~ Tho star
DUBLIN. July l.. 1912
When conservative politicians make use
OF the word ''limehouse" they are NOT
very polite 10 the working classes who
live in that neighborhood They do not
pronounce the word with the same spirit
of worship and reverence which charar-
teries their pronunciation OF 'Grosvenor
square or Park lane" The infection i
superior. disdainful. conteInptuous II inn
plies that poor people who live in Lime
house are very disgusting and dissracefui
savages. And this spirit OF superiority
and contempt Is fundamental to arlsto-
cratic conservatism.
IL you reflect upon the arguments used
by conservatives against home rule for
Ireland you viii discover that this same
spirit of superiority and contempt is fun
damental to every one Of them Every
argument. however specious. however
profound. however honest and however
passionate, is inspired by this cold and
pa ssionless spirit OF superiority and con-
tempt. All unionsts may not be con-
scious of this truth. but little reflection
must assure them of it's reality. OPPOSE
ton to home rule means one thing. and
one thing only. 1t means that the irish
people are not TO be trusted. Everything
which can be urged against home rule
rests finally upon this fundamental prin-
ciple of the unionist party. Whether they
make use OF religion, political economy.
foreign policy or Ulster loyalty. the tun-
damental principle of their opposition -
distrust of the Irish nation. None Of their
arguments would be of any value. none
of their objections would have the slight
est force, ii il were generally accepted By
the British people that the Irish are hon
orable virtuous and sensible.
Case of r. Balfour.
Let us consider the case Of Mr.. Balfour.
who represents the most intellectual and
the most honorable side of opposition To
home rule. Mr.. Balfour knows at least
something of the Irish people: he has
stayed in this country; he has made ac-
auaintances with landowners clergy.
farmers and peasants; he has seen what
may be described as the home life or
ireland. viii he tell the country that
from his knowledge OF the Irish people.
from his acquaintance with the home
life OF Ireland. he can solemnly decide
against sef-government because the irish
are dishonora BILE, irreliglous and stupid?
According to Lord Dunraven. a Protes-
tant and a landowner, the Irish are sufii-
GENTLY honorable. sufficiently religious
and sufficiently sensible 10 be trusted
fairs; according to Mr.. George Wynd-
ham, a Protestant and a unionlst the
Irish are sufficiently honorable, religious
and sensible to be trusted with the great
est measure OF land purchase ever
brought forward by any government. and
according to Mr.. Balfour himself. the
Irish are sufficiently honorable. religious
and sensible to be trusted with an elab-
crate measure Of local government In
what manner and in what degree, then.
do the honor. the religion and the sasac-
ity of the Irish nation fail the Irish peo-
pie and render them not honoraplo
enough, not religious enough and not SEN
sible enough to be trusted with their own
affairs?
Awkward Corner to Turn.
The most awkward corner for Mr.. Bal.
four to turn in this matter Is the tostS.
mony Of Protestants in the south OF lre-
land to the beauty OF Irish life, the virtue
of the Irish people. the absence OF bigotry
and intolerance from the Catholic Church
in ireland and the great intellectual abil-
ity of the Irish nation. There are nu-
merous Quakers in the south of Ireland
who profess not merely admiration Tor
Irish Catholics, but affection for them.
and the most unshadowed confidence IN
their sense of justice These QuakerS
live in the very midst Of Irish Catholics.
Under present conditions Ii is perfectly
possible for Irish Catholics. without the
infringement of any law and without any
of the violence threatened by Belfast, to
render the existence Of these Quakers i'm
possible, to drive them out of their trades
and TO expel them from their several OF
fees But the Quakers make money IN
the south of Ireland; they live on terms
of affection with their Catholic neighbors,
they take a prominent part in the civil
life of their district, and they are ad-
vocates of home rule.
| do not believe that Mr. Balfour would
add "A pafi i'm he al Ireland
and tell the people that they are not
sufficiently honorable. religious and sensi-
BILE to be intrusted with the management
of their own affairs. l do not believe that
he would say at the dinner table Of the
Bishop of Ross, in the drawing room or
Prof. Barrett or on the golf links OF Adare
that the Irish are not sufficiently honor
able, religious and sensible TO be IN
trusted with the mana cement Of their
own affairs. But If they have these Nlr-
tues. il they are a very honorable,
very religious and a very sensible peo-
pie, on what possible grounds can they
be denied the management OF their own
affairs? II they are honorable they viii
keep faith with England; IL they are re
ligious they will not persecute: II they
are sensible they viii not muddle the ma
tons business.
Religion a Reality.
/ am inclined to believe that IL Mr..
Balfour were cross-examined on this
matter he would confess that the Irish
people. as he knows them personally, are
the most honorable. religious and viz
tuous people in the United Kingdom. l
believe he would say, from his personal
experience. that religion is a tremen-
dous reality to the Irish pepole. that the
women of Ireland are extraordinarily
chaste, that the home life OF the Irish
peasant is singularly beautiful and pure.
that no single genuine case OF religious
aarGa N al lrela has Npr
come TO his knowledge. that in his deal
ings with Irishmen he found them quite
sensible and very able men of affairs.
Could he say all this, could he or his
conscience say all this OF Belfast?
Englishmen who are unacquainted with
the Irish people, and whose knowledge
of Irish nationalsm is got from a few
heated utterances of excited and perhaps
rather second-rate politicians. can have
no idea how charming is the life OF rural
Ireland. how kind and gracious IS the
Irish heart, how clear and vigorous -
the Irish understanding. And IL their
only knowledge OF Ulster is obtained from
the vaunts and boasts OF Ulster politi-
clans, they can have no idea how dread i.
ful a thing is life in Belfast slum. how
bitter and narrow-minded, how suspicious
and self-satisfied is the political religious
ness Of Orangeism, how great and APP
palling are the social problems of the in
iustrial north.
If a people. honorable religious and
sensible, may be trusted to manage
their own affairs. there is scarcely a
in the world more justly en-
titled TO self-government and more cer-