The Irish standard., 1912-05-11
REDMOND'S ADDRESS
AT DUBLIN CONVENTION


and. finally the Irish Post Office. With
that we get Immediately the appoint.
ment of all judges, whether for the
supreme Courts, County Courts or
resident magistrates through the
country. And, as you know, we get
immediate control of the Dublin Met
ropolltan Police. Now, if I stopped
there and told you we are offered 81
bill which gives you power over so
vast field of Irish government.
would not l be justified in saying we
would be a nation of fools not to take
it?
Reserved Services.
But. gentlemen. the bill goes much
further. Let me deal with what arr
called Reserved Services - services
over which England for time will
keep control. 1 will point out at first
to you about these services that most
OF them-in fact. all of them that we
care about, will come with automatic
precision under the control Of Ireland
In a comparatively few number of
years. There are two classes of ex-
emptions. First, there are the things
say here today we don't want and
don't ask for. For example, questions
connected with the Crown and the
succession of the Crown, with the
army and navy, with foreign rela-
tons. with coinage and matters of
that nature. They are the first class,
which I say we never asked for and
don't want; and there is also in this
hrst class the reservation with refer
cnce to religious ascendancy. There
are provisions in the bill which would
make 1t impossible for the Irish Par
Lament to enact laws with the OBJ
ject of interfering with the civil and
religious rights Of property Of any
man because of his religious persua-
sion. We know perfectly well. and
the Professionals in this hall know as
we'll as the Catholics that these safe
guards are unnecessary, but 1 have
said in dealing with the question Tor
years past, that, though 1 believe them
unnecessary, and though in a seuse,
indeed, they are humiliating to our
national pride, still as long as there
were a dozen men in Ireland of our
race and kin to entertain honest fears
upon this subject, 1 would be willing
to put any conceivable safeguard into
the bill to lull their suspicious to rest.
limo Limit to Reservations.
Now, the second classes Of subject
reserved from our control are reserved
only for a certain time. w. get con-
troll Of the royal Irish constabulary al
the end of six years and, mark you
when we get control of that force at
the end Of six Yeas the cost of the
service will continue to be paid from
Imperial sources, and we will benefit
on any economies that we may make
We get control of the Old Age Pen
sions system within one year and
again ask you to mark that the cost
of the system will continue to be paid
after we have taken it owe. ont of
Imperial sources, and that any econ
omies we make in the administration
will 50 to the benefit of Ireland The
same thing is true Of the Insurance
Act, and after ten years we get con-
troll Of the Irish Savings banks.
And finally, and this is the last of
the reservations, finally, when the
Irish deficit Is paid off-as it will be
In a comparatively short number OF
years, owing to the general increase
OF prosperity in Ireland - then we
shall obtain the collection of Irish
taxes into our hands. The one out
standing service is land purchase, and
remember. ladies and gentlemen, that
that service by it's very nature, is OF
itself Of a transitory character. l sa.
quite frankly to you that, in my be.
lief, any reasonable or thoughtful man
cannot complain that while this sys-
tenn of land purchase is being carried
out by Imperial credit, that The Inn
perial authority should insist on fully
safeguarding the security for the
loans. II you consider for moment
anything else would bring land pur.
chase to an absolute deadlock, il
would make the floating of Land
Stock absolutely impossible. and as
men who desire to see land purchase
not only continued and completed. but
expedited and rapidly completed, we
don't want that the Imperial author.
ity, which guarantees these loans Of
a couple of hundred millions, should
maintain q governing hand over ev-
erything relating to the security for
- p..k