Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-06-27
Intervention of Nationals Vol
unteers Makes Great Change
In Situation.
Looking With Certain Assurance
to Free and United
Ireland.
LAUGHING At The ORANGEMEN

This week has gone very we'll for
the Liberals and signs are growing
that in spite of many violent
speeches We approach more
reasonable state of mind. cables Hon
y; u. oConnor. This change in the
sltuatlon is due to many causes: but
undoubtedly the Nationalist volun-
.eers are the chief reason. The
iories, too. have helped to make the
intervention of these volunteers
more effective and more striking by
thelr Illogical attempts to force the
nand OF the Government to put them
uoWn. The Liberals held their sides
WIN laughter while Lord Robert
cecil and other Tory extremists who
nave given godspeed to the Orange
volunteer movement complained Of
the Irish volunteer as illegal. uncon-
stitutional and calculated to intim-
ldate the free will of Parliament.
ana now and then when Lord Cecil
or other Tories asked who began and
VINO were responsible for All this
lllegalfty tempest of cheers from
the Liberal benches supplied an ef-
fective answer.
In snort, this debate immensely
heIped the volunteer movement. and
was perhaps one of the most vital
turning points of the whole struggle.
lt is at last realized that this appeal
OF Sir Edward Carson to force has
brought into being another and far
stronger appeal to force from the
overwhelming Nationalist majority.
and what iC
mas ranged on the side of this coun-
Ter appeal all the democratic masses
OF england, driven to fury by the
lnsolence OF the 0rangemen, by the
arrogance OF the aristocracy, and
above all by the attempt of the Tory
army to dictate to popular Minis
try and the democratic House of
Commons. Thus party of iaw-aa,i
order has already met the Nemesis
winch always pursues such a party
when 1t appeals to force and lawless-
ness. This new development In the
Irish campaign must color every
thing which will happen in the few
remaining weeks. For the remaining
stages of the struggle Sir Edward
Carson may continue to make blus-
tering illusions to the determine
tion of the Orange volunteers, but
such appeals fall in an entirely diff
ferent atmosphere now.
This sudden and universal uprising
Oh Nationalist Ireland, apart alto
gether from its seriousness as a
material force, has started even the
most virulent English Tory from his
happy illusion that the home rule
sentiment of Ireland was sleeping. IL
not dead, and in short everybody
from the King downward now
realizes that the question has got to
be settled, and settled now. One
final hope remained with the Tories.
especially in Ireland-namely. that
the Nationalist volunteers might
nave been turned into weapon
against Redmond and the Irish party,
or that alternately the struggle be-
tween Redmond and the anti-Par-
liamentary men, who had got tenn
porary hold of the volunteers In some
parts of the country, would smash
up the whole movement In a dis
reputable and disastrous Irish row.
Either of these consequences might
have followed If II we're not for the
sound sense of the Irish people
themselves. When the Irish people
realized subterranean influences
were at work against Redmond and
his party in the movement now
triumphantly approaching its final
victory, whirlwind OF disapproval
swept from one end of Ireland to the
other, and In less than twenty-four
hours all opposition to Redmond
vanished.
| Lansdowne also made an impor-
tant change of front by confessing
that no reliance could now be placed
by the Tories in the refusal of the
army TO disobey orders. Thus the
struggle is getting gradually mar
rowed down TO a fight over impos-
sible amendments which the House
OF Lords will make in amending the
bill and possible amendments which
Asquith and Redmond can accept.
This is not stage without grave
difficulties. but II is far less difficult
than some weeks ago. II will be
fought with ordinary parliamentary
weapons and not under the shadow
OF brlstling Orange rifles and
mutinous soldiers and officers refus-
ing to obey the commands OF the
Government, I look therefore TO its
ending In a settlement not Altogether
ideal, but with certain assurance OF
a free and united Ireland