The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-04-04
Secretary Of State for Foreign Affairs Outlines Federal Plan
for England in Present Crisis
Sir Edward Grey Advocates Establishment Of Separate Par
for Ireland, Scotland and Wales to Solve Difficulty
Premier Asquih Becomes Secretary Of War Succeed Sey-
To Stand for Election April 18th

~ believe that It our present diff
Guilty is not solved by the Introduction
Of federal system, the country will
90 under through sheer inability Of
parliament to transact Ito buslness."-
Sir Edward Grey.
The government came out of it's
fight last week with more strength
than it was at first believed the gov.
ernment could muster. But parlia-
ment no longer attempts to conceal
the weakness of the government and
it's inability to put forward a policy Of
strength and determination. Every
thing has the nature. of compromise.
Two phases Of the political situa-
tion are before the eyes of the British
statesmen. One is the prospect Of ar
ranging compromise with the union
lists that will assure the passage of the
home rule bill without armed resist
ance in Ulster, which the government
fears. The other is Sir Edward Grey's
proposal Of federal system Of gov
ernment for the British Isles as a solu-
tion of the home rule difficulty.
The plan Of Grey, secretary Of state
for foreign affairs, as outlined by him
before theshouse of commons Wednes-
day, was given serious attention and
consideration.
Federal Government Urged.
The proposal for a federal govern.
ment was made in connection with the
debate on the second reading of the
home rule bill, acting as the govern
ment's leader in the absence of David
Lloyd George, who is i'll. He declared
the government could make no further
concession to Ulster beyond granting
it's counties the option to vote for six
years exclusion from the provisions
of the act. However, he believed that
a general election would be called be-
fore that time limit expired and the
Ulster men could go before the coun-
try and let the voters decide whether
or not the temporary exclusion should
be made permanent.
The federal system proposed as a
solution of the difficulty would mean
the establishment of parliaments, not
only in Ireland, but also in Scotland,
England and Wales, giving them pow
er to initiate new laws. The present
parliament would be a body similar
then to the United States congress,
with the Irish, Welsh, Scotch and Eng
lish bodies resembling state legisla-
lures in the United States.
Under such system the orangemen
could not charge they were being dis
criminated against, since the govern
ment could reply that all the separate
countries of the British Isles were be.
ing given similar law-making bodies.
The first act Of Premier Asquith in
his new capacity as secretary Of state
for war was to clear up the mystery
surrounding the instructions given by
the war Office to General Sir Arthur
Paget, commander-in-chief in Ireland.
Sir Arthur was summoned to London
to give his chief personal account Of
the orders he had received and issued
and as result Of the conference
Reginald McKenna, the home secre-
tary, who is acting as leader of the
house, was able to inform the COM
mons today that:
"The only question General Paget
put or intended to put to the COM
manding officers In ireland was wheth-
er they were ready to put their duty
before any other considerations.
subordinates Not Included.
1T was not his intention that this
or any such question should be put by
the general officers to their subordi-
mates.
General Paget informed the gen.
eral officers Of the promise given by
the secretary for war to officers whose
homes were in Ulster to permit them
to withdraw temporarily from their
regiments in the event of operations
becoming necessary in Ulster and he
requested the general officers to nnd
out Immediately the number Of officers
who would withdraw on this account.
"The Irish commander-in-chief was
asked If any ohicer who could not
claim this exemption would be allowed
to resign and replied that the result
Of any refusal to do their duty could