The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-08-08
Declared that Dublin Volunteer
Victims will be the Last to
Shed Blood for Home
Rule.
European Complications Strengthen
Home Rule Situation. Ulster
Threats at End, Says
T. P. O'connOr.
Original Bill May be Placed on the
Statute Books within a Month
and Differences Settled
Later.

Hope and despair oscillated every
moment during the last few days.
every hour bringing different tenn
per-
Great Britain, for the first time in
more than half a century, finds her
self entangled in continental COM
plications and has to face war as an
almost certainty. Opinion is not al
together united. Many radicals arc
dead against England's participation
and the Manchester Guardian, the
most powerful organ of advanced lib
eralism outside of London, already
thunders against war, while In some
groups of members of parliament, al
ways in opposition to Sir Edward
Grey's policy, have begun to hold
anti-war meetings. There is also
some doubt as to the exact dimen-
sions of England's engagements
with France and Russia and several
announcements of Asquith in previ-
GUS phases of this controversy are
quoted which emphatically denied
any treaty with France promising
participation in continental war.
| On the other hand, it is avoweI
that England has given sufficient en-
couragement to French hopes and
French self-confidence to expose her
| IN tor Pt,1, Il II ,1%
to the assistance of France against
Germany. London. in the mean
time, has begun already to show
some of the wounds war inflicts. The
close of the stock exchange for the
first time in English history, the rise
of the bank rate to s per cent, run
on the Bank OF England and truce on
the Irish question in the house Of
commons are revelations of the in
tense anxiety which is universal.
The richest men in the house of
commons walk about with depressed
faces, as no fortune seems safe in the
face of utter breakdown of all credit
|
The most threatening feature in
the situation is Russia's apparent de-
sire to force war as the present hour
is the most convenient for her and
the most inconvenient for her enc
mics. TO make confusion worse con-
founded, Austria's threat to tear up
the treaty of Bucharest may bring
into the hideous welter of European
war Greece, Rumania and perhaps,
Bulgaria and Turkey. "
This tremendous cataclysm dwarfs
the Irish question and puts an end
now and forever on listers. threats
OF civil war.
Thus the week which began most
threateningly for home rule ends
favorably. Though no Irishman
wishes to purchase an early settle
ment of home rule, especially rs it
is now inevitable, by European war,
yet near European complications un-
doubtedly bring home rule nearer
and more certainly.
When the shocking outrage in
Dublin reached the Irish leaders for
the first time Sunday night last they
were alarmed by the prospect Of,
home rule being imperiled by this
sudden and hideous complication.
The evaporation of all Ireland s
against the conduct of the govern
ment officials might have forced tho
Irish party into such an open and
violent opposition to the ministry as
to have wrecked the home rule bill
and the fact that Asquith would
propose further concessions to Ulster.
in the modification of the time limit
brought the Irish party up against
Ireland's exasperated determination
to stand no further concessions. BY
a strange, characteristic paradox Of
Irish politics, the Dublin outrage
brought new vast improven.en .ent In
the Irish situation. First Chief Sec
retary Birrell was able to clear him
self of all responsibility and dis
missed the officer responsible for the
whole attempt to disarm volunteers.
The most important lesson. however.
was that every tory. as we'll . as /, every
liberal, had to face armed revolt In
the south of Ireland as we'll as ins
CONTINUED on Page y