The Irish standard., 1914-05-23

VI lue 1dl1uTe OF a 1fe'S work. it is
the admission that the causes for
which l have most striven and most
earnestly sought to accomplish are
fated to break down, and that the
long labours spent in this House and
out of it have not borne the fruit
that I once hoped they might"
1t was the death-knell of Coercion,
the reluctant confession of the arch
coercionist of Ireland that his life
work had ended in failure. and. that
the indestructible spirit of Irish ma
tionality was triumphant and un-
conQuerable.
Sir E. Carson's Position.
Sir Edward Carson stated his
position in a speech which was await
ed with great interest. He assured
the House that he was as anxious as
any man living Ito find way out of
this Ulster difficulty which will
avoid bloodshed. He took full re-
sponsibility for the gun-running of
the previous Friday night. He de-
MED that he had rejected the Prem
ier's proposed concessions to Ulster.
What he asked for. in order to SUBJ
nit them to his people, was that the
time limit should be abolished until
the Imperial Parliament should
otherwise determine. He had al
ready. in the Autumn. at Manchester.
gone a long way towards federal
arrangement. which would give "Ul-
ster" equal treatment with other
parts of the United Kingdom. And
then he went on to say:
Il have already said in this House
that if it was put into the Bill that
Ulster was to be excluded until such
time as the federal scheme, which
you said you were going to bring in
on the introduction of this Bill, and
that then it should be reconsidered
in the light of the action of the Irish
Parliament. and how they got on,
as to whether Ulster should form a
portion of the integral unit, as the
right Hon. Gentleman calls it, or
should get separate or different
treatment, or remain under this Par
lament said l should be perfectly
satisfied to go over and press that
proposal in Ulster. am not, then;
very far away from the right Hon.
gentleman. Mr.. Churchill, in what he
says.
THE right Hon. Gentleman can
not mean that l am to say now that
l can PREJUDICE what should happen
when this federal scheme is consider
ed-if it ever is considered. How
can 1? Surprising the Parliament is
a failure, supposing it is disastrous,
he does not suggest that 1 ought to
say beforehand that Ulster is to come
in whether it succeeds or whether it
is failure. No, sir, but l shall try
to make an advance on what I said
before. l will say this-and hope
the House will believe me, because,
though l do not want to be introduce
ing my own personality into it, am
myself a Southerner in Ireland-I
will say this, that if Home Rule is to
pass, much as l detest it, and little
as l Will take responsibility for the
passing of it, my earnest hope, and
indeed would say. my most earnest
prayer. would be that the govern
ment of Ireland for the South and
West would prove, and might prove,
such success in the future, notwith-
standing all our anticipations. that
1T might be even for the interest of
Ulster itself to move towards that
government and come in under it
and form one unit in relation to Ire
land. May l say something more
than that would be glad to see
such state of affairs arising in Ire
land that you would find that mutual
and good will between all
parts of Ireland and between all
classes in Ireland as would lead to a
stronger Ireland as an integral unit
in the federal scheme. But. Mr..
Speaker. while say all that, that
depends upon good will, and never
can be brought about by force >.
There is no one in the whole king
dom at the present time who feels
his position and his responsibility
more acutely than do, and all I
want to do, and I hope l will do to
the end. is loyalty to carry out the
promises I have made to those who
trust me, and to get for them such
terms as will preserve to them their
dignity and their civil and religious
The Importance of this speech is
manifest.
The Premier's Position.
The Premier said that the speech
es of Mr.. Balfour and Sir E. Carson
might prove to be landmarks in the
history of the Home Rule contro-
versy. He did not think the road to
settlement was by bargaining across
the floor Of the House. For the pur-
pose of settlement. everybody must
Ia