The Irish standard., 1914-02-14
Final Home-Rule Rally

prospects?" he asked. And this is his
answer:
"This year, if the present govern
ment and the present parliament re-
main in existence, and if the opinion
of the House of Commons is not
changed, the Home Rule Bill, under
the operation of the Parliament Act,
will automatically become the law of
the land. Unless one or other of these
things happen, nothing can prevent
that result. All the rawlings
and threatenings of our opponents will
have no more power to stop it than the
shrieking Of the winter wind today to
stop the blooming Of the flowers of
June"
What Abandonment Would Mean.
Mr.. Redmond went on to point out
what yielding to the Unionist threats
of "civil war; would mean:
ITO abandon the Home Rule Bill
would mean the abandonment of the
Parliament Act, and all the bills of
the last two years which will come
under the operation of that Act. 1t
would mean the restoration of the Veto
of the House of Lords, the restoration
of Tory rule, and the acceptance, prac-
tically for all time, Of the supremacy OF
the House of Lords. It would mean
the betrayal of the democracy of Great
Britain, and would condemn the Lib.
eral Party to utter impotence, dis
honour, and extinction"
Mr.. Redmond did we'll to speak thus
plainly as to the issues for the British
democracy involved in the Home Rule
question. But, having done SO, he pro-
ceeded to pay tribute to the Premier,
in which every Irishman will heartily
join. He said:
"Our opponents seem to think that
they can intimidate Mr.. Asquith into
adopting that course. They mistake
their man. The Prime Minister is as
firm as a rock, and is, believe, the
strongest and the sanest man who has
appeared in British politics in our
time. Today he remains as unmoved
as the masses of the people them
selves by this concerted shrek Of wild
and dispairing malice"
Mr.. Redmond said that all the talk
about civil war was at bottom absurd.
People everywhere, even in Belfast,
were going about their business as
usual, and nobody appeared to be in
the least perturbed except the Union
list newspaper editors, and the Irish
Calamity howlers," who were never
happy but when foretelling disaster.
Sir Edward Carson had stated that
his "army" was for defence, and not
for attack. ut will never be needed"
said Mr.. Redmond, "for he and his
friends in Ulster will never be at
tackled"
"WilI the Bill Pass as 1t stands?"
Mr.. Redmond's answer to this ques-
ton is, that the Bill is good Bill
and a great Bill, which has been &C
cepted as it stands by Ireland and
by Great Britain, and which Ireland
desires to pass as it stands. He has
seen no change suggested by its oppo.
nents or critics which is not in itself
a bad change.
"If any change be made, it must be
not to enable it to pass; that is unneces.
sary-but to buy the goodwill of our
Opponents in Ireland. And l must say
to you formally that at present
see no prospect whatever of that good
will being purchased at any price
whatever. Their goodwill is worth
purchasing, and at big price. have
always said so. OF course,
there are limits. The Prime Minister
laid down these limits explicitly in q
recent speech. Any change in the
Home Rule Bill must be consistent
with ~ the creation of a Parliament
for Ireland with an Executive respon.
sible to it; (2) the immediate settle.
ment of the Irish question; (3) the
unity and integrity of Ireland. Speak.
ing in Belfast, the other day, Sir Ed.
ward Carson said: I am, above all
things, a man of peace-not at any
price-and know this full we'll, that
there are some things on which there
can be no compromise. There are
many matters of detail, matters of ex.
pediency; but there are other mat
tiers which go so much to the very
root of the life and liberty of our
people and to the great trust which
has been handed down to us, on which
We dare not compromise For my