The Irish standard., 1914-06-27
Amazing Enrolment of Volunteers
Answers charge that Ireland
is no Longer Interested
English Politicians Declared That
People of Ireland were Not In
terested in Home Rule--A
Dead issue
Charge Resented by Organization
of Irish National Volunteers as
DEFENSIVE b0dy

The new departure in the Irish
campaign must color everything
which will happen in the few remain
ing months. says T. P. O'Connor.
In the remaining stages of the
struggle, Sir Edward Carson may
continue to make clustering illusions
to the determination of the Orange
volunteers, but such appeals fall in
an entirely different atmosphere now.
First, it is now realized that even
il Carson's threats and Carson's vol
unteers could destroy the Home Rule
bill and the home rule ministry. any
tory ministry which succeeded would
have to face an even more formida-
BILE force in Ireland, and the cry Of
civil war and the dread of civil war
would pass into the hands of the
weapon to Carson in dragging con-
cessions from the liberal ministers
has passed into the hands Of the
nationalists. They can make even
stronger appeal than the orange
men that civil war can be avoided
only by the grant Of home rule and
the immediate and peaceful settle
ment of all outstanding issues be-
tween the two Irish parties.
The sudden and universal uprising
of nationalist Ireland apart alto
gether from it's seriousness as a
material force has startled 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 downwards now real
ICES that the question has got to be
settled and settled now.
One final hope remained with the
tories, especially in Ireland, namely,
that the national volunteers might
have been turned into weapon
against Redmond and the Irish
party, or that alternately the strug-
gle between Redmond and the anti
parliamentary men who had got tenn
porary hold of the volunteers in
some parts of the country would
smash up the whole movement in a
disreputable and disastrous Irish
row.
Either of these consequences
might have followed If it were not
for the sound sense of the Irish PED
pie themselves. When the Irish peo-
pie realized that subterranean influ-
ences were at work against Red
mond and his party in the movement
now triumphantly approaching its
final victory, whirlwind of disap-
proval swept from one end of Ire
land to the other and in less than
twenty-four hours all opposition to
Redmond vanished.
The volunteer movement will act
in concert and absolute unity with
him and his parliamentary col
leagues. This work marks a more
solid, more universal unification of
the Irish national force than any
since Parnell's greatest power. The
same week which brought this whirl-
wind Of protest against any ranging
of volunteers against Redmond,
brought also the complete capture
from, William O'Brien Of the Cork
county council. The Redmonite
chairman and vice-chairman were
elected instead of factionists who
helped O'Brien keep county Cork in
camp.
The first official act of the new
council was to vote an address of
confidence to Redmond and thus, for
all practical purposes. William o.
Brien's factional movement disap-
pears from Irish life. Meantime the
tory leaders have already given un-
deniable evidence Of their realization
of complete transformation in the
situation.
Those who a few weeks ago seemed
able to dictate the policy of the
house of lords and seemed certain to
succeed in preventing even consider
alton Of amending the bill in the
house Of lords have been flouted by
Lansdowne who has declared for ac-
cepting second reading Of the
amending bill. Lansdowne also
made an important change of front
by confessing that no reliance could
now be placed by the tories in the