The Irish standard., 1914-09-26

was marked by scenes more impress
i've because spontaneous. Proroga-
tion is usually the dullest day of the
whole session with every member al
ready on the way to his home and
only the officials left, but this proro-
CATION was exciting and historic.
Mrs. Redmond and the wives of
other Irish members filled all the
seats on the benches in the house of
lords, where unionist persons usually
gather, and the Irish and liberals
broke all rules in the house of lords
by vigorous cheers when the royal
assent signified the passage of the
Irish bill.
William Crooks, the labor men,
Der, a popular figure in the house of
commons and another warm friend
of Ireland, took proceedings entirely
under his control and led the singing,
God Save the King" heartily Joined
in by the Irish members. He then
called for God Save Ireland" Mr..
Redmond, replying. shouted God
Save England" and thus the century,
old feud between England and Ire
land closed forever.
Though the tories made per-
functory protest against the passage
of the bill they also are delighted
that the struggle is over. They are
glad that they have won 1reland's
heart at last by Freedom and are now
assured of Ireland's cordial alliance
in the present crisis.
1t should be added that Mr.. AS
quith and Lord Chancellor Haldane
laid great stress on the necessity Of
considering the opinion of Irishmen
in America as an argument In pass
ing the bill.
So Irish America, in this as in 9TH
er epochs of Irish struggle. turned
the scale in Ireland's favor. There is
now open cordial cooperation of ma
tionalists with other British parties
in helping to carry the war to q sue
cessful end. Ireland was vehemently
in favor of the allies from the first
moment, through its old love of
France and Belgium and instructive
hatred of Prussian militarism. The
outrages in Belgium and Louvain in
famed this feeling. Though the mis-
giving. owing to the last few weeks
delay. enabled a small body of cranks
in Ireland to preach pro-German pol
icy, these represented an infinitesimal
minority and their campaign ends
with the passage of the bill.
Redmond and Dillon will be with
Mr.. Asquith at the great recruiting
meeting in Dublin and spoke with
Winston Churchill and F. e. Smith
in Liverpool Monday on the invita-
tion of all parties in the city. The
Redmond manifesto, demanding the
formation of Irish into Irish regi-
ments, will be respected by the
British war office and Irish regiments
are forming in several English cities.
An even more important development
will be the arming and drilling of
Irish volunteers by the war office so
that when the war is over Ireland
will have an army of 100000 trained
men to defend her liberties.
1t is impossible yet to say what de-
velopments will come from this ex-
traordinary unity of all countries and
creeds created by the war. It is pos
sible that the demand of exclusion by
Ulster will disappear.
The alleged attempts to capture
American opinion in favor of inter-
vention, made by Germany, were full
ly recorded in the cables here. but
such Intervention is more likely to
do harm than good at this moment
of universal British feeling. The re-
cent renewal of the pledge Of COM
mon action in making peace as in
war between the allies excludes the
possibility of separate action.
According to present appearance
the war must last another year, and
peace is only possible in Berlin and
with Germany thoroughly beaten. 1t
is obviously impossible for the allies
to be content with less terms than the
liberation of Alsace Lorraine and the
freedom of the Poles in Silesia. and
the surrender of at least portion Of
the German fleet, and powerful
and proud country like Germany can
not yield to such terms until ex-
hausted.
Military operations, while showing
a turn of the tide in favor of the al
lies, still do not promise an early
result. Germany has still big army
in France intact. and II driven back
into her own borders can defend her
self for moths. The only possibility