The Irish standard., 1916-09-23
The Partition
Policy Defined
By VIM. 0'Brien
Veteran lrishman Opposed to
Dismemberment-Senti-
ment of Irish Folk.

ment of Irish Folk.
IF Mr.. Lloyd Georges adventure
has failed in all else it has, at least,
furnished Ireland with one more argu-
ment for Home Rule by demonstrat-
ing the incapacity Of English ministers
even though they be Home Rule min
isters-to understand anything under
meath the surface of Ireland" Thus
does Mr.. VIM. O'Brien open an arti-
Gle in the Nineteenth Century," with
the title: ''Is There Way Out of the
Chaos In Ireland?"
That a document signed by Mr.. Red
mond and Sir E. Carson, he proceeds,
would have signed away the ideal of
national unity for which innumerable
generations of Irishmen have shed
their blood. was plainly a
consideration that might be safely
overlooked by Minister accustomed
to passing the most startling emer-
gency war measures into law at few
sittings.
"The unity of the politicians of the
Irish and Ulster Parties in agreeing
to carve Ireland up into two separate
racial and religious compounds for
their several profits has early aroused
an unconquerable instinct of unity
among the Irish people, Unionists and
Nationalists alike, in reprobation of
that crime against their common coun-
try"
Mr.. O'Brien demonstrates the good
bargain that Sir E. Carson would have
secured under the settlement" and
the correspondingly bad return which
would have been the share of Ma
tionalist Ireland. He says:
''The astounding thing is that the
Capuan five-sixths of the representa-
tives of Nationalist Ireland saw no
difficulty about agreeing to lop off the
limbs. Of Dark Rosaleen by way of
crowning her with freedom. But once
more the uncorrupted Ireland outside
the asphyxiating lodges of the Board
of Erin found they had laid their
money on the wrong horse, and
warned the laodiceans in London of
the danger. The machined majority
Of the Belfast Conference did but
rouse the stubborn Nationalists of the
North to fury. An Anti-Partition
League arose in Derry which threat
ened to leave the Parliamentarian gen.
erals without an army.
"Mr. Devlin found the parish mas
ters Of his own Hiberian lodges de-
serting him. The threats of resigna-
tion with which he and Mr.. Redmond
for the moment overawed opposition
in Belfast began to be answered with
an ever-angrier chorus of Pray, resign
then!'
"The political state of Ireland" ac-
cording to Mr.. O'Brien, "truly is chaos
come again. but the chaos is rather
of the politicians than of the people.
The Irish multitudes, dangerously an.
gered though they are, by recent
events, remain in their depths kind
ly, religious folk, conservative in the
high sense. They are enraged by the
duplicity of the Home Rule govern
ment, by the incapacity or corruption
of their own representatives, by the
call of the blood by which the recent
rising was avenged, but their hearts
strong craving is for peace, be the
peacemakers only sincere and strong.
even Of the Sim Fein sentiment,
which is undoubtedly for the moment
the strongest active force in Ireland,
nine parts out of ten are a revolt
against an ignominious Parliamentari-
anism, and only the tenth is revolu-
tionary Republicanism.'
Concluding, Mr.. O'Brien says: "The
beginning of wisdom, whatever may
be its end, is to recognize that parti-
tion in any shape is the most mon
strous design against good sense and
nature that ever emanated from the
British brain, and must be dropped
frankly, promptly, and for ever IL all
our 40 years toll for a permanent
reconciliation, now all but consum-
mated, as between the masses Of the
two nations. is not to issue in a de-
cree which for all the days of living
men, at all events, can never be re.
voked."
MILLIONS WERE SPENT