The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-03-24
British Journalist Tells
Waterbury Churchmen
England Has Never Rea-
lied Irish Problem.


at the bottom OF it; and think that
recognition of Ireland in some way or
other, probably in the form of an au-
fonoIny1 will follow the war. thereby
perfecting the completion of perzna-
sue4af friendship between England ana
the United States.'' said s. K, Rat
cliffe, Of London, speaking before the
Mems league of the Second Congrega-
tionaI church of Waterbury. Conn,
"Wednesday night
II was the tenth annual banquet or
the league and upwards of 200 mem
sbers were present. Edison W. Hitch
cock president of the league, pre-
sided, and Arthur Reed KinpbaH was
toastnraster. The following were seat
ed at the head table: Charles p KEEL
loggs Eugene Kerners Dr. Frank o
Erbe Rev. Horace B. S1oats Rev. Rob
ert e. Brown, S. K Ratcl1fe, Arthur
Reed Kiubau, Aaron a Bened1ct,
Rev. Grove F.. Elk1nss of MiddleburTs
william H. Davis. Herbert J Wilcox,
Richard Burnaps DR.. William b.
brewster and DarraEh Delaney.
s. X RatcIiffs, the speaker of the
evening. is an international Journalist
of wide experience and has done much
work in British possessions me
subject of his address was NATIONAL
ism and Internationalisrn.
st believe that we have been think
ing much too easily Of this great cues
ton OF nationality he said in open
ing, s+and of things that did not cor
respond to the facts Of the world as
they exist Nationality IS not ancient
by any means, in fact, it is compare
lively new. speaking In the Droad
sense it is understood nowadays. Ma
tionaIity was not the idea before those
who fought in the French and Ameri-
can revolutions; rather their ideas and !
aspirations were the rights of men and
liberty
~. 49,
could be described as the tragedy OF
4aationalisrns After the NapoIeonic
wars the powers that were set to work
not to right the wrongs OF those wars
or settle the peace OF Eu4cpe, but 70
build UP again the royal houses and
fmperial governments upon the old
dvnasftc ideas This continued until
1S4s and 1s49 when ali the royal and
imperial and despotic powers of Eu-
rope came to life again. 1fqt had not
been Tor the failure or the If6erss Eisfee
xional and democratic movement at
at time the development OF Europe
would have been vastly different and
it would have very likely been inn
poszabae for Europe to be plunged into
such q disastrous war as it Is to-day.
In 1913 and 1S49 there was built up
an idea OF state power directly oppOs-
ed to national self-consciousness
There Is a lot OF loose talk in Eng
land to-day about regarding the es-
tabtshnent OF 3 Europe along inter
national lines There doesn't seem TO
be anything particularly sacred about
nationality as the basis of government
Nationality and nationalism may be of
great good when working smoothly,
but Is perverted. In a, sense 1t cannot
be eliminated and is fundamental in
us The world viii not stand fndefin-
iteIy for the suppression of those ideas
and traditions inherent in us
GrrSs 4s<-Snz
welsh have helped US materially in
our national problem. We have TOT
realize when we go to Canada and
some or our other colonies, though
that the British empire is the Scots
empire and we Southern EngIanders
have got to realize that we are a con-
quered race England has never full
ly understood the political solution of
the Irish problem and it is only now
beginning to get at the bottom of it;
andzI think that recognition OF Ireland
In some way or other, probably in the
form of an autonomy will follow the
war, thereby perfecting the completion
of a permanent friendship between
England and the United Statess'
The speaker was inberr6pted during
the above paragraph by rounds of
hearty applause It was the only
forced TO stop while he received the
approval OF his audience. He con-
4inued:
National tradition and national
character VIII have its outlet What
win happen at the settlement of the
41resent great conflict? They cannot
rerna1ze the map CT Europe and give
separate nationality and sovereignty
10 an the small states They must
necessarily form a part of the large
states Imperial governments will
realize that peoples who are small in
h.
pressed, but that every possible chance
must be given them to spread and de-
velop national desires and tendencies.
Nationality Is not only a harmless
thing, but it is a splendid, a beautiful
thing when it is not perverted.
Every one seems to be thinking of
what Will happen when the war is
over. Before this great war no one
would ever have believed that a ho1o-
caust on such gigantic scale could
spread over the face of Europe. Are
we going to move toward a greater
international understanding, or is the
war going to end with the remaking
of international lines and the increas-
ing of competitive ar1nor between the
11affons of the world There form err
possibility is there. We feel and real
fze that when the world is in a war of
material force which are the greatest
enemies OF the ideals of human life.
II see with deep regret the starting
of current to establish the CONNER
cial status OF England by putting into
effect a stiff and vindictive protective
tariff This, to my mind is a false
doctrine and can't see how any ma
ton can hope for peace-even for a
comparatively temporary peace by so
doing
.sf this war doesn't teach us any
thing else but that we have got to go
back to where we were Before 1t and
proceed along the same lines. only a
little more stringently. then all these