The Irish standard., 1916-11-25
PENN MUTUAL LIFE
s. A. STockWELL, GEN. ACT.
305 Andrus Bldg.
Phones: N. w. Mic. 1904, Cent. 1904
"See Stockwell Soon"

which, on the merits, may be accept
able. We said, and we repeat, that
this is mistaken and meaningless
policy, and that it betrays deplora-
BILE lack of craftsmanship. There is
today, as there was in the past, a
medium course. The official organ of
the party, however, pretends to be.
lieve that between downright weak
ness and what is called vigorous op-
position there is no medium course;
and it asserts that the policy outlined
by Mr.. Redmond for the future is the
one we have been advocating for
years. AS this is far from being
correct Interpretation of our attitude;
it may not be inopportune to make
our position quite plain. We found
fault with the policy imposed by the
leaders on the party in the past on
the grounds that it carried weakness
to the extent of cowardice; that the
party lacked backbone and spirit, and
allowed themselves to be used as mere
subservient, pliable instruments in the
hands of the government. In other
words, they had become, like O'Con-
nells Party in the days of their de-
generacy, the mere tail Of the Liber-
ais, and the members, with some
honorable exceptions, in which we in
clude Mr.. Redmond, were allowed to
haunt Ministers for jobs for their
friends. 1t was inevitable that demon
alizatiOn, dry rot and feebleness
should accompany a policy such as
that to which we have alluded. In pur-
suance of this policy. the teaching of
the party was that the Liberals, like
themselves, could do no wrong Ev-
cry concession made by the Liberals,
no matter how inadequate or paltry,
was doomed in the official organ and
in the speeches of the leaders and
members of the party as boon which
could not be eclpsed. When the cab
met held Ireland by the throat, mum
was the word When Irish interests
were assailed the party was dumb,
and whenever the people, smarting
under injustice, sought to assert them
selves, coercive orders were issued by
the leaders commanding dead silence.
That policy was, in our view, so spir-
itless that it revealed the party as an
abject body of parliamentarians, and
in our judgment the leaders who per-
mitted it were no better than old
We never advocated that the Liber-
ais should be hurled from office or that
the party should recklessly go into
open and vigorous opposition. We
thought there was then, as there is
now, medium course. When the in
surance bill was given precedence to
Home Rule the leaders tamely acqui-
esced; there was not even a mild pro-
test. A like attitude was adopted in
reference to Mr.. Lloyd-Georges Bud
get until we showed how prejudical-
ly it would affect this country, and de-
manded that the party should go back
to Westminster to secure some con-
cessions; not to throw out the govern
ment. When, more recently, grants for
useful Irish services were withdrawn,
the party was quiescent and silent
until the country was reused to a state
of anger that they could no longer ig-
more. Spirit and firmness on those
occasions would have sufficed without
recourse to open and vigorous oppo.
sition. Finally. when the partition
proposals were first propounded at Mr..
lloyd-Georges breakfast table in 1914
they could have been simply reject
ed. The leaders could have said that,
although they desired settlement,
they would not entertain any pro-
posal for the Acknowledgement of their
country as a solution of the problem.
Had they done that. they could have
claimed that they had killed partition.
On this matter and many other crucial
ioouSo III IlS COuUuCL VI ZIG
party was so slavishly weak that it
earned for them the contempt of
the Liberals. who with so many other
exhibitions of weakness before their
eyes. not unnaturally concluded that
they could get the party to do any
thing they offered. On no account
would the leaders and party embar-
rass the Liberals. One of the claims
of the party is that they had won
over the British democracy to Home
Rule. Having spent years of labor
and thousands of pounds in converting
the British democracy to Home Rule,
as we have been frequently told, the
party, by indiscriminate opposition
during the war. when that democracy
is in no temper to tolerate pin pricks,
are out to undo the work of years.
We repeat that there is medium
course now, as there was during the
past eight or ten years. The party
chose to be too weak, too tame. and
too dumb in the past; they threaten
now to do incalculable damage to the
Irish cause. What we advocated be.
fore we still advocate namely. an at.
titude of independence to all English