The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-09-30
How ireland
Is Governed


Two casual and unconnected inter.
rogations made about certain person
alities reveal more wildly than vol
umes of exposition the methods by
which Ireland is governed. These
methods are not temporary nor ex-
ceptional-they have been in exist
ence since the destruction of the Irish
Parliament in 1900. The first inter.
rogation was made through the Cork
County Council:
The chairman asked why Lord De.
cies, the press censor, issued his in.
structions to the "Freeman's Journal
on the note paper of the Kildare
Street club.
The Interrogation seems unimpor.
tant, but nevertheless it has a great
significance for Irish people.
The second Interrogation was made
in the British House Of Commons
Mr.. Loudon, Nationalist member,
asked the Prime Minister: Whether
the present Irish Lord Chancellor had
been, or would be, consulted as to
the government of Ireland; whether
he was aware that previous Lord
ChancellOrs were always brought
into consultation on matters affecting
Irish administration; whether Lord
Chancellor O'Brien had been scarcely
ever brought into consultation during
the past two years, because of the
suspicion that he was Home Ruler
as well as a Roman Catholic, and, If
so, would he see that such q state of
things would not be allowed to con.
tinue.
Let us keep these two interroga.
lions in mind while we glance at the
formal government of the country.
In speaking to Americans about this
one has first of all to make a clear.
ance in their minds. Americans un.
consciously assume that the relations
between Great Britain and ireland are
somewhat federal-that Ireland is re.
lated to Great Britain somehow as
the State of Connecticut is related to
the State of New York. This is q
mistake. In the British Islands there
is no approach to federal relation.
ship at all. There is but one author.
ity, one legislature, one executive, and
this is the Parliament at Westmin.
ster.
OF what elements is this sole au'
thority composed? The Westminster
Parliament consists of two houses
an elected house, the House of Com.
mons, and an hereditary house, the
House of Lords. Both together form
Parliament. The Parliament thus
formed consists of 1900 members. OF
these 1000 represent England. Scot.
land and Ireland have 300 between
them. Take the elected chamber, the
House of Commons. 1t consists of
go members, 465 of which represent
England, while Scotland contributes
~, Ireland 103 and Wales 30. Thus,
in the House of Commons England
has always majority of 26O over the
combined voters of Ireland, Scotland
and Wales. So it is apparent that the
government of the British Islands is
the reverse of federal-it is govern.
ment by Englishmen, indeed by a Ger.
tain class Of Englishmen-th class
that has the traditions of the land
owning aristocracy, and a training in
exclusive public schools and univer
stiles.
In practice this English majority
hands over the government of ireland
to English people or to Anglo-Irish
people who have the same sort oil
tradition and training. These people
form the great overpaid bureaucracy
which Irish Nationalists describe az
'The Castle" They are the judges