The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-01-06

appears in ireland, December 23rd,
and is Indicative of distrust of the new
premier on the part of the Irish Par
liamentary Party. Ireland is the lead
ing organ of John Redmond.
"Enemies of Irish Liberty"
Looked at in it's relation 10 Ire
land, the new British Government is
thoroughly Objectionable. Passing
: over Lloyd George, one comes to Sir
Edward Carson and Bonar Law and
'Galloper' Smith, all of whom were
concerned in the Ulster vaccination
that was designed to kill Home Rule;
to Walter Long, who tried to arouse
Canada against Home Rule and got
no encouragement; to Balfour and
Robert Cecil, spokesman OF the fam
lily whose head has demanded the re-
peal of the Home Rule act; to Curzon
and Miner, who never once in their
careers have shown the first glimmer
Of sympathetic understanding in re-
gard to Ireland.
From these men the thing to be
looked for is hostility. Their alliances
extend to the heart of the old Ascend
ancy group which still misgovernB
Ireland, and which means to continue
doing so if there is any way to con-
tinue it.
That they have come into power is
not of itself regrettable. Far better
that they should openly accept the re-
sponsibility than that they should hide
behind Asquith, making him bear the
blame for policies his supporters de-
tested. While the Asquith govern
ment lasted Ireland had some reason
to expect friendly treatment, even if
what she got was quite the reverse.
From the present men, on their rec
ords, she has nothing to look for but
hostility and provocation.
1t is evident that the Irish party,
which has met already, proposes to
be guided in it's action toward the new
government by what the attitude of
the new government towards Ireland
is announced to be. That is quite as
it should be. The members of the
Party are there for the especial pur
pose Of supporting those who will
serve the cause of selfgoyernment
and of opposing those who will not
If they can get Home Rule for Ireland
out of the need of the Laws and &c
ellis and Carsons for support, they
will give the support and take Home
Rule. Otherwise they will do as they
did to the Coalition on two occasions
wait for the hour when by throwing
their votes against the government in
division they could occasion the
maximum of embarrassment
AS for those Of us who are a dis
lance from the scene, all that can be
said is that there can be no confidence
in, admiration for, or solcitude con
corning government composed OF
men whose disposition towards Ire
land and everything Irish has been
demonstrated during the past summer
to be all that was foreshadowed by
their actions of past years.
If this is the kind of Cabinet with
which England finds herself forced to
60 on with the war, that is England's
affair. There is some reminder of the
old Llewellyn and Glendower types
in the fighting Welshman that com.
pels admiration, but among those who
love Ireland and among those who
love liberty and believe in democracy
son. Law. Balfour, Curzon, Miner and
the other bureaucratic of their type.
Any government of which they form
part is under suspicion from the out.
set.
Lloyd George Changes Sides.
Magnify the necessities as they may,
those who excuse Lloyd Georges
breach with AsQuith on the plea that
the war must be won cannot obscure
the fact that the Tories, who have
been trying to get him for years. have
taken Lloyd George from the Liberals
just as in an earlier generation they
took Chamberlain, his prototype. lie
has profited by the Chamberlain ex-
perience, it is true, for whereas tile
earlier Radical became their First
class fighting man first and was aft
erwards denied his reward, the later
Radical takes his reward at the mo-
ment of his perversion. Whatever
happens to him afterward, he will
have been Prime Minister. For the
time, the fiction is retained that there
are no parties, but hard facts will
not be effaced. A few months ago
Lord Hugh Cecil was insolently argu-
ing that it was inexpedient to dis
pense with Asquith. After six months
and more than half million casual
ties it became expedient, and Bonar
Law intimated that unless ASnuith re-