The Irish standard., 1917-01-13

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regard to Ireland, and that the drain
ing Of Ireland Of the remnant Of her
was the chief aim of the new
Premier. 1t is certain, however, that
if compulsory military service is en-
forced in this country it will take
at least 100000 soldiers to carry it
out and the casualties among the
soldiers and the people will be
reckoned by the tens of thousands.
The Orangemen of the North are
as much opposed to CONSUMPTION as
their Catholic fellow countrymen of
the South, and this universal Irish
aversion to CONSUMPTION is well-known
to the Government. But British Min
listers have been in the habit of rum
ming counter to Irish opinion and in
spite of the certainty of bloodshed and
the necessity of employing large
army to enforce compulsory military
service, the belief is general that
Lloyd George will venture this haz-
ardous experiment.
The delegates were very emphatic
in their opposition to CONSUMPTION in
any form unless it was passed by a
Parliament for the whole of Ireland,
elected, not nominated, and sitting in
Dublin. The unanimous voice of the
delegates was that the Irish people
would not have CONSUMPTION with or
without Home Rule.
There is an uneasy feeling that a
deal has been closed between Red
mond and Lloyd George and that a
make-shift Home Rule will be put in
operation with the understanding that
CONSUMPTION will not be seriously OPP
posed by the Irish Party. The con-
scripting of the manhood of Ireland
would be too high price for mea-
sure of Home Rule denies all the es-
sential powers. of self-government.
The Imperial Parliament retains the
the collection of the taxes England
will hold the purse-strings and dole
out whatever she pleases for Irish
services. 1t would require a stretch
of the imagination to call this very
limited Home Rule Act charter of
liberty or TO compare it with self
government as it is understood in
Australia, Canada, or even South
Africa.
Since the beginning of the war the
Irish people have been suspicious of
the Irish Party who have subordin-
ated Irish to Imperial interests, and
Redmond's failure to grasp oportun-
tiles which only come once in in the
hundreds of years, as well as his open
appeals to lrishmen to join the the
army, have brought constitutional agi-
tation into disrepute especially among
the young men or Ireland.
Ginnel's Embarrassing Question.
Mr.. Ginnell continues to be a thorn
i'll the side of the Government. In
the House of Commons on December
4th, he asked a very embarrassing
question. For some time past Mr.
Asquith and other Ministers had beer
saying that the settlement of the lrisl
question was in the hands of Irishmel
| themselves, and when they would
agree on the requirements of Ireland
the Government would only be toe
glad to put the scheme agreed upon
into operation.
This very committal and mean
ingless promise got badly punctnret
when Mr.. Ginnell asked:
whether the Premier would con
slider the ACCESSIBILITY Of applying tt
Great Britain the. rule he is now an
plying to Ireland of leaving it with
out any government whatever unit
the English people were unanimous.
Mr.. Ginnell's question did not brinl
forth Il reply but his remarks convul
sed the House and the dnllest was con
WINGED that the Member for Ireland
made a telling point, and brough
home to the minds of his nearer
that if Government depended on tn
unanimity of the whole people ant
not on the will Of the majority Their
would be no settled government il
any country in The world.
Irish Convinced That Allies Will Lose
Nearly everybody in this country j
convinced that the Central Empire
have the best of the fight by long odd
and that it is only a question of tim
when the Entente combination vii
have to yield to the inevitable. i
the early stages of the war, OWN
to the propagance carried on in tn
press large proportion Of the people
including many of those who prayc
for England's downfall, were undo
the impression that Germany coul
not Withstand the united might
neary all Europe. This belief ha