The Washington herald., 1917-04-08
By JOHN L. BALDERsroN.
Ccopynsht. rsi7. by the Mcclure Newspaper

London. March 16.-when John Red
mond hurled at Llyod-George last week
the charge that England has broken faith
with Ireland and led his nationalist fol-
lowers from the house of commons, fol-
lowing up his break with the British gov
ernrnent by cabling an appeal for support
to President Wilson as well as to the
Dominions, the eternal. Irish question en-
tered upon a new and more critical phase.
/ have since sounded all phases of Irish
and English political opinion in order to
place before American readers an un-
biassed statement of the home rule sit
uation, which changes more rapidly m
a month of war than in years of peace.
and is rapidly becoming an Imperial If
not an international issue Of the first
magnitude.
The withdrawal Of the Irish party into
opposition to the government is not due
TO any change in English views or inten-
tions regarding home rule. but to condi-
tions In Ireland which forced Redmond
TO take up a more belligerent attitude or
risk the-utter repudiation of himself and
his party British politicians, Liberal as
we'll as Tory, feel that the Nationaltsts
are unfair to try to saddle the blame for
the present crisis upon Lloyd-George. 1t
Is due primarily to the Easter revolt and
the events which have followed the up
rising.
Anxious to Grant Home Rule.
EnzIishmen of all parties, with the ex-
ception Of a small knot OF irreconcilable
Irish landlords in the House of Lords
are not only willing but extremely
anxious to give home rule to ireland just
ss soon as the Irish can agree among
themselves sufficiently to make 1t GER
tain that the grant of self-government
will not result in fighting. between Ulster
and the south, or even between National
lists and Sim Feiners, which British
troops withdrawn from the front would
have to put down.
Liberals and Tories alike are deter
rnined, however. that there must be no
coercion of Ulster The splendid record
made by Clstermen during the war and
the somewhat bitter memories left here
by the Dublin revolt have strengthened
this feeling, and the attempt made last
summer to md a settlement by compro-
mise broke down largely because the
Eedmondites. while willing to leave
Ulster ont of home rule for specified
period. would not accept the principle
that Ulster must never be included IN an
autonomous Ireland without her own
consent.
So much for English opinion. which has
not radically changed since last summer.
Ireland still under martial law, is natur-
alIv restless and discOntented, even
though the martial law is administered
with the utmost lenienCy and considera-
ton as the Nationalists admit. The Ma
fionaIist party in Parliament has oeen
= forced into its present irreConctaole at
titude by the spread of movement
which threatens to submerge the Red
rnondites, an agitation directed not to-
ward an armed revolt but toward the at
taipment of the aim of A self-governinS
ireland through other means than the
consent of the English Parliament.
Desires Canada's Status.
This Constitutional Sim Fein party. as
1t is sometimes called. desires not sep
aration from the British empire. but the
status for Ireland Of a self-governing do
minion tied to England and Scotland o!
no stronger bonds than are Canada and
Australasia The home rule bill now on
the statute books is repudiated by these
enthusiasts.
The collective note of the allies in re-
sponse to President wilson's request for
peace terms has furnished ammunition
for Redmonds opponents. They now de-
sire to take the case of Ireland over the
head of the British Parliament and de-
rnand representation at the peace confer
ence. Germany and Austria, they oe-
Neve. will support the Irish claim for
representation if for no higher motive
are expressed that the United States VIII
Re friendly and that the English people
themselves when they get used to the
idea will not object to the same con1ef-
ence that is to decide the fate Of Bo-
hernia and the Tzecho-Slovaks consider
Ing the desires of the Irish.
Want Settlement Private.
All PARTIES in England. the Irish Ma
ftonaIists most of all, denounce this
scheme as utterly impracticable, and as
most dangerous for Ireland herself Red
mond's argument is that to press for rep
resentation at the peace conference. how
ever harmless in theory. can have no oth-
er result than to bring the Irish people
into antagonism against the empire dur
ing the life and death struggle now in
progress, and wreck or indefinitely post
pone the realization Of the hopes of Ire
land.
Even the Dominion governments,
though now friendly toward home rule,
would in all probah hiity resist washing
The empires dirty linen" an Irish NJ
P expressed the issue to me, with hos
tile peace delegates sitting in Judgment
on the process
But the prnUa ganda among the Irish II
making progress. When Count Plunkett.
father Of one OF the Dublin rebels exc
Cuted last summer was elected to Par
lament from North Roscommon by an
overwhelming majority over the Redmond
candidate. the Nationalists saw that i'm
mediate measures must be taken to stem
fI1e tide Of revolt against Redmond's lead
ership, and by accusing Lloyd George OF
bad faith and denouncing the pretensions
OF Ulster TO q separation which he ap-
peared willing to cnncede a few months
ago. John Redmond has shown that he
IS alive to the danger.
Saparatists stand Firm.
1t is impossible to learn whether any
revolutionary agitation persists in Ire
hand. The Irish Republican Brother
hood. a revival of the old Fenian or
gani3ation, is said to regard even the
policy of Count PIunkett's friends as
Tar too mild, and the arrests and de-
portation of a number of Gaelic Lea
guers recently might be commented
upon but for the government an
nouncement that a discussion of these
cases would not be in the public in
terest.
But even the Dublin revolt. meas
ured by the number Of people in It,
was a trifling affair. and another ris-
ing as large is not regarded ss possible
by my Irish as well as English in
tormants.