The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-05-20

laSe Of lle-Sur-Ancre, on the Arnlens sector. Not only was the position talk en, but with it 360 prisoners and 20 machine guns fell into the hands of Field Marshal Haig's troops, whose own casualties were slight.
 In raiding operations northwest of Albert and near Hamel, the British also were enabled to take additional prisoners and machine guns.
 That the Germans have the capture of Petrograd in prospect seems evil dent from their latest operations ill the Gulf of Finland Here they have taken the Island of Bjorko, which lies only 30 miles northwest of the Rus sian capital.
 Dispatches from Russia show that again there is considerable activity in Transeaucasia and in Persia. At Bakq, on the western shore of the Caspian sea and Transcaucasia, the Mussulmans and bolsheviki have fought battle in which, according to Moscow newspa- pers, 2000 persons were killed anG
 
 Turks have occupied several towns south of Lake Urmia. The operations in Persia may indicate that it is the purpose of the ottoman forces to ha- rass the British line of communication along the Tigris river
 Advices from Amsterdam say that IA persons were killed and a large number injured in the bombing raid carried out by allied ayiators on Co., logne last Saturday
 
 John Dillon and his friends are only adding, so far to every single diftl- culty of the situation
 While the Lloyd George govern ment, on the one hand, has to face stubborn opposition from the Irish unIonists to any form of home rule because they believe it would be bad Tor their country and are strengthened in that belief by all the recent lawless- ness and disloyalty. on the other hand the cabinet gets no constructive assist ance whatever from the nationalist ad- vocates of self government. Not in the impracticable temper which the na- tionalists now are show ing-a temper equally impracticable both on conscrlp- ton and home rule--could the AmerI- S1ii SoiiSLiiutlOI nave ever been framed or a settlement reached in South At- rica.
 PREP HOME RULE
 ''The preparation of the home rule bill is in active progress Time is re, quired that it may be framed with wise and liberal statesmanship. Again, it is certain that a federal system of home rule will have to be applied to the whole United Kingdom Other wise, the whole legislative machine will break down utterly. and the enof- nous tasks of reconstruction after the war can never be efficiently carried oli
 That reconstruction must involve every single interest of social, eco- homie and political concern. The ini- perlal parliament cannot do it all
 The British ministry must have a certain time in which to restore po- litical security in Ireland, to frame it's home rule bill, to create a cooler at mosphere and to advance steadily toward equal service
 NATIONALISTS RESPONSIBLE
 'Fhe nationalists will be confronted with the responsibility of modifying thelr attitude or proving that they are incredible wreckers of the whole com prehensive policy which alone can make Ireland one. Fair play for Great
 'iSA IS nCCeS- sary This matter is as much to Americas own interests as ours. The pro-Gernnan conspiracy in Ireland en- dangers in obvious ways the safety af American transports. We are confi- oeht that the millions of American sympathizers with Ireland will credit the English policy toward that country Wllh those qualities which, by admis- sion or the radical press, Austen Cham perialns speech showed the other day the large-minded outlook, the spirit or hlgh-minded justice and the un- sWervlng good faith on home rule. It IS lamentable that John Dillon's mani. 1esto contains not one hint of con. structlve temper and sagacity."