The Washington times., 1918-01-06

| From the moment the wore con-
vention was mentioned, it was clear
! to those who knew the history of
such conventions that the federal So
/ luton was inevitable. The British
/ North America act was the outcome
of the Quebec convention. The Aus
tralian commonwealth was the out
come OF the Sydney convention.
When the Irish talk of dominion
home rule" they seldom know very
accurately what dominion home rule
is. because neither in the Canadian.
! Australian, nor New Zealand fedora
tions. nor in the Union of South
Africa. is there anything like the
E; ridiculous home rule bill on which
/ Parnell and the Irish parliamentary
party wasted thirty years ignoble
/ squad bling. only to find. when II came
! to the point, that Ireland wants gem
uine national seIf-government and
not a grudged latch key given with
an intimation that the door will be
bolted at half-past 10 every night.
What dominion home rule" meanG Is.
roughly, that Ireland is to be like
Canada and Australia and South AZ
RIGA, and not like Egypt and India.
And this means a federation Of the
British Islands, Later on the Eastern
empire will have to be dealt with
and whoever cannot see thu lmpor-
lance OF having the Irish QUESTION
settled before then on lines Which
will make the Western empire as free
and homogeneous as possible, is not
much of a statesman.
One result will - that ireland will
cease to be rspub.can. Being a re-
publican myself. think this a pity.
but 1t is impossible to ignore the
steady resistance OF the dominions to
the substitution of any other link
than the crown for the Britannia al
lance (as the Fabian Society calls
the empire). The explanation is plain
enough. The crowned republic"
which is the hollowest Of journaIis-
tic phrases in England, is a reality
In Australia, in South Africa, and in
Canada. There the career is open to
male political ambition and female
social ambition as completely as in
any rel Iblic, which is very far from
being the case in London. And the
control Of the King is negligible,
whereas that Of a Roosevelt might be
formidable.
Now this 10 precisely the state of
things that will be produced in Ire
land by federal home rule We are
thus within easy distance of the time
when England seething with republi-
canism, will have the crown firmly
held down on her writhing brows by
all the other members of the Britain
mic alliance, headed VociferousIy by
Ireland. General SHUTS has voiced
for us the cry of the empire overseas:
NO imperial federation, and no repub-
licanism.
Federal Home Rule.
Sir Horace Plunkett, then, must
draft his bill to establish federal home
rule not only in ireland, but in Eng
land and Scotland as well. II will not
be necessary to consult England: no
body ever does consult her about her
own business: she will swallow IL as
she has swallowed the defense of the
realm act and the bureaucratic au-
tocracy OF the new department. scot.
land will not object; the days when
no Scot leaving his country to make
his career ever took a return ticket,
are passing; Scotland will acquiesce.
The danger Is not that the scheme
will be rejected, but that the new
national parliaments may be weaken
ed, and the federal parliament, the
London Parliament, unduly exalted Oy
an excessive provineialism.
Parliamentary selfgovernment is
not liberty, but a means by which ca
pable men with character enough to
use IL, courage enough to face the
inevitable risks of majority rule, and
sense enough to see that the alter
native Of minority or foreign rule is
still more risky, can secure what lib
erty Is possible to individuals in civil
lized society under that tyranny of
nature and daily need against which
no political constitutions can avail.
Whether the Irish have that capacity.
that character, that courage, that
common sense, will be proved at the
convention. In all communities the
lack OF it is betrayed by one infal-
lible sign; and that is the demand for
security
Let the Irish factions remem-
Der that they cannot have liberty
and security together any more than
the English can. The men of Devon
shire being in minority in England,
must take their chance OF the English
Parliament passing a law that ali per-
sons speaking with the Devonshire
accent instead of the Oxford affecta-
ton shall have their noses cut off
The members OF the Countess of Hun
IlHBuOn persuasion must risk the
establishment Of the Mohammedan
faith; and the Roman Catholics must
risk the revival of the Elizabetbian
prosecutions. II they were not will.
ing to face these risks they would
simply be unfit for free institutions.
and have to be placed under tutelare
as "nOn-adult." And IL Ulster Protss.
ants are not prepared to take the risks
OF parliamentary government, then
what they need politically is neither
home rule nor union. but a sufficiency
OF paternally managed orphan asy-
lums. For the union offers them far
less security than home rule
II remains only for the Convention
secretariat to draft the bill. All thew
need Is pair Of scissors, a pot OF
paste, set of copies OF the British
North America Act, 1867, the Com
moLwsalth OF Australia Constitution
Act, 1900. and the South Africa Act
1909. with few special clauses which
J shall be happy to supply If neces-
sary. Then strike out the colonial
names and figures and replace them
with Irish ones, and the thing is
done. The expense can he covered
by selling the existing copies of the