The Irish standard., 1919-09-27
BRITISH PRESS and The
CONDITIONS OF IRELAND

Irish Executive to do what is neces-
sary to maintain the law, if not order.
and Lord French and Mr. Macpherson
who is to remain at Dublin while
the trouble lasts-have full power to
act.
"The proclaiming of Co. Clare has
the full approval of the authorities in
London, who felt that strong measures
wer+. unavoidable"
| Cabinet Policy.
with regard to Ireland decisions of
far-reaching Importance have been
reached during the past few days."
says the Pail Mall Gazette" but 'in
substance Viscount French and the
Irish executive will be left free to
adopt any measures which they re-
gard as essential to the protection
of the public interest. The suppress
sion of Sim Feinism is not in COM
! temptation, but the recrudescence of
lawnessness may involve the adoption
of more drastic measures in the fu-
ture than in the immediate past"
Lord French and Mr.. Macpherson
press for more troops to reinforce the
already large army of occupation in
Ireland" says the political correspond
ent of the Sunday Times" "There
is a strong suspicion in Liberal circles
that the Castle clique are intent on
forcing the disaffection to a head, in
the conviction that armed conflict is
inevitable and had better come sooner
than later"
"Cannot Wait for ireIand.'
Because of Ireland we are discred-
| tied and embarrassed abroad and in
volved in all the dangers and expense
of military occupation at home," says
the Parliamentary correspondent Of
the "Observer." with the present ma
! chinery, democracy. representative in
stitutions and Parliamentary Govern
ment are confessedly complete fail
ure in Ireland. And yet there never
was Parliament in the United King
dom in which so large majority were
prepared for the extension of local
f-government to Ireland on broad,
generous and far-reaching lines. From
nowhere does the demand come more
strongly than from the large group Of
Unioninsts who have seen the neces-
sity for devolution.
''The passing of a Federal Home
Rule measure for the United Kingdom
would fundamentally alter the Irish
problem. :s s. To wait for the Irish
people or any substantial section Of
them to agree among themselves as
to a solution is counsel of despair.
Ireland"
! Coercion Of Ulster.
"The Statist," says Mr.. Lloyd George
tells us that it is unthinkable that
the Ulster Orangemen should be CO.
creed. But when he is challenged to
say why it is unthinkable, he does not
deign to answer, and goes on to re-
peat that it is unthinkable. We see
nothing unthinkable. We deny posi-
lively that it is unthinkable.
Does Mr.. Lloyd George mean that
the Ulster Orangemen are entitled to
set the whole of the rest of the pop
ulation at defiance, and to insist that
! Ireland shall be misgoverned, simply
because it pleases the Ulster Orange
men and sets at defiance all the rest
of the population? The thing is alb
surd, is false, is contrary to every
principle of good government"
English Misunderstanding.
"How rapidly and completely even
the most obstinate opponents of con-
cessions to Ireland are being converted
is very clearly shown by the speech
by Lord Robert Cecil" says 'The Sta
tist." even Lord Robert is at last
convinced that the policy of his fam
lily ever since the time of Elizabeth
has been a failure Forsooth,
he declares that Ireland hates England
and for that reason mainly has not
been up, to the present concil!ated.
Now we venture to say deliberately,
and in consequence of our very long
study of the Irish question, that what
surprises those who most successfully
study that question is that the hatred
of Ireland for England is so very tepid.
The real truth is that Englishmen have
always misunderstood Irishmen; that
they persist in misunderstanding
them; and that it is their own misun-
derstanding which has called forth all
the trouble which Ireland has given
them"
"The veiled civil war" between the