The Irish standard., 1919-08-09
Plunkett'S Dominion
Home Rule Scheme


correspondent, like the others, speaks
from full generations experience of
Irish public life, and all the inquiries
/ have made go to sustain his testi.
mony.
On the other hand, third member
of the minority-Mr. Gibbons, the
chairman of the Limerick County
Council writes in this strain:-"I do
not think the present government will
give Ireland anything like what she
expects; therefore do not see my
way to join the Dominion League. The
convention opened our eyes"
The % Nationalists of the majority
were then content with something less,
but 1t is known that all, or nearly all,
of them only surrendered the Irish
control of Customs and Excise for the
sake of bringing in the Southern
Unionists. Among the mjority Ma
tionalists Mr.. Barry, ex-chairman of
the Cork County Council, and Mr.. But.
ler, IT the Kilkenny County Council,
have already intimated to me their
acceptance Of the Plunkett scheme.
Mr.. Barry says he will do all in his
power to support it, and from all the
evidences, I do not doubt that this
represents the general view of his col
leagtes of the majority.
The Southern and Ulster unionists.
The Southern Unionist, for whom
the majority made sacrifices, is more
uncertain quantity, but it is perhaps
significant of an open mind that one
Of the two who have responded to my
request, a very prominent man in the
convention, begs to be excused from
giving reply. The other, DR.. Ber-
nard,, now provost of Trinity College
and formerly Protestant Archbishop Of
Dublin, is against Dominion Home
Rule.
Ulster apparently stands where 1t
did. Colonel Sharman- Crawford tells
me that the, Plunkett scheme is i'm
possible for any real party in Ireland,
and H. M. Pollock, who represented
the Belfast Chamber of Commerce in
the convention, says that nobody out
side lunatic asylum would approve
of 1t. Mr.. Pollock speaks, of the estab-
lishment of Customs barrier between
England and Ireland as an insurmount-
able difficulty, apart from all others,
but granted Free Trade between the
two countries, the barrier does not
seem very substantial, and even those
who were termed the extreme Nation.
alists on the convention were pre-
pared to give guarantees ON his point.
Mr.. Armstrong, the chairman of the
Armagh County Council, shows a more
Thoughtful or at least, a more subtle
type of Ulster Unionism in letter
from which / quote: II do not think
that system which so far has worked
we'll in the case of Dominion or Com
monwealths thousands of miles away,
inhabited in the main by descendants
of the mother country and attached
to It by sentiment, would effect set
tlement where the claim is founded on
distinct and separate nationality, and
where the race is one protesting in.
tense, deep-rooted dislike Of and an.
tagonism to their eastern neighbors
The Dominion is not to be on all fours
with existing Dominions in many inn
portant particulars, and as long as
these restrictions and limitations ex.
list there will doubtless be a strong
agitation to put an end to them. There
is natural disposition on the part
Of those advocating Dominion to
minimise the present Sim Fein de-
mand for selfdetermination as a pass
ing phase. On the contrary, it seems
to me the oldest movement of all the
Nationalist endeavors, and men have
been found to face death for 1t, and for
1t alone. Home Rule has always been
regarded as means to an end, and
has never excited much enthusiasm.
The Dominion proposal is regarded by
the majority of the voters in Ireland
as an insult. This would seem to be
a bad start"
So 1t appears on the surface; but
those who have Sdelved beneath think
differently, and when the government
shows good Intentions and Nationalism
dares to raise its head again ones firm
belief is that the majority of Sim
Fein, who are merely offended Nation
alists, will rally to their old cause.
Lord Mcdonnell, who, though oc-
cupying rather detached position
signed the Nationalist majority report.
for which he was indeed largely re-
Continued Don Page 81