The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-02
By THE RIGHT HON. LORD
 WIAIBORNE.
(LOrd Lieutenant of Ireland Before
 the Eastern RebeIliOn.")

London, May 1.-The speeches of MT. T. P. O'Connor and MT, McNeill in the Commons Irish debate are a faithful reflection on a. high level of the sentiments of the historic Irish parties to which they respectively be- long.
 The one was an appeal of impas- stoned e1oquence for the recognition and reinstatement of talented and subjugated race. The other was a cool, clear, and tenacious argument for the maintenance of the legislative union by which that denial is en- forced.
 Such speeches have an all two familiar ring. Accept them, and the Irish problem is insoluble. Must we do so, and remain in the deadlock of irreconcilable antagonism, or is there an issue more in accordance with the modern spirit of regeneration which is the sole precious heritage of the world-confiict?
 Stripped of It's traditional trap pings, what is in essence the Irish problem?
 If Ireland were nearly exclusively people by indigenous Irishmen, self government would not today, at any rate, be longer withheld from them. If, on the other hand, Ireland were preponderatingly inhabited by de- scendants of English and Scotch set tiers, the proposal might never have been entertained, and could never have assumed its present shape. If the two races had been equally rep resented, an equipoise would exist upon which a structure could be safe Iy founded.
 Unfortunately, the rival stocks ooexist in the proportion of about two and a half Nationansts to one Unionist but the minority, by virtue of their social and industrial emil hence. are entitled to resist any sug- gestion of relative inferiority in the balance of national interest. Taking moral and material considerations in to account, the two parties, though numerically unequal, are pretty even ly balanced. Both are cohesive, in fuential, and well organized.
 Proposals for Settlement.
 This being the state of parties, two proposals exist for the settlement of Irish difficulties.
 One is to divide Ireland to grant Home Rule to the South and West, and to maintain the sta tus quo for such part of Ulster as is mainly or overwhelmingly Unionist.
 Apart from the inconvenience, amounting to impracticability of thie proposal and ignoring altogether the sentimen ental hostility of Nationalists to the truncation of their native land, there Is one aspect which is fatal to this scheme of extended self-deter- imitation.
 It is that the two parties in Ulster, and even in Belfast itself. are mex tricably intermingIed- No "cIear cut'' can possibly be effected. Wherever this line Is drawn, a dominated mi nority will be found.
 The other solution proposed is to have a Homo Rule Parliament for the whole of Ireland; but here, again. the old obstacle reappears.
 Under such a scheme as this, the Unionist minority would be liable to be dominated by the Nationalist ma jority, with infinite peril. it is not illogiCally alleged, to the religious political, and industrial interests with which that minority is identified.
 Here, then, is the Irish problem. Can this disparity be rectifed and the mere numerical inferiority of one answer is, 1t can.
 The creation of a balanced Parlia- ment in which each party had equal representation would accomplish this political miracle.