The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-03-17
Mainly About People
Weekly News Letter
ByT P. oCoNNoR.
A Weekly News Lette
By T. P. O'CONNOR.

ways and all transport communications
into the hands If The government faces
IL stormy future All the great dock
and har!'"r authoriti"s. such. as London.
Liverpool ana Glasgow. ar" joining in
:icrc" r'SiStnnc" tn taking these indus
tries uut Of tho hands OF local control
into thu hands Of clerks and bureaus in
London.
The third rcma rkahlC symptom Of the
present hum0r IF this strangely asSort-
I'd, strangely elected huuS" Of commons
is that the small protcCtioniSt group
voted against tho government because
They refused to Civ" further protection
| tn farmers by increasing and pcrpctuat-
| ing import duties against all foreign
wheat. This policy. if adopted would
raise the price of food TO such an en-.
tent as to bring all tho working popu-
lation Of this country into. ficrccr revolt
than ever against any government. food
taxes being Of all denominations the
most abominablc TO English working
men.
All these events awake additional up
prchcnsons through conditions on the
continent. and today many rigilant
philOSophic observers regard the posi-
biity OF the triumph Of BolshcviSm in
Germany as 4 gravcr danger. TO all Eu-
rope, England included. than Junkcr
militariSm. Make peace with Germany
as soon as you can" is the cry OF those
critics, sn We have Il growing impati-
cnce nf the Sowncss Of proceedings at
tho peace conference and enormous
pressure upon us TO speed up things.
1t is with relief that VI. Clen"nccau
and Mr.. Lloyd George. both regarded as
great driving forces arc seen returning
To the conference. and Mr. Wilson $
voyage across the Atlantic ought 10 BE-
spcedcd by tho fcrvor Of prayers for his
, return Ia help in winding up this al
ready too prolonged drama.
Ii is not surprising that with such
feelings between the Liberals and tho
ministry as have tranSpircd IN The
House Of Commons. and in view IF Mr.
Lloyd Georges strong Recommendation
OF 4 thorough reactionary at recent
byc-clnction against an equally undcni-
able Liberal brought TO an end all at
lrmpts to combine MIR. Lloyd George
and the independent Liberals. In short,
VIC arc back again in IL weller of keen
est party passion. and If bye-elcctionS
! come frequently We may sec in a few
months the beginning Of that reaction
! against Mr. Lloyd Georges asCcndancy
, which the old pArlamrntarians foresaw
AS the inevitable result of the question
able methods used in the recent cleo
! ton
American cables wore not coplous
! about the conversations between PreSi-
| dent Wilson and tho IrShmcn in New
York. but they were eagerly scanned by
all lrshmrn here. though EngliShmcn
outside official circles. maintain an en-
tire detachment from events and move
mcnts IN America. which struck mo so
painfully on my return to England as
/ to make mo declare that SO far as Or
| binary Englishmcn were concerned
! America might be in the planet Mars.
! My own frank feeling is that lrclandS
! immediate future has either of two
! alternatives; TO wait for home rule scr-
! cral years or TO get HON" rule through
pressure on Mr.. Lloyd George OF Amer
| ca through Mr.. Wilson. In what way
| that pressure could be brought 10 bear
! il is impossible Ia say. Mr.. Bnnar Law
| committed himself to the Lloyd George
government in !; speech OIL my home
! rule motion in tho last parliament to
! rejecting every attempt of any other
| government 10 interfere with home rule
| as ntolcrablc interference with a do
! mcstic question. But If Mr.. Lloyd
! George is convinced by n frank account
&C tho state OF feeling III America Of
! tho magnitude OF the movement now mp
parcntly sweeping through all the
| irish and Catholic ccnters OF America
! that failure 10 reconcile ireland threat
encd the future good relations between
/ England and Arncrica. nc would not
| hesitate Ia throw over ROnar Law and
| the Orangemcn.
! MIR. Lloyd George is fully alive 10 the
pcrils of the American situation, and
! doubtless his able ambassador and in
! innate friend. Lord leading. keeps him
, we'll Informed. but hc is still dependent
on Tory support and will not attempt
! anything which inpcrils his position as
: prime minister.
/ | am convinced, nevertheless. that he
! could carry home rule If he had the
will. and if. he was backed by pressure
he could plead sufricirn; pressure from
America. given. perhaps. privately and
unofric!ally. 10 Justify him in regarding
! the Irish settlement rs demanded by
! the gravrSL interests Of ;hc British cm-
pire.
i Sim Tcin fever still runs high in
| ireland. but my Irish informantS tel!
me that colonial hom" rule would carry
! tho country against tn" party demand
| ing an impossible republic. Meantime
| tho release OF tn" Sim i'ciucrs will have
some effect. but it is thought again that
| this measure is like all other British
! measures with 1rcland-d.claycd too
| long