The Irish standard., 1919-11-01
Address of President De Waller.

England, and all we want now is that
we do not be forced to become part,
and we tell you this to start with
that even with all your leagues of ma
tions, not even if the whole world is
banded against us, can we be forced
to become a part, because we cannot
become part as long as our will is
not subdued, and seven and a half
centuries of successful struggle in that
respect is for us proof and a surety
that we will succeed, no matter what
brute force is brought against us. GAP.
plause and cheers).
have just touched on the point of
contract, and l have pointed out the
subtle propaganda that is in these
words "secede" and divorce" and
separate" You have heard number
of other things. l mentioned the fact
that they say the difficulty with Irish
men is that they could not agree
amongst themselves. wonder if Eng
land could get control of you again by
being able to put forward that argu-
ment, whether she would not find eX-
cuses here for it. Have you always
agreed amongst yourselves?. Do you
here agree amongst yourselves?
(Voices: "No.") Are you all agreed,
for instance, on the question of Prohi-
bition? Voices: "No.") Are you all
agreed on the question of the League
of Nations? Voices: "No.") Are you
all agreed on number of other ques-
tions? Isn't it obvious that thinking
men will always differ on questions of
that sort? Isn't it obvious, whenever
there is question of progress, that the
progressive party, the party who wants
to do something, will always have to
oppose minority who want to remain
as they are? In every state, in every
attempt to change a present condition
to another one, you will always find
a number who are interested in the
present condition, who are benefiting
by the present condition, and who,
therefore, want to keep the present
condition, if they possibly can. That
is the way in Ireland. A certain min
ority of the people are interested in
the present condition. They want to
keep it because either they are really
profiting by it, or as sis the case for
the most part in Ireland, they imagine
they are protiting by it.
Now, when 1 say that, it suggests to
me this-Well, had better complete
my argument there. You will have a
minority. A minority cannot be allowed
to veto the action of the majority. II
it is allowed, it is the end of all
progress. If, for instance, when your
senate was going to ratify some meas
ure, it had to be unanimOus,-there
was only one dissentient when the vote
of sympathy with Ireland was passed
in your senate. (Applause.) That was
pretty near unanimity. But if the one
vote was going to nullify the action of
the remaining sixty, then there would
have been no vote of sympathy for
Ireland, and you know that if a. small
minority-and you have been shown
by Mr. Boland that the minority in
Ireland is only 20 per cent of the peo'
ple-if a small minority can veto the
act of the majority, then it simply
means that you stay where you are,
that there can be no progress. In
your constitution majority Of the
senate is sufficient simple majority
is sufficient for most measures. It is
only in the gravest measures that you
demand majority of at least, two to
one. We have got more than a ma
jorlty of two to one. We have ma
jority of two and quarter to one of
Irish representatives against all 9TH
ers-Irish representatives definitely
elected and definitely pledged to the
Irish republic. We have majority
of three to one of representatives who
are in favor of the principle of self
determination. And isn't it very sig
nificant, when you find portion OF
the people who will deny the right OF
the people to determine how they shall
be governed? Isn't it significant in it.
self-that very fact? 1t is significant
, of their action and their intention
those who are not willing to accept
in their own country the principle that
that country should determine for it.
self how it should be ruled.
The action of the Unionists is this:
That they deny the right of the people
of ireland, whose citizenship they
claim-they deny the right of that ma
ton to determine for itself how the
nation is to be governed. They say
in effect, that the Irish people are to
be governed not by the will of the Irish
people, but by the will of the English
who happen to coincide with their own
for the time being. You see that posi-
i