Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-07-28
SPEEDY SOLUTION
Of IRISH PROBLEM
GENERAL OPINION
Chicago Tribune Correspondent
Says Plunkett's Plan Seems
to Be in Ascendancy.
Leaders All Hold Out for Own
Viewpoint but Admit That
Compromise Possible.
By JOHN S. STEELE.


once said: !.
"Ireland is a country where the inevit-
able never happens and the lmposslbl-
tiles are always happening"
Had he lived to see the situat1on To-
day he would have repeated his eplgram.
/ have spent the day conectlng ,mPres, tho
sions Of the political situation ana the
outlook from the most varying sources:
] believe it inevitable that | would find
the sharpest and bitterest differences OF
opinion and thot it impossible ! snouid
find any substantial agreement. ! found
the sweetest reasonablenesS on all sldes
and substantial agreement that the
Irish problem is in the way OF QUICK
solution and that the solution is certain
to be Sir Horace PIunkett's scheme OF
dominion home rule with varying Dut
slight notifications.
Talks With Plunkett. I
Let me say here that this is my own
conclusion from my conversations. Some
of the men l talked with probably would
repudiate Indignantly the idea tnat tney
had adopted the Plunkett scheme ana
would insist there is an essential oil
ference in their proposals NeVerthe-
less | am convinced that the dltferences
are not essential and what IS far more
important the spirit Oh cohPi ioiiio
abroad in the land. a.
Among the men / talked with were pr
Horace himself Lord French, one OF the
leaders of the dominion movement, VINO
must not be confused with the vlceroy'
. leading official of Dublin castle Whom
/ must not mention by name, put VINO
has the reputation of being one OF 1he
bitterest and most lrrecohcliaple uliioi
lists in Ireland.
Then, too, / saw Tom Johnston, treas
urer of the Irish Labor party and the m
trade union congress, and one or the
leaders Of the republican Sim Felners;
Cahill O'Shannon, editor OF the 1olce
of Labor, official organ OF the Ifish
TRANSPORT and General Workers union
organization, from which came ConnenS
citizen army and of which the redouDl-
able il one of the founders; the editor
Of one of the three great Dublin news
napers who must not be more parucul-
arlv identified. To end the day | had
three hours with George Russell, better
known as "A. f." poet. painter, mystic,
and chief economic adviser to the irlsh
agricultural organization society ana one
founder Of the Plunkett movement.
Compromise Is Possible.
In every case I found that while each
man stated earnestly and vehemently tne
demands of his party, he was reany "
ad,nit-~which is a new thing in my ex-
nerience in Ireland-that compromise
Is possible. In every case they indicated
practically the same line OF compromise
Talking with Sir Horace Plunkett on
tbe prospects of his dominion scheme,
which / have already described In ue
taiI in my previous cable, ne toiu NJ
that while he hoped all Ireland Woulu
como in at once, he feared it might be
necessary to allow three or Tour Ulster
counties to remain out or perhaps 70 SET
IN n subordinate legislature OF their own.
NV most amazing experience was an
interview with Tom johnson or the La
hor Party, whom ! had been led TO pc
icye was a wild bolshevlst revolutlon-
ary found a quiet, calm,, extremely
efficient looking man with al ths laea'
and figures at his finger ends. lie oc
cupied desk in an upper room 10 the
Liberty Hall headquarters OF the Laster
rebellion, and his desk was covered WIN
papers and reports, all neat ana dockeieu
SO that he was able instantly to lay his
hand on anything he wanted
Is Extremely Efficient.
If he wanted a paper or report from
enother room, it was instantly forthcom-
ing. It was evident that the BUSINESS
organization Of the Irish Labor Party
under Johnston is extremely eficeht.
"Ny view is that the Irish people cam
not recede from the demand for an IN
dependent republic" he said, but ! be
lieye. if genuine offer is made of do
minion home rule, the Irish would accept
it as payment on account, ana WORK ~
in good faith for what it was worth.
If asked to accept it as a fnal setlle-
ment. | for one would refuse, for pc
lieye that we not only cannot bind pos
terry, but cannot bind ourselves 1oi
ten years hence.
: offence we say to Great Britain:
Here's our demand. You may pass laws
setting up government or any klnd,
and we may acquiesce in them for the
time being, but we make no bargain In
the matter
In reply to my question whether, hay-
ing accepted dominion home rule on these
terms, the Irish might not soon come IN
practice to treat it as settlement. ne
replied that was quite possible
England Erln's Market.
"My firm belief is that. given the free
dom Of Ireland, the relations between
ireland and Great Britain would grow
close and friendly. Great Britain is
naturally our best market, and the IN
terests working in both countries are
identical If that were the case. 1t
would be a more permanent union, be-
cause it would be union of free part,
ners." VI
Mr.. Johnston declared that he had rea-
son to believe the British government |
will enter into negotiations with the Sim
Tein organization, but the Sim Fein
could not do 50, because it would be rec
ognizing British authority III the coun-
try.
Mr.. Russell declares Ireland is sick Of
politics and the British government
eager to take advantage of the temper
Of the people and to effect settlement 4
which, he believes, if genuine and of
fered in good faith, would be accepted /
by all. His reports show a great change
of opinion in Ulster, especially among
the younger men and business men, who II
are much frightened by the growth of
the socialist revolutionary sentiment in
England and believe an Irish parliament Il
would maintain far higher respect for
the rights Of property as representatives