The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-20
Home Owners And Bond Buyers Are The Desirable Cltz
An Irish Policy?
Has Lloyd George Got One?
Bx MAJ. BR VAN COOPER

searching remedies if the root of the
 evil is to be removed, and 1t is by the
 character of those remedies that Lord
 French's administration will be judged by
 history.
 The issue is complicated by two factors
 The first is that the horne rule act which
 became law in 1914 and was suspended
 for the duration of the war, will automat~
 ically become law six months after the
 peace treaty is signed. This act was
 at best makeshift, and the lapse of
 time has rendered it unacceptable to
 every party in Ireland. Ulster detests it.
 Sim Fein will have none of it, and even
 the nationalists, who accepted it without
 enthusiasm five years ago, now realize.
 that the war has made its finance utterly
 unavoidable. The fact that there is prae-
 tically no provision for minority repre-
 sertation will throw the Irish Parliament
 into the hands of Sim Fen, and the measure will simply be used as lever to extract complete independence. The second factor in the situation is that the English people are weary of the very name of Ireland, and will be very re- luctant to see the time of the parliament devoted to Irish legislation.
 Nevertheless something, will have to be done. for it is impossible to govern country indefinitely by rourtmartal and orders in council. Fortunately. Lloyd George though some of his most influ- ential supporters would like to let things drift) has confidence in Lord French, and is not by nature indispoSed to bold courses He is probably framing an Irish policy which will come into being as soon as he is freed from the Ireoccupatons of l the peace conference. It seems likely that | this policy will have two aspects, eco- ncmic and political, and that tho eronomic ! side will have precedence. If this is so 1919 will be devoted to carrying out a l proeramne of reconstruction in Ireland, | including housing reform and improve l ments in transportation. When thls ac- i t;vity (which will entail the expenditure of considerable grants from the British treasury) has got under way, then Lloyd George, probably next year, possibly not until 1921, will introduce scheme for l Irish self government. In other words, l the object of the British cabinet must be 1 first to prove to Ireland that she stands l to gain economically by remaining within | the empire and then to introduce iegis- Ilation to regularze her position therein. At present an Irish Parliament would at orce demand not the virtual independence possessed by the assemblies at Ottawa and Melbourne, but definite separation. | Until this condition of affairs IS changeu | it would be an act of administrative | folly on the part of Lloyd George to call | such a parliament into existence.
 | But can IL De ChdHSSu. h''iAh T Siii Nt~N | the ear of the Irish people and intends to keep it (witness the manner in which Sim Feiners howled down Capt. Stephen 1 Gwynn, a former nationalist member or Parliament, when he endeavored to iec- | ture at Newry a few days ago) and It may well appear hopeless to struggle against the party in possession Never | theless. many of those who voted Sim Fein at the last election are tenpera- mentally moderate men, and generous
 reconstruction policy, followed by wide measure of home rule. might gain many converts among De Nalera's followers.
 But if Lloyd George intends to do this he will have to remove the difficulties Which
 have worked fruitfully for evil in the 1 past The treasury must be persuaded te | bandon it's cherished habit of giving | with one hand and taking away WILT l the other, and the government must take | greater pains to make its intentions plan i to the Irish people. Neglect of propa- 1 ganda is one cause of the emoittermeh | that exists in Anglo-Irish relations.
 l Copyright, 19ig)