The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1919-01-29
ANOTHER VIEW or IRELAND

Editor Evening Post:
The discussion of the Irish ques-
tion in your columns has been most
interesting, and | am sure of much
value. Some weeks ago you re-
marked that the New York World
q believeD was to be congratulated
on it's regard for its editorial col
umns. which was enabling vt To
outstrip the Times. l remember
thinking that similar compliment
might be pad to the Evening Post.
Will you permit me to point out
a fundamental fact which has been
so far overlooked in the discus
sions, and which may reveal some
fallacies? The principle of ma
tionality is today admitted to be
the most potent force in modern
be overlooked-the Congress of
Vienna made that mistake, and
we should profit by it. Historians
recognize nationality as an opera
tive force dating, roughly, from the
beginning of the seventeenth CEN
tury-the moderll period. We
need not 90 behind this date to find
nationalities-if we did Alsace-
Lorraine would probably belong to
Germany The cohesive force be-
tween France and these territories
is their common cooperative devel-
opment during the period when ma
tional forces were at work. 1t is
tue, of course, that many nations
existed before the above date; but
it has only been since that date
that peoples have recognized them
selves as nationalities, and that the
principle has produced centrifugal
or centripetal effects.
The irish question must be solv-
ed-if at abby the same princi-
Piles of national determination as
apply elsewhere. Granted that
Ireland is a nationality, certainly
Ulster, whose separate development
began about 1911, is just as much
so. If the inclination of Alsace-
Lorraine, developed during the last
three centuries, gives her a right
to be part of France, equally does
the inclination of Ulster give her
right to be part OF England-or
to whatever other destiny she may
Justly claim. We cannot take
space here to define nationality,
but certainly their thought is differ /.
ent from that of the rest of Ireland .
You say, "at any rate, they live up
on Irish soil, and have lived there .
for number of generations" But
this no more makes them "A part OF
an Irish nationality than does the
of Polish territory by
The Germans make the Poles Ger
or the Germans Poles, Ma
tionality is not determined by terri
torial lines the reverse is true,
Your argument that since they live
and have property in Ireland they
should be Irish, would make Texas
1 part of Mexico. or, for that mat
.er, the United States part of
England, today. quite agree
with you that religious differences
ire not enough to keep them apart.
But this is only one phase of ma
ionality. Scotland and Wales add
listed all their differences with
england; but ii is not enough to
ensure the Irish for their failure.
I is absurd for DIR. O'Connor and ,
'thers to disregard Ulster; it can {
10 more be disregarded than can ,
he claims of Ireland. They ac- {
use England of failing to recog- {
lie the principle of nationality. in
he very same breath in which they /
eny case equally as clear in III /
ter. The Rev. Mr.. Smiths re- ,
uest for reasons for the Irish
tand is well put. q
Your space is too short to allow a {
discussion Of independence. II /
hould be noted, however. that ma q
like individual liberty. '