The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-04-08
irish Self. Determination.

I'm urging the new nome RUE DIN "a
q settlement OF the Irish question the
hopeless task" declares the New York
World Dem). 1.-THE measure meets
with strong favor in no quarter and
bitter opposition from every side. The
stand taken by the government Itself
ls almost apologetic."
''The situation that for tho sake Of
all parties calls for speedy correction"
tho World continues. presents insol-
uble difficulties, not less through the
inability Of the Irish people to come to
an agreement on workable plan Of
elf-government for united Ireland than
through the conflict Of opinions and in
terests at Westminster"
The Albany Times-Unio (Dem.)
gives the following summary OF the
measure:
Each division of Ireland (north and
south) win have It's parliament OF nifty
two and 1873 members, respectively;
each parliament will be charged with
the preliminary duty OF naming twenty
persons. in any way 1t desires. to form
with O representative OF the British
crown the council OF Ireland, and this
council will have power, whenever 1t
can agree on the subject to establish
q united parliament for Ireland. fixing
the number of members, the manner
Of election and the limits OF the con-
stituencies."
power OF such a body
Neither parliament, nor the united
parliament I'm the improbable event
that one Is obtained) may make laws
respecting the crown, international re-
lations. army and navy. extraterritorial
trade, coinage, cables. wireless, aerial
navigation, lighthouses. buoys and
beacons, trademarks. patent rights,
and so forth; acts of any Irish parlia-
ment are void II they conflict with acts
Of the parliament Of the United King
dom; and any act of an Irish parlia-
ment is void unless It receives the royal
approval within a year. Since the Brit
lsh crown Is but another name In leg
islative matters for the ruling major
ity In the house OF commons. 1t Is plain
that Ireland will have home rule only
to the extent that It Is desired by the
majority In the commons. At the same
time Irish representation at Westmin-
ster Ii reduced from 103 to forty-two.
There Is nothing In this act to prevent
the London government from imposing
martial law whenever 1t deems It ex-
pedient."
So comments the Times Union. ''the
sole resemblance to home rule that this
plan offers lies merely in the name
The measure has few warm support
ers In any quarter" says the Spring.
field Republican (Ind). which regards
It win ever be carried into effect"
while the New York Globe Qnd.) holds
that Undoubtedly the most serious
mistake that Mr.. Lloyd George Ii max
ing in pressing the present bill Is his
failure to realize that q disconnected
Ireland 10 politically as well as geo
graphically q perpetual barrier between
the two countries (England and Amer
ica)."
The British premisr's resentment at
American propaganda for Ireland was s
defense Of the bill in the commons. He
compared the Ireland Of today to the
southern states in 1S6l-65. and said:
I'VE claim nothing more than the
United States claimed for themselves.
this ths Philadelphia Record Und. Dem)
recalls "how malign and how meddle-
some was England's behavior during
those trying four years. British states
men did all they could to widen the
they knew that two American repub-
lies would be much easier to deal with
aSince we are speaking Of analosies
ana recalling this effort TO split Amer
lea the Record gee. on ha. s we ner
thought in giving Ireland over to two
pariiamentsf It 10 surely to Britain's
interest to keep the Irish people divided
against each other"
American CProg.), "the British govern
ment always pleads that It cannot
coerce one-ffth OF the country; but II
has never hesitated to coerce the other
four-nfths," and this authority believes
George experiment ''wili force a more
drastic settlement. one that win lead to
A solution OF the most complicated ana
nerhaps the most dangerous internal
tionai question of this time. and will
remove the greatest reproach to de-
mocracy,"
Yet the Boston Transcript Und; Rep.l
observes that "the government has at
least achieved q program In Ireland;