The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-02-02

had. every act passed by it for Ire
and since 1900 has no binding force.
Every hing England has done s-nee
1900 has been Illegal and unconst,tu-
tional, and that is her position t.
day. She hid this illega fty success
lfuAy for he past 120 years, but
SIM Fein has now stepped IN and ex-
posed the entire situation. There
has never been more strictly egai
and constitutional party than Sam
Fein.
But, continued O'Connor, the
Sim Fein case is ronger even than
this. Based upon the ilegality of
the act of union, her position is un-
assailable, but added to tina We have
an absolute acknow edgement by
England herself that nobody has the
power to make laws for the Irish
people except the Irish Parliament.
The so-called Irish question was
rea ly solyed by Eng and herself IN
1882. At hat date, the English Par
lliament. Lords and Commc rs, passed
an Act which disposed or the rela
tions between the two countries ex-
dCpAy, Gnu bClL Gu LnCl lSldtiNA6 ~
each o her finally and for al time.
That ac- says The right of the
Irish people to be bound on y by laws
passed by the Irish Parliament is
hereby acknowledged and ascertained
for ever and shall at no time hereaf
ter be questioned or questionable"
| The Act is still on he English
Statute Books and when L>yd George
or anybody else comes to US anu
says, I'VE wi / give ycu Home Rule
we will give you a Parliament like
Canada, we will give you this and we
Wi give you that, the Sim Feiners
point to this Act of 1882 and they say
to England keep your compact. Thai
| is all that is necessary to settle the
| Ir sh question:
The Irish ques ion, therefore said
O'Connor. as far as its politica as
pect Is concerned, is settled abs, lutte
/ ly. England has no more righ. to
make laws for Ireland than japan
has, and her interference in Irish af-
fairs is simp'y due to force, to tn
military occupation of the country.
We, in Ireland, continued O'Connor,
have no anxiety whatever as to the
political par. of the Irish situation
/ Ia settled and settled absolutely
but there is another side which on We
ace the greatest impor .ance, and
upon which rather than upon the
mere question of political freedom,
we expect Eng and to show strcng
resistance. allude to he Economic
freedom Of Ire and. This is the rea
crux. In the Sim Fein economic
programme which deals with the
deve opment of Irish industries, Irish
trade and Irish commerce, and n h.
work now bing carried on by the
Sim Fem Par lament to secure nm.
hampered commercial in ercourse
win America and Europe. Eng and
sees her rel motives for holding Ire
land in subsection, are at last fully
understood. We are looking fer h
economic freedom of Ire and said
O'tionnor and 70 hat end all the Sim
Fein efforts are now directed
America can he p US in this work
; not alone by trading directly with US.
but by helping us financial Y so tha
we can go to work and deveop our
trade and commerce, establish indus
tiis onan np our mines, contro
and manage our waterways, open ur
n sh bark and Irish insurance com
panies, clear our canas and rivers
open up our harbor and ports. de
velop our fisheries and set our ooms
: humming. In word to revive again
in the goth century the prosperous arr
happy Ireland OF the 18th. England
destroyed al our industries and SC
held her grip on Ireland. Sim Feir
will rebuild and revive these indus
tries and so loosen Eng'and's hole
once aud for ever