Evening star., 1920-03-05
'CR|T|C|SES IRISH
HOME RULE BILL
Sir Horace PIunkett Also Dis
CuSSeS Americas Attitude
Toward Ireland.

DUBLIN. March tby the Asso-
cistsd Prcss) Sharp criticism of thu
new Irish home rule bill was express
I'd by Sir Horace Plunkett. chairman
of the Dublin convention. a. a wei
come home dinner given in lis honor
here tonight by the Irish Dominion
League. He has just returned from
the United States and gave his i'm
pressiors of the American attitude
toward Ireland.
Long before the war broke out"
he said. 81 was convinced the peace
of the world and the orderly progress.
if not the survival. CS western Civili-
zation. depcn 'c1 more than on any
other one thing on mutual under
standing between the British com
mouwealth of free nations term I
prefer TO the British cmpire-and
great republic of the west. How far
Germany timed ArmaE eddun with an
eye on Ulster let historians say. But
il is a matter of personal know ledge
that from 1871 tn, PruSsiau govern
meut was organizing a German
Irish alliance in American politics
with a view TO the coming attack
upon the worlds freedom
Irish Trouble Regarded Fnrtor.
II have rot the least doubt tina
surprising the Irish trouble had moth
lnl to do with the beginning of the
war. it was an important factor in
delaying Americas decisive partiCj-
patton in the struggle. To the same
was due great deal OF political en-
i.arraSsment to the war administration
in Washington.
II remember the question being
actually raised whether the American
NaNy could wisely utiliz" Ireland as
lis base of operations Though hap
pilN strategic considerations over
ruled political objections, only the |
. splendid loyalty 10 America OF irish
Americans countcraCted the deep re-
sentiment caused by contrasts all too |
easily drawn between the treatment |
of the northeast corner and tire rest
of our country i'll contiicts with the /
British government.
governmental COrtroi of News.
Notwithstanding governmental con |
troll OF news which was unprecedented !
IN tn ehistory of the British people. /
in which to their honor, let ii be SAID. I
tuey have hitherto set SHINING en- |
ample to the world respecting free !
dom of opinion. ireland has become !
Increasingly during tine last decadr !
the final proof to every enemy OF Eng
land and America that British aims !
in war and pe;.ce are mere hEpocrI-
sizes where they profess To have any
sna II nationalitieSs
The British people. the British
parliament and all the British gov
eminent know this Now and again |
scme prominent politician wins cheers
by telling America to mind her own
business and talking about her negro |
question II we had as many negroes
in this country as the Americans have
Irish in theirs. and il these colored
people possessed the franchise here.
we should be no more silent about |
that problem than the Americans are |
about Ireland | agree that IL is un
desirable for any alien Legislative
body or official representatives of an
alien government to indulge in officiai
utteranceS or actions of such nature,
but what these people OF bodies right
ly or wrongly may say or do is of in
finitesimally small Importance com
pared with what the people in the,
mass think.
Finds Anti-British Feeling.
I'm America I found more bitter
r-'i-T~~''sh feeling than in an
ny forty years of observation. AS
I'D. ..thuAgn due to many other
causes. it Jas tangled up with the
Irish trouble and was generally ex-
pressed in what l may call Irish
terms. Americans do not bother
themselves With details. They want
Ireland to have as large a measure
of seff-government as is consistent |
with the safety of the British en-
pire. for which they in calmer mo-
mentS recognize they are almost as !
much concerned as are the British. |
They wish to give the minority. par
ticularly Ulster, ample security from !
any possible. even if improbable. op- !
preston by the majority of the Irish |
people who differ from Ulster in eco
nomic outlook.
In my Judgment America does not |
want Ireland to be an independent |
republic. but until the British gov |
ernment ceases to break ~ promises |
to Ireland the sentiment Of America |
will be that the Irish peopl e are !
justified in asking anything they |
like"
Protests "VfrtuaI Mandatory"
Sir Horace criticised the home-rule |
bill because it gave Ulster and a
minority of not more than one-fifth |
of the Irish people virtual mandar |
tory over Ireland-a mandatory with |
out responsibility
If the southern parliament took !
the trouble to be born" he concluded |
1T would probably christen itself |
republic and be Immediately carried |
out by its indignant nurse. Ireland |
would then present. as monument to !
of martial law over the greater part
of a country that demands home rule
and home rule in the northeast cor
ner. which never asked for it,