Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-08

view of It's tragic importance will
never be allowed to cut itself adrift
from the predominant partner, to be
mnde perhaps the base of an attack
against England by any potential
enemy. Mr.. Lloyd Georges answer
also includes the fact that England is
not unmindfui of violent rights and
points to the home rule act as giving
the biggest gift of home government
ever conceded by any British Cabinet
This Is where critics Join issue with
MIR. George. The Irish ask for one
Parliament. But on the principle ap-
parently of "the more the merrier" II
gives them two parliaments And what
is more. when the Irish say they wont
then he az much ms says he will force
them. The setting up OF two ParlIa-
ments cuts clean across sentiment
which is deeply imbued in n large
section of uuionists as well as Ma
tionalists Partition of the country Is
hateful, but of course, IL was neces-
sary that Ulster should be conciliated
and so she had to be given a parlIa-
ment of her own. as an alternative OF
being governed from Dublin.
| A Relic of the Old Irish Parliament.
An incident which occurred this
week reflects how keenly this senti-
ment of Ireland lis felt even in the
most unexpected quarters When the
old Irish Parliament was dissolved in
| 1900 the last speaker of the house took
possession of the speakers chair and
mace as souvenirs. These subse-
auently descended with his family
heirlooms to the custody of Lord Mas
/ serene Lord Masserene Is an Ulster
peer And Il was rumored that he in
| tended TO present the relics to the
Parliament for the North as soon as
| Il came together. On being questioned
or the subject Lord Masserene indi-
Gated clearly that he had no sympa-
/ thy with the public Parliaments
which Mr.. Lloyd George would set up.
He said that these heirlooms came to
his family from the old Irish Parlia-
ment in College Green, Dublin. they
were not open to sale or negotiation
or even the Northern or Southern
ParIiaments So far as he was con-
cerned, they would only go back TO a
Parliament for the whole Of Ireland.
to be set up in Dublin.
Mr.. DiIIon's Reappearance.
/ Mr.. John Dsion, formerly leader OF
the Irish Parliamentary party, has this
week reappeared in Irish politics. Mr..
lDllon Vas unseated in county Mayo
In. the Sim Fein landslide Of 1918, like
the great majority of his colleagues
of the old Constitutional party, and
since then little has been heard of him.
| Most OF the tirne he has lived quietly
I'm Dublin and at his country place at
Ballaghadeneen With the approach
OF the elections he was apparently be-
Ing urged by supporters in the country
Il, come again into the field and lead
i an election campaign against Sim
Feins. Mr.. Dillon declines to do this
for reasons which are quite clear and
/ logical. While he asserts that Con-
statutionaI nationalism is not only
not dead, but very strong in numbers,
he realizes that in the coming elections
Sim Fein is out to secure solid
block and that any attempt TO OPP
nose II would leave the Constitutional
| lists open, although unfairly. TO the
charge of supporting BLACK and Tan
| ism and the British government. He
realizes that that would be q fatal
slogan and that such a contest would
probably lead TO disorder and perhaps
more bloodshed. He prefers TO let
Sim Fein have its innings and wait,
| till after the elections to see what
useful work Constitutionalism could
do in the way of bringing about a
settlement. He is still convinced that
Sim Fein policy of violence is wrong,
and that the policy of persuasion and
/ compromise. which his party always
adopted, will ultimately win. There Is
no doubt that large proportion OF
the people are and have been opposed
to hloodshed. but things are now gong
so far that it should certainly De
dangerous and probably ineffective 10
Iendeavor at the moment to weaken the
power of Sinn Fein by any movement
os a pacific.