Omaha daily bee., 1921-12-17
The Irish Future


IL is extremely easy. and very de-
liehtful. TO legislato for u country
that does not exist. That has been
the happy task OF all the writers OF
ltopian romanccs, all the cookers
up OF ideal commemorative. from
flnto down to Bellsmy. Schemes OF
constitutional construction. legIrla-
tive programs, political and social
systems. come handily and smoothly
when you have nothing to do but
sit down and invent them for Rn
Imaginary people. or recent years.
during the agitation In behalf OF tho
Irish republic, the literary eeniuses
OF Ireland have been busy framing
such sets OF laws for the free state
which now is promised. They have
built up an Irish Utopia which, II
We may Judge from the history OF
the past. has been far easier to con-
struct In their imaglnations than II
will be found in the actual operation
OF the constituent and legislative
bodies which It is hoped soon 10 set
In motion. Some OF their plans are
found at length In the December
number OF the Survey Graphic" a
sociological periodical which has
had the enterprise TO send a man to
Ireland to collect answers. from tho
highest Irish authorities, to the
question, what would the Irish do
with Ireland?"
Answers obtained are from such
men as George w. Russell ("AE")
poet, artist. philanthropist and
dreamer; Ersklne Chllders. an Eng
lishman by birth, and a mnn OF
large ability, who has east in his
lot with Ireland; James Stephens,
romapcer: r. NJ, Henry. educator;
Sir Horace Plunkctt. wise and prac-
tical reformer. thinker and patriot:
Lionel Smith Gordon. economist and
man Of affairs; and others. Each
one assumes to answer the ques-
tion. Mr.. Russell would base the
Irish future largely on the co-opera-
| tive movement among the people
| which he has fostered and devel-
oped. He stresses, indeed, that
Gaelic cultural movement whiclv is
the ideal of the whole large literary
group In Ireland, but he recognizes
the fact that Ireland. outside OF
| Ulster. is almost exclusively an ag-
ricultural country. He is suspicious
of purely political methods. and OPP
poses Capitalization. 81 hope In
Ireland" he says, for some thou
sands Of self-soverning economic
| communities, minute nations, In
fact. leaving but little for central
! government to do for them" Co
operations he therefore depends
upon, but says Ireland will repudi-
ate tendencies to socialism. There
are over 100000 peasant proprie-
tors in Ireland who would pour
| ut 4
to nationalize this land" But he
expects the next generation 20 see
many cooperative labor and pro-
duction associations in Ireland. with
as much control over their indus
try as the farmers have over theirs
and both rural and urban workers
partners in great production fedora
ttons and wholesalers" A sort OF
voluntary socialism, but apparently
involving no political authority.
Mr.. Erskine Childers is quite
| definite in his scheme. He, too,
recognizes the fact that Ireland is
almost wholly agricultural. 3, He
wants cooperation encouraged. But
he proposes system of responsible
ministerial government, not at all
sovietish: "We shall maintain a
wide suffrage, including women
| proportional representation, two
chambers of parliament, the upper
one less democratic than the lower
but probably excluding peers and
including direct representatives OF
economic and cultural interests
while shorn Of power to obstruct
the lower house permanently
Teaching the Irish language will be
made compulsory, but not its Use.
He would also have elected, not ap-
pointed, judges. Mr. James Steph-
ems, naturally, stresses the cultural
movement. Ireland must return to
her fountains" 1t will have to
establish a new psychology, after the
British debasement. Indeed, tC
read Mr. Stephens, one would sup
pose that the new Ireland was tc
be made out of fairy stories an6
poetry. Perhaps it is, but if the
rest of the world knows anything Of
the Irish nature, there will be q
larre admixture Of politics.
The situation is indeed a difficult
one. 1t is true that south Ireland
in the economic sense, is almos
wholly agricultural. And it has no
altogether a sound or successful ag
riculture. The farmers have almos
completely abandoned tillage. Si
Horace Plunkett says that the peo
pie are pastoral rather than agri
cultural in their instincts. The.
craze their little farms: seldom d,
they till them. The women folk d.
most of the work. That give tn
men more time for politics. TIL
men must put their plow into tn
field if they are going to save Ire
| 10, y u, ~ n u
ing up rural society on three side
. the technical side, the CONNER
cial side, and the social and intel
fectual side Sir Horace Plunkett
like the others, has very little us
for politics.
These and other observations ar
interesting but not altogether en-
couraging as to the future Of Ire
land. Cooperation may have a fin
start in the country--evidently
has. since the large dairy interest
chiefly based on it-but it does no
, answer the problem of political up
building which every self-governin
nation must solve. The Irish peo
pie have agreed in resisting tn
British authority How will the
agree when they have set up thei
own? The trainers of the future o
Ireland have taken little account o
the party and class differences tha
are sure to arise, or of the clash o
personal ambitions that must tax
, the place of the jealous co-opera
ton in resistance. It is as "AE
says, ''the affairs of the Irish peopl
have been handled for them hith
| erto. Now they must handle thes
7 themselves; they must make ma
, tional decisions about financial pol
/. icy, trade policy, education. agricul
t ture, labor, economic development