MR. REDMOND'S CLAIMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1053, 16 February 1911, Page 4

MR. REDMOND'S CLAIMS.

In an article in the December number of Nath's Magazine, Mr. John Redmond asserts that /"what Ireland wants is the restoration of responsible government, "" neither raoro nor less. The Irish demand is, in plain and popular language, that the government of every purely Irish affair" shall bo contrblfcd by the public opinion of Ireland, and by that alone." "We ask," he adds, "morcly to bo permitted to take our place in the ranks of those other portions of tho British Empiresome in number—which in their own. purely-local affairs are governed by free representative institutions of their own." "Purely Irish affairs," ho further defines aa "land, education, local government, transit,' labour, industries, taxation for local purposes, law and justice, police, etc." Thero is much virtue >n that simple seeming "etc.," which, in the event of Home Rule Lct coming an accomplished fact, might well be found capablo of indefinite extension. .But apart from the clastic word "etc," thero is much in Mn. Redmond's plausiblo programme- which invites comment. In tho first place Ireland, situated as it is within a few hours' distance of Englnnd, is necessarily in a very different category from the other twenty-eight portions of the British Empire, he speaks of. For they oho and all arc separated from tho heart of Empire'.by such ■ considerable distances of time and spaco as render inevitable a large measure of local autonomy. In tho second place, Ireland, it to uappeni, It a country of divergent »imt and irreconcilable

aspirations. Out of a total population of four and a half millions, one million and a quarter arc Protestant in faith, and as a v/holo Unionist in political creed. It is a little harsh if so considerable a portion of the population, including, • as it docs, so largo a part of tho industrial nnd commercial classes, is to ba dragooned into accenting a new constitution it holds to lx> detrimental to its interests. And in the third place, if the Bedmonimtes are in futuro to call the time, who is to pay the piper ? For the year onded" March, 1010, Ireland's total contribution to the revenue of the United Kingdom was £8,355,000, raised bo' it observod principally from tho Unionist "province pf Ulster, "Ireland'thus received," in the words of a recent article in the Daily Telegraph, "£2,357,500 more that she contributed to the revenue, and there was nothing available.in Ireland to meet Imperial expenditure. In England and Scotland, during the samo poriod, tho revenue contributed in excess of local expenditure was _ £50,838,500 and £6,687,500 respectively, whereas Ireland received far more than her revenuo furnished. Iroland accordingly contributed nothing towards Imperial expenditure, and it was left to England a,nd Scotland to provide the £63,250,000 which our Army and Navy , services cost us. For old age pensions alone in Iroland tho Exchequot'pai'd £2,342,000, moro' than one fourth"'of tho total amount paid in pensions for tho whole of tho United Kingdom. This would seem to indicate that if, under Homo Rule, Ireland has to meet her local obligations, sho will be faoed with a very awkward situation. So long as she remains part of the Union, she shares liberally in tho greater firospcrity of England and Scotand. But she cannot hope to have it both ways. Political independence must imply financial independence, and for financial independence tho figures quoted would seem to show that, she is'not yet ready.