THE HOME RULE DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1057, 21 February 1911, Page 6

THE HOME RULE DEBATE.

Sir,—A leading article has appeared in his mornings edition of your paper -headed "Homo Rule Debate." , I „,„ a subscriber to your journal, so I hopo you will kindly publish what I write in referenco to this • above-mentioned leadiiii' article.- With ■re ferenco to tho Homo Rule question you writc:-"In no'limo Jias Balfour in rcfcrcnco to a political i«-uo approached the masterly equivocation, of Asquith." I quite .agree with s;°u- Alt 1 !! clcarcr tlmn - Mr - Asquith's Albert Hall speech. Ho has always been n Home Ruler from conviction. The fact that he did not shout Homo Rule from the house-tops during the last election was this, that Home Rulo was a secondary matter. The Veto of the Lords was the principal issue the' election was fought on • this, with, of course, the knowledge that tho remainder of tho Government's programmo, would follow. Now, sir, I was born in tho Old Land, and I learned a thing or two there in connection with polities. I tell you candidly Mr. Balfour is regarded by all parties at Homo as the craftiest gentleman that ever entered tho House of Commons. If thero is need of deception or equivocation he scruples not to use them. The liish people dub him tho Reynard of Westminster. Tho fact of this debato taking place at this timo is a move on his chessboard. Ulster lining tho ditches, Parliament No. 2 for the north, per reductio nd nbsurdum is another. Ho moves silently. Ho has in Ireland a number of strong lieutenants so far as noise is concerned nnd, of courso money,' because it tnkes money to mako political noise. Regarding Redmond's bad faith and brutal language, I am right up against you. In view that in tho past promises of redress to the Irish arc synonymous with piecrusts, Redmond, liko u good general, told the people to close their ranks; that, however well-intentioned the Asquith Government may be circuuistances may como which would preventthem from carrying out thoso promises. Ho would not trust to them, ho would prefer something more certain—combination. A voice from tho audicnc6 used "too the mark." Nothing brutal about those remarks, aro there? Now, I would like to know about tho ' Spectator's" newly-hatched plan, Parliament No. 2 for Ulster. Who is to support it? At the lato election, minus the city of Belfast, tho majority of votes polled for Homo Rule. No. 1 ran into four figures in Ulster. Again the idea that Ireland wants to rule herself because she don't liko England is ridiculous nonsense. What about the fostering of her languishing industries, the status of lior pcoplo with the rest of the Empire, and a, thousand and one other things? What ilo wo want a Parliament here for? What do wo want a University for? Why, the'criminal neglect of Irish business which Mr. Bin-oil mentions has already accumulated? Ho says it would take fivo y:ars to get through, nnd this would he sufficient of itself ns nn Irish Parliamentary claim. And therefore this idea cannot ho used for No 2 ParTiaiuont. Besides the intention of setting this Parliament up is a block. So tho whole thing is no better than a farce. To finish—regarding the Orange Lodge supporters of the north a fuw words may be said. I know them. In some respects they are excellent people, in other respects tliev have allowed themselves to be governed by place-hunters— tied to the coat-tails of English lords and Unionists, who care absolutely nothing for them only in so far as a means to an end. They allow their birthright to. bo sold, and this unfortunately is dpno through religious business—a unionist plot. Ireland is made.tho cock-pit of contention. But i a better day is dawning for Ireland—tho plotter and the place-hunter must get.— I am, etc., J. O. SULLIVAN.