The Dominion FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 1918. MR. REDMOND AND IRELAND

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 145, 8 March 1918, Page 4

The Dominion FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 1918. MR. REDMOND AND IRELAND

At the present critical stage of Irish affairs the death of Hit. John Redmond, leader of the Irish Nationalist Party is a doublo misfortune. At any time his loss would bo deeply deploretf, but with Sinn Feinism rampant a'nd the Irish Convention practically on the evo of. declaring the result of its deliberations for the future government of Ireland, the absence of the advice and counsels of the great Irish leader will bo severely felt, and may j prove prejudicial to tho hoped-for early and satisfactory settlement of this most difficult and troublesome question. Me. Eedmond, though his position had been weakened in ro--cent times by the activities of the Sinn Feiners, was still the most outstanding figure 'in the Irish Parliamentary Party, and tho only man who appeared capable of holding the party, together and keeping it in hand. He had a most difficult task as leader of the Nationalists,' for the extremists of'his following were constantly goading him on to adopt measures which his own. cooler judgment and wider experience told him were more likely to prejudice than assist the cause they were etriving for. But in spite of conflicting counsels and internal dissensions, ho successfully -led the party over a i long period of years, built >up and J strengthened it, and gained for it a I position of influence in the House of Commons which assisted materially to bring Home Rule within reach of Ireland. Now, on what iseqms to be the eve of the .accomplishment or his life-long efforts, when the weight of his opinion and influence would have been of such great value .to tho country he served so devotedly, _ he has been out off. The condition of affairs in Ireland to-day is as bad as it well can be. Sinn Feinism is for the timo being at least the dominant influence in the land. Mr. j Redmond and the Nationalist I Party had been steadily losing 1 their hold on a largo section of ' the population for many months 1 past. They were regarded by tho ' Sinn Feiners as easy-going blunder- ! crs and failures—their methods, it : was contended, had been fully test- | ed and had failed. And so we havo j in tho place of constitutional proi cedure lawlessness and strife; j bloodshed and terrorism and threat--1 ened revolution. Parts of Ireland to-day aro preserved from anarchy only by the presence of tho military. And yet whilo the Sinn Feinfirs are bringing misery and desolation on Ireland by their resort to terrorist mothods and acts of rebellion, there is a Convention re- ' presentativo of practically all sections of Irish opinion save the Sinn Feiners sitting in Dublin to devise tho best means of giving Ireland what she has so long struggled for. The British Government is pledged to givo practical effect to J the findings of this Convention of

Irishmen who have met to frame a Home Rule Constitution for Ireland. It is an amazing situation, and it would seem incredible in any other country than Ireland. Hero is Home Eulc—an Irish-made form of Home Rule—within reach of tho people of. Ireland, and' yet by every means within their power tho Sinn Foiners have been striving to prevent them attaining it. John Redmond fought and strove for a lifetime to secure Homo Rule for Ireland—the one great hopo and desire of his countrymen. Now that it is obtainable; now that British statesmen have agreed to grant this long-sought boon; now that practically all tho external obstacles have been swept away, and even Ulster has been persuaded to fall into line, an irreconcilable element suddenly springs into existence in Home Rule Ireland itself and bars the way to a satisfactory and permanent settlement of this long-standing grievance. It is an amazing, a bewildering situation. How it will end no one pretends to be able to say. The simplest and perhaps the best course would seem to be to follow tho recommendations of the Irish Convention, assuming it arrives at an agreement as to the form of government to bo adopted, and leave tho Irish Homo Rulo Government to settle its own internal troubles. An Irish Government may find it no easier to satisfy the people of Ireland than the British Government has done, but the burden will at least' be on the right shoulders.