HOME RULE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 375, 21 April 1908, Page 4

HOME RULE.

Breaking Down Religious Barriers. A Hopeful Outlook The Rev. J. Laird, who arrived at New Plymouth from Ireland last week, in a conversation with a News reporter, stated that the Home Rule movement was spreading. “ There is in Ulster,” he says, “ a movement among the Protestants for Home Rule, or at least a measure of Home Rule.” During the past five years or so, he says, a great change has been ! gradually working in public opinion. The old lines of Catholics for {Home Rule and Protestants against are being broken down, and elections are being fought on political grounds. Scores of thinking men, who for years opposed the movement [have now changed their views. This could be seen from the fact that several of those who were hostile to the late Mr Wm. Gladstone’s Bill were now for devolution. In this category are placed Lord Dunraven ; Lord Dudley, Lord Lieutenant oi Ireland, 1906-6, under the Conservative Government; Mr T. W. Russel, M.P. for South Tyrone, who took an active part in the House and in the country against the Home Rule movement years ago, and was the founder of the new land movement in Ulster ; Mr T. H. Sloan, M.P. for South Belfast, an Orangeman ; Mr Wm. Moore, M-P. for North Antrim, and a powerful debater. Mr Sloan was practically the leader of those Orangemen who seceded from the Order and formed an Independent Order of Orangemen, the cleavage being brought about by the adherence of Mr Sloan and his friends to the Home Rule cause. ‘‘lreland must have Home Rule,” said the Rev. Laird, because it will take Home Rule to settle her difficulties; because it will make the Irish Nationalists more loyal to England, and they will think more of her ; because it will remove a lot of supposed grievances, and show to Ireland that England is her friend.” Our visitor speaks approvingly of Mr Birrell’s Bill, and says that it will have the support of the majority of people in Ireland who view the question with anything approaching unbiassed mind. To grant complete self-government would, he thinks, be a mistake. The country is not ready for it. ‘‘l don’t mean,” he said, ‘‘that the Irish people are more backward than any other. But no people could take such a step, effect such a radical change in one movement and make a success of it. ” Having been so long held under the domination of the British Parliament and other influences he expressed the opinion that a full measure of Home Rule would overload the system. Let the Irish people take over those departments as provided by Mr Birrell’s Bill, and then, having administered those, take over more departments, extend the working, and thus, by giving the people some interest in their own affairs, work out their own salvation. There is no question of the fitness of the people, but it was imperative that the great change must be effected gradually. Speaking of the fitness of the people, the Rev. Laird said that the cattle-driving incidents were popularly believed to be a practice designed to draw attention to the need of Home Rule iu Ireland, and was calculated to benefit the cause. It had an entirely opposite effect. When a case of cattle-driv-ing took place it was reported to the Irish and English papers. Then some Unionist M.P., by asking a question in Parliament would endeavour to create an impression that the people in Ireland were a lawless lot and not fit to control their own internal affairs. Very often the affair was greatly exaggerated, too, and from these speeches in the House the people of England received the idea of what cattle-driving was. Our informant explained the meaning of the term. In the North, under the new Land Purchase Acts the tenants have a fixed tenure, and are content. There the cattle browse iu peace. But iu the middle districts, in the west and in the south, the old style of landlordism still reigns. The landlord leases the grazing rights of a tract of country for only eleven months, and retains possession of the land. This system the people are seeking to determine, and they are going to work in the same way as the discharged weavers sought to prevent the general introduction of looms. The holder of one of these short-term leases is warned not to renew it. Should he neglect the warning he will surely wake some fine morning to find his herds dispersed to the four winds. This procedure the men think will induce the landlords to sell their estates to the Government for releasing and purchasing by the tenantry. " It’s foolish, of course,” remarked the rev. gentleman ; “they’ll never manage it that way.” He inclined to the view that this cattle-driving was instigated by a certain section of the people in authority with the direct intention of disparaging the Irish people of these districts in the eyes of others and thus hindering the Home Rule movement. Leaving the Home Rule question, Rev. Laird said it was frequently remarked that the Irish, however unsuccessful in their own country, made excellent colonists, and were amongst the best workers in other countries than their own. It seemed to indicate to him that the Irish people had to some extent lost heart in their own land, but, under more favourable conditions, expanded to their fullest development. Meanwhile,

Erin was lo ing som: of her best blood by immigration. The people were going in battalions lo America, and sometimes so great was the exodus that the steamers could hardly accommodate them. Concluding, he remarked, “What Ireland wants now is a leader —a leader in the true sense of the word. Parnell, were he living now, would work wonders, for the time is ripe.”