Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1918. GIVE IRELAND TO U.S.A.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1838, 11 June 1918, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1918. GIVE IRELAND TO U.S.A.

SIR Edward Marshall-Hall, K.C., recently wrote as follows iu Sim Loiulon Daily .Mail: —Sir, At the moment the Irish question is of vital importance. Since I entered Parliament in 1000 1 have endeavoured, in the course of many public speeches, to keep two main points to the front —namely, the maintenance of the existing Constitution and the Union with Ireland. I was a eonvineed anti-ilome Ruler because 1 was eerlaiu that war with Germany' was inevitable, and if that event happened there was great danger of eroatmg a hostile hast 1 at can.' c er\ doors. Apparently, judging by the Sinn Eein utterances of late, my

second reason was as sound as my lirst. Every consideration is now altered, and the gravest danger comes from the attitude of some of those who have ever been the. most active anti-Home Rulers —I almost said “bigoted,” for at a lime like this those'who arc not open to reconsider opinions which hitherto amounted to convictions are liable to be classed in that denomination. Successive English Governments have signally failed to deal with the Irish question, and at the moment we are faced with grave disaster. As we have failed, why not ask the United States to help us and offer to hand over the government of Ireland to them? Instead of creating a possible German menace within a few miles of our shores we should bring our Allies nearer to us by some thousands, and under their beneficent rule Ireland would prosper as it has never done before, and we should have bound America, to us by bonds of mutual gratitude. And above all, Sir, no one of the Irish leaders would be able to say that cither one of the others had entirely won.