ASPIRATIONS OF IRELAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2415, 8 April 1922, Page 3

ASPIRATIONS OF IRELAND.

NEW ZEALAND DELEGATE’S OPINION.

Auckland, Last Night. = “Ninety per cent, of the people in Ireland are in favour of the.lrish Free State, as outlined in the Treaty,” is the conviction of Mr Hall Skelton, who returned by the Niagara after a visit to Europe as one of the New Zealand delegation to the Pan-Irish Congress in Paris. Mr Skelton says that De Valera has nothing of a following to speak of, and does not represent Irish sentiment concerning the new state of things which has been created at Home. A great body of Irish opinion is quite opposed to the idea of a republic. Mr Skelton was under the necessity of making it very plain to De Valera that the Irish in the colonies were not to be dragged into anything that would disintegrate the Empire. Even in the North of Ireland Mr Skelton found the idea of a united Ireland very firm, and he was strongly of opinion that when the extremists of both sides had passed out of the picture Ireland would settle down in a prosperous and united Free State, and this he believed would result within twelve months. Mr Skelton challenged De Valera to put the matter to a vote of the Irish people, but De Valera knew too well what would be the result of such a plebiscite. Asked what would be the fate of De. Valera, Mr Skelton said the policy of the people who represented the time Irish feeling was to let him have as much rope as he wanted, and when the American money was done he would cease to be a factor in the controversy.