The Daily News TUESDAY, JANUARY 8. THE IRISH ENVOY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81914, 8 January 1907, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, JANUARY 8. THE IRISH ENVOY.

Tin- visit to Taranaki of Mr J. Devlin, MP., one of the National Irish party's delegates to Australasia, is an event deserving more tliiui passin" mention, anil tlie meeting at tinTheatre Koval this evening will, it is to lie Imped, he of such proportions as win demonstrate that there are :in this' small comer of the Empire people W h o eoncern themselves with Imperial aiVairs. J-'or assuredly the jomc Rule for Ireland movement is of as vital moment to the Empire «, which our colony is a prominent and nvusperoiis unit, as- the success 01 otherwise of their ambitious arc to, the Irish people a,,d Ireland I absolutely central lor he uiu.>«jtc federation of the widcl} »epaiaad portions of the Empire Unit should reciprocity and ticcr tiflHT tereourse obtain, but that should also be a bond of it i„.r the whole people. Without that, dreams of JSmpuns would speed,.} fade.

Home Taller and non-Homo. Ruler alike have to acknowledge that uu condition of Ireland today as not conducive to the -best interests ot Britain and the Empire, i ortunately the day has passed when platform advocates of Irish Nationalism were regarded as dynamitards and anarchists, and Home Kule may now be debated as an academic question without discomfort to any sensitive opponent; indeed, we can go tui't her, and discuss without passion and bitterness the reasonableness or otherwie of granting Ireland perfect domestic liberty. It is to such an open and receptive mind, therefore, that the visiting delegates may address the colonial audience. Colonials want i plain, unvarnished statement of the i ase. They do not want to hear about topics a century old; although probably less demonstrative, it should .ever be forgotten that descendants ot {Englishmen and Scotsmen are jealous of the honour of the laud of their fathers, and that the introduction ot ■incident:," of the past, to every one of which there are two view-points, would be fatal to Ireland's hopes oi assistance from the colonies.

Colonials are sympathetically indined towards Ireland, and the old | prejudices need never be revived so 'ong as the Irishmen conduct their .•anipaign with reasonable toleration. Ireland"] we believe, is nearer the realisation of lier national ambition at the present moment than at any time iiuce the Liberal party lirst raised the tandard of revolt on her behalf. To the policy which sent Mr Gladstone from the* Government benches twenty /ears ago the Liberals still give allegimee; but experience has shown them .hat the cause is only likely to be re.arded by forcing an issue or going m ulvanceof public opinion. As folowers of the political doings at Home iiiow, the rremier holds no mandate „o accede to tins demands of the NaJoualists, but few doubt that the next

■c-sion will become historical by the introduction of a Bill that will pro ,-ide the lirst instalment of the offer ill Irishmen are waiting for. Never ,vas there a time in the history of the iiuvcmont when so much depended ipon the temper and tone of the leading advocates; when calm and lisnasfionate consideration of tho facurs inrti'Y e( L, promised to clear the .vav for a Reasonable -basic underitandiug. « .

.Notwithstanding Jlr Redmond's occasional oratorical outbursts of quasii.eliance, it is extremely unlikely that my genuine propositi made by the Go i-ermncnt will be rejected by bun. <mall and fragmentary as are the scraps of information given to colon iuls by the i'ress cablegrammers.. Ivc ire at present being ail'oidcd an insight sullicient to show that the Nil tionalists are not the mo 4 hapi.y ol families. At the present, moment we 'save the spectacle of the members for ; - ork in the- House of Commons, including Sir William O'liricn, uniting in publicly formulating serious •barge amulet the parly to whom we ;iavc°bccn accustomed to look to lead ,n the ultimate regeneration of Ireland. These charges show disunion aid disruption exists within the tanks, iml are doubly interesting at.'the pre sent moment." We were told, in effect, by cable yesterday, that ilie present appeal for funds in >'e\v Zealand mil Australia was made on a sort of false statement of the Nationalists' uoliev. .That is the only construction it seems possible to place on Mr L'rean's statement that the Nationalist Irish envoys are gathering . money in the •oloiiies through preaching Mr J'lirien's policy there, while denouncing and trying to crush O'Brien at Home. ■Whatever may ultimately be Mr Kitlmond's attitude on any Government Home llule proposal, there is no question that Mr O'fJricn's is ■•>ue that has and will have the sup;,oly of colonials. There is no more iiatrioL.' (; and no more ab'.u man in Ireland to-'«'•>' than the member for Cork; be has suH'ered and fought for Ids country ami '.'O how pleads for a loliev of 'peaceful cvo.'ntiou towards Hie destined goal. Only ."0 long as a policy ir. pursued by the .Na tionalists can Ihey hope to gain and io!d the practical sympathy and cooperation of colonials, whose visions ire untrammelled by petty side issues.

Irish statesmen have made so many sacrifices for their country's cause that they might be expected, at the oresent picture, to rise .superior to -ordid internal disruptions, and repeal to tlitw for whose sympathy and ' 'ssistance they appeal a'band of pa •riots united for their country's weal. \s we said on a former occasion, we Viiovo even- colonial-horn, of what, "vor descent, is a Home liuler at ieai'l. Lei it be demonstrated that I lie iiisli leaders are not a body of irre coiicilables, but reasonable men following constitutional ami reasonable iicans ti* attain an end, am! the great mass of colonials will become Home litilers in action. There is a great ivork ahead of the Irish statesmen, it is the aim of the Irish party, and the desire of every well-wisher of the Em aire, that such a deplorable and melancholy tribute to maladministration and injustice, as Ireland's position reveals, -hall be remedied by sonic form of self-government calculated to put new heart into flic people.

There is iiiucli on which tlic people of the colony desire enlightenment regarding the Jrisli propolis. Tlicv »anf to hear (hut Ireland's political •h'stiiiy will he free from clerical control, for there is nothing Hie voter of tin' iMilonciiiioiis colonies so resents us tlic iiili-Hsion of the Clmreh into the "oliMcml arena. Ale Devlin mav he certain »!' a generous welcome from the .people ol >,e\v Plymouth, who, in -'oiug '.o hear one of the foremost in-linien in the political and national : '.'\™- "'''''l have no hesiiaiion in nntlfij>iltm_ir an intellectual (real ~,1(1 :lt the sain '' ' ' -igiit into !he state of affairs oblabi ■><;-' up till now in UcJOmcrald He as «'i I excite the sympathy of the most mdiilereut.