THE NEW HOME RULE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 187, 17 November 1910, Page 5

THE NEW HOME RULE.

WHAT MR. REDMOND SAID IN AMERICA—AS REPORTED. London, November 7. Unless the New York correspondent of (he Daily Expr ,s .grievously misreports Mr. John Redmond, a great change lias taken place in the spirit of the Nationalist leader's dream of Home Rule. The Express man, however, declares that the text of his cable, which gives a full and particular account of the meaning Mr. Redmond attaches to Home Rule," is in Mr. Redmond's very own words. That being so we can only open our eyes with wonder at the marvellous extent to which Mr. Redmond has changed his views on the subject of self-government for Ireland. From the furious bull bellowing for Home Rule, lock, stock and barrel, Mr. Redmond has turned into a ringdove, gently cooing for a measure of local self-government rather less complete than every American State enjoys. We have all—Conservatives, Liberals, Socialists and Nationalists—mistaken our Redmond. But it is his own fault. Look at these excerpts from speeches he has delivered during the last fifteen years and then consider his New York utterances:—

"Ireland for the Irish is our motto, and the consummation of all our hopes and aspirations is. in one word, to drive English rule, sooner or later, hag and baggage, from our country."—lß9s, at Kanturk.

'•The first and greatest of the duties of an Irishman is to cherish undying hatred to foreign rule in this country."— 1898, at Wexford. '"Our ultimate goal is the national independence of our country."—l9ol, at Worcester, Mass. "If it were in my power to-morrow . to absolutely emancipate Ireland I would do it. ... I believe it would be just as possible for Ireland to have a prosperous and free separate existence as a nation as Holland or Belgium or Switzerland."—August 31, 1904, at New York. '"We send therefore this message to England—We tell her that we Wexford men to-day hate her rule just as bitterly as our forefathers did when they shed their blood on this spot. We tell her that we are as much rebels to her rule to-day as our forefathers were in '98." June 24, 1907, at New Ross. In New York Mr. Redmond says:— "Our demand for Home Rule does not mean that we break with the British Empire. We are entirely loyal to the English as such, and we desire to strengthen the Imperial bonds through a federal system of government. . . . • "We mean by Home Rule the same measure of local self-government for Ireland as exists in each American State, though with the difference that we are perfectly willing that Westminster shall have the final authority over local legislation enacted in Ireland."We do not demand such complete local autonomy as the British self-govern-ing colonies possess. We are willing to forego the right of making our own tariff and are prepared to abide by any fiscal system enacted by the British 'Parliament. "Also, we are prepared to bear our full burden with England, Scotland and Wales in supporting such Imperial charges as the Army, Navy, and Diplomatic Corps. ■ "We do not want to discontinue our representation in the House of Commons when Home Rule comes. We desire to have Irish members sitting at Westminster, not only to form a nucleus of the ultimate Federal Parliament of the Empire, but also to assist in legislation concerning Great Britain and Ireland collectively, such as old-aige pensions. We do not mean by Home Rule to give Ireland exclusive control over such questions as old-age pensions, which are enacted for Great Britain and Ireland as a single political unit. "But we want Ireland to decide for herself such local measures as do not concern in any way Gnat Britain, and an Irish Legislature for this purpose is Home Rule's sine qua non. "We are strongly in favor of a federal Empire, and once we receive Home Rule we shall demonstrate our Imperial loyalty beyond question." [Mr. Redmond has since given an emphatic denial of the statement contained in the latter quotation.]