HOME RULE QUESTION

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1916, Page 7

HOME RULE QUESTION

To the Editor. Sir,—lll your issue of the 31st nit. Dean Power gives liis views on that complicated question, the granting of Home Rule to Ireland. He makes several inaccurate statements among which I notice this: —"The present war has sprung f"om the tearing of Alsace and Lorraine from the bosom of France.'' The present war has sprung from 110 such reason, and the Dean knows it. The war has arisen simply and solely through Prussian aggression, and the Dean is quite willing to i:ifer tlmt France is responsible for the present cataclysm, a charge which would not be made against her even by the guilty nation. in the (leriuan White Hook published shortly nflc the deela ition of wat occurs this statcme t: —''At 5 p.m. oj August 1 (1914), the French army s.' ".'ted mobilising. On the next day, August '2, they invaded our territory." This looks as though France

were the aggressor, but, unfortunately for Hie German statement, the Duchess of Luxembourg wired to Sir Edward Grey on August '1 (mark vou) tlie following damning complaint:—''l desire to protest that, very early this morning, August tlie German army, in great force, invaded our territory, and arc now marching' southwards;." So much for German innocence! Jjut the Dean is probably piqued at the solid, united and magnificent stand of the sister Gaelic nation as compared with the carping, captions, quarrelsome attitude of many of his own people, hence the inference. Again, the Dean refers to the Bishop of Limerick (the ablest bishop in Ireland), but does not mention that the said bishop's diocese is the one in which the Sinn i'cin movement is so prominent and where the ''turbulent priests'' of Mr. Birrell so abound. The item adroitly attempts to throw the guilt of the shameful Sinn Fein rising 011 the Dublin Castle authorities, but 110 sane man 01* patriotic Irishman will do other than place the foul guilt of that disgusting affair on tlie conscience of the crazy agitators who led them. Happily there are only a few Irishmen here who are content to see a portion of Ireland wallowing in her shame like a sow in her stye, and the strong, sane opinion of the majority condemns with scorn and disgust the action of the Sinn Fein wreckers. Some Irishmen there are' who seem to 'be never quite content unless they have their ''phut" on something or somebody. In the case of the Home Rule question the "phut'' is anxious to be deposited on Ulster, lint Ulster, quite reasonably, objects to be made the doormat for these aspiring fellows. The exclusion of Ulster seems to be the only reasonable settlement to look for, and Mr. Redmond and his party have now practically acceded to this. But for this concession many in these colonies , who have hitherto supported local government for Ireland would now (since the events of Faster) have become staunch Unionists. The Dean's expressed ideas go further towards a confirmation of that change of politics.—l am, etc., POMEROY. Hawera, July 31.