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Show LLOYD GEORGE I REVIEWSQUTLOOK Self -Government for Ireland Vital to Great Britain in Great Crisis. AMERICAN ATTITUDE 1 United States Entitled to Expect Ex-pect Great Britain to Smooth Out Difficulties. LONDON. Tuesday, April 17. Dis-' Dis-' cussing the manpower in the house of commons, Premier Lloyd-George asked whether conscription in Ireland was to be the government's only answer an-swer to the report of the most remarkable remark-able convention ever hold in Ireland. Such an answer would bo regarded as I unsatisfactory, not only in Ireland, but in England, he said. If there was trouble trou-ble In Ireland arising from refusal to legislate after the Irish convention J and only conscription was offered, any i resistance in Ireland would moot w ith ' sympathy hero which would paralyze ! the effort to enforce conscription in ', Irelanu. I The premier reforred especially to .the attitude of the Litfjor pay. adding: add-ing: "It Is useless to put this bill on the statute books unless we intend to en-I en-I force it and it la useless to try to enforce en-force It unless behind the government i there Is a feeling that Ireland nas been I justly treated. Moreover Ireland is not the only country is to be considered. American Opinion of Bill. "As to America, the opinion reach -ling the government is that sentiment ' in America supports the bill provided ! self -government in Ireland Is vital to us at the moment that America is iioming to our aid through the most 'remarkable decision ever taken by any ! executive President Wilson's decision j was not w ithout difficulty, but it was the only way America could render practical assistance in this battle. "in these circumstances America is entitled to expect from the British i government though they couid not ! ask any government to carry out domestic do-mestic legislation that they would smooth these difficulties and, at any rate, not increase them. 1 am certain I nothing would help more at the pres-lent pres-lent Juncture to secure the full measure of American assisnce than the determination de-termination of the British parliament (to tender to Ireland her own parlia ' ment j Replying to Sir Edward Carson's criticisms, the premier said that il it had been merely a matter of a year or i two possibly no grave consequences J would have arisen for Ireland but what I would have had happened would show if the war was prolonged a continua-i continua-i lion of the state of suspense was a matter vital interest, not mereh to I Ireland but to the empire. In introducing the man power bill, he said, the government had considered consider-ed nothing but the best means for prosecuting the war. They were confronted con-fronted with a need for more men be-I be-I cause tho Germans had just summoned I to the colors anothei ',50,000 men for i training. Great Britain must make - i . ady tor them and. thereto e, the government, has had to introduce a measure of the most drastic character. charac-ter. Sir Edward Carson, the Ulster lead-er, lead-er, said ho would continue to support the manpower bill, adding Even if you put Ulster in a subordinate subordi-nate position to the rest ol Ireland with whicb she is now threatened and if ypu put me under a government of Nationalists or Sinn Peiners I support ii because no more detestable domination domina-tion could be put over the world than thai of the Germans." |