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Show justin McCarthy ,m. p. His Coniln? Article on Ireland and Ireland's Rights. The Existence of the Irish Nation Must Be Recognized. Lord Churchill Waking Up a Hornet's Nest of Critics. McCarthy's Article on Ireland. New Yobk, February 24 The Independent of the 25th instant will publish an article by Mr. Justin McCarthy, Member of Parliament, Parli-ament, setting forth in intelligible form for American readers what Mr. Parnell and his confreres include in their demand for home rule. "The following comprises the essential features of it. He begins by saying, that the Nationalists do not demand separation, but would not be. satisfied with mere local boardsthat very many Irishmen would be glad 4or separation, bulKthey recognize that the spirit of the age does not favor small independent states, but rather an agglomeration agglomer-ation of states, and that therefore THE QUESTION OF SEPARATION ' Does not come into practical politics. He then goes on to say: All Irishmen I know, ceztainly all. responsible Irishmen, are well content to see Ireland a part of Great Britain, Brit-ain, provided she is a partner with England on fair terms. If she is, they are willing that Ireland should be in partnership, but they are not willing that she should be in subjection. What they say to English statesmen states-men is this: "Give Ireland the right to manage her own affairs within the line of sea foam that washes her shores; give her the right to do for herself what every State in the American Union does for itself what every one of the English colonies in Canada and Australia can do; give us this much, and we are willing to live in friendly partnership with you. As to Imperial affairs, we could easily arrange. A compromise might be found. My own idea of a satisfactory system sys-tem would be to have A HOME BULK PARLIAMENT FOB ENGLAND, Another for Scotland, and if needs were, yet another for Wales, as well as one for Ireland, Ire-land, and an Imperial Parliament, in which all should be represented for Imperial affairsaffairs af-fairsaffairs of common interest. This would be just such a system as you Americans Ameri-cans have, as Canada and Australia have. But neither England nor Scotland wants a home rule parliament for herself just yet. I say, just yet, because the demand and necessity will come some day. Sooner or later, England and Scotland will find that it is not possible to get through local, parochial, paro-chial, national and Imperial business in one centralized legislature, but just yet this is not fully recognized, and therefore there is a certain difficulty about establishing a exrof OTVl TT'Vl T oil aVinnlH m'na Tvalotiil nnil T.n. Biawiu ttuauu ouiruju (ITV A&Cixauu, (UiUilC land alone, a domestio parliament, and at the same time allow to Ireland a full representation repre-sentation in the Imperial Parliament. Englishmen Eng-lishmen say: It is unreasonable that you should expect to come over here and take part in the government of our affairs while we are not to be allowed to have any share in the management of your affairs. I do not think there is much in the objection, but the objecion is made and has to be taken into account. Therefore, I, at least, should be quite willing to accept a parliament in College Green, Dublin, and to give up all right to a seat in the Imperial Parliament at Westminster. Some arrangements could easily be made as to Ireland's share in common com-mon taxation and her voice in Imperial affairs. No serious difficulty would arise about that. GIVE US AN IBISn PARLIAMENT, . And we will show that we are ready to meet England on fair and reasonable grounds of compromise, and arrangements as to other matters, but it must be an Irish parliament not a system of local boards. What is the difference, it may be asked, even in practice. The difference would be very great. In principle difference is a difference between what we want and what we do not want. We want to have the existence of the Irish nation recognized. We want an Irish National Parliament; free to make what laws it will for the internal administration adminis-tration of Ireland. We could not aocept control of the Parliament at Westminster, or of the sovereign, acting on English advisers. ad-visers. That would be to hand us over to the control of the English majority again; but we should be quite willing to accept the control of the sovereign acting on the advice of her Irish Ministers, the same principle as that which prevails in Canada and Australia. Of course, it would be merely a nominal control, JUST AS IT IS IN CANADA AND AUSTBALIA, And in England herself. The control of the sovereign in those countries never again can be anything but nominal. The control of an English Ministry over Ireland's domestic parliament would be very real and an altogether alto-gether intolerable control. Ireland would be quite willing to give any requisite guar- I anty by an article in the written constitution, constitu-tion, or otherwise, for the protection of the I minority in all their freedom of conscience ! and in all their rights of whatever kind. Nothing could be less needed than such a guaranty. Nothing is further from the mind and heart of Catholic Ireland than to do the slightest wrong to the Protestants of Ireland. With the single exception of O'Connell, all great Irish leaders' have been Protestants, and some of O'Connell's most powerful supporters were Protestants. See what a list it is: Wolfe Tone, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Robert Emmett, Smith O'Brien, Thomas Davis, John Mitchell, Isaac Butt, and Charles Stewart Parnell,all Protestants. Among the new members elected to serve Ireland's National cause in the Imperial Parliament, are several earnest Protestants, who would be rather amused if they were asked whether they were not afraid of being deprived of their freedom of worship if an Irish parliament . were to be established. What about the northern province of Ireland, Ire-land, which we hear, of as "Protestant Ulster?" Uls-ter?" I ask MX AMEBIC AN BEADEE3 To get well into their minds the fact that a majority of the members returned to Parliament Parlia-ment from the province of Ulster are Nationalists Na-tionalists and devoted followers of Mr. Parnell. Par-nell. Let us name some of them: Mr. Healy, Mr. Biggar, Mr. Wm. O'Brien, Mr. Wm. Kedmond. and Mr. Arthur O'Connor. Every American has heard of these names, and knows that they are names of men absolutely devoted to the Irish National cause. These men and many others like them are now chosen representatives of Ulster constituencies. Mr. Sexton went near to carrying tne division of Belfast. . I was only twenty votes behind my Orange competitor for the representation of the Orange city of Derby. Tell me of a Protestant Protest-ant being oppressed by his Catholic neighbor in such a country and under such conditions! But, by all means, let the guaranty be given if it is thought desirable or necessary. Let it be given in any form that the National men can devise." I shall make no trouble about that. |