IRISH PARLIAMENT IN BEING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3416, 6 January 1912, Page 10

IRISH PARLIAMENT IN BEING.

MR REDMOND’S FORECAST OF WHAT IT WOULD DO.

In a speech at Norwich Mr Redmond gave his forecast of an Irish Parliament in being. The assembly would \ include, he said, representatives of science, art, and literature, and many : business men who were precluded from serving at Westminster. Those who were looking out for violent scenes—(laughter)—for extravagant language, or revolutionary proposals would be woefully disappointed. Their proceedings would be prosaic and humdrum in the last degree. They would be engaged on the work of endeavoring to put their house in order in a quiet and businesslike manner, just as the new county councils in Ireland in the year 1898 addressed themselves to the work of country government. There was the x’eform of the poor law, which was a system forced upon Ireland, and quite unsuited to her conditions, and which for the last seventy years had been rotten from top to bottom and extravagant, demoralising, and liatoful. They in the Irish Parliament would not be talking about Dreadnoughts, or about entering into diplomatic relations with the Tsar of Russia or the Sultan of Turkey. (Laughter.) Another question which a national Parliament would deal with was cheap moans of transit. To manage 3000 milqs of railway in Ireland now there wdfti .261 directors—(laughter)—and the principal manager of one. of the English railways had told him that alone he could manage all the railways of Ireland and have two days a week for fly-fishing for himself. EDUCATION AND DRAINAGE.

They in Ireland had the least progressive railways in Europe, prohibitive freights, and until something was done to deal with the Irish railways it was hopeless to expect a genuine industrial revival. Then primary and secondary education in Ireland was in a deplorable condition, and yet the Imperial Parliament, and could any sane Engfor no other reason than because it had no time. Arterial drainage could not be attended to by the Imperial Parliament. There were these and other things they wanted to discuss in an Irish Parliament, an dcould any sane Englishman say that the Empire would be in danger, or that the Protestant religion would be destroyed, if they in their own little local Parliament in Ireland were given the right of settling such questions for themselves? “Mind you,” ho continued, “that is all we are asking, and that is all that Home Rule means. We declare that we are only asking for a local Parliament subject to the unimpaired supremacy of the Imperial Parliament for the transaction of purely Irish local affairs. Wo disclaim with ridicule the charge that we are separatists. What we are asking leaves you as strong, far stronger than you are to-day, to deal with any demand for separation in the future.”