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66
‘Bill. Perhaps, however, the most striking resolu-
tion was that moved by Mr. Mitchell on behalf of
the Belfast Trades Council in favour of Indepen-
dent Labour representatives in Ireland. This was
carried by a large majority. It would seem, how-
ever, at present to be much in the nature of a
pious opinion. But it is interesting as a sign of
the times.‘ By the way, it is also worthy of note
in connection with the discussion on Education
that Councillor M‘Carron, the chairman, in his
address, declared himself in favour of the secular
solution, as did also Mr. Dinneen last year at
Athlone. It is certainly remarkable that the work-
ing classes, both in Ireland and England, are over-
whelmingly in favour of purely secular education
in National Schools, though Mr. Hannay says
nobody in Ireland supports that proposal.
Ex-Officio Delegates
The scale of representation at the Conventions,
National and local, organised by the United Irish
League, is in many respects, in urgent need of
revision. Its worst feature is undoubtedly the in-
vitation extended to “prelates and clergymen of
all denominations ”, in virtue of their oflice, without
regard to their views on national questions, or their
attitude towards the political organisationrespon-
sible for the summoning of the Convention. There
is nothing whatever, apparently, to prevent a Tory
Bishop, Catholic or Protestant, from appearing at :1
Convention, and haranguing the assembled represen-
tatives of Nationalist Ireland in a strongly Unionist
sense. And although this extreme case has never
happened, and is not very likely to happen, ano-
malies differing from it only in degree are of con-
stant cccurrcnce. Reactionary and Conservative
priests, who have been Hghting the U.I.l.. and the
Irish Party in their own parishes, turn up at Con-
ventions, and unscrupulously employ the dignity of
their cloth and their solid voting power to warp
the decisions of the regularly chosen delegates ofthe
people. This state ofaffairs, farcical in its absurdity
when existing in a party pleading for a democratic
representative Irish Parliament, should be put a stop
to at once. Clergymen, like laymen, should he
admitted to Conventions only when they have been
l
4
THE NATIONAL DEMOCRAT
x
' June, 1907
duly chosen as delegates by some one of the bodies
to which representation is accorded.‘
Coercion in India
During the past month the British despotism in
India has produced some revolt on the part of the
natives of the Punjab, and there have been the
usual displays of “force” on the part of the
Government. Mr. Lajpat Rai, a man of great
public spirit and one of the chief promoters of
education in the Province, hasl been deported,
without trial, and under an Act of nearly a century
old. If the thing happened in Russia the British
Press of all shades would be full of indignation,
and even the Iris]: Times might draw the moral as
to the superior civilisation of Britain. As it
happens in India the same Press cries out for
“strong ” measures. In an able article our COIl-
temporary, India, shows that the British Govern-
ment is seeking, after the time-honoured fashion,
to create bad blood between the Mahomedans and
the Hindus, the Times enlarging on the “loyalty ”
of the former, and the “seditious tendencies” of
the latter. Even in India, we thus realise, see-
tarian division does the work of the conqueror.
For the Indians the moral is to organise, to educate,
and to stamp out religious strife.
The Humbug of the Coloniai Conference
The assumed gravity with which the proceed-
ings of the Colonial Conference have been treated
in the English Press of all shades is a notable
example of the extent to which make-believe can he
carried when everybody, like the people in Hans
Audersen’s fairy tale of the king’s new clothes,
thinks his interest is bound up with the sham. This
whole Colonial Conference business had its origin
in the South African VVar; and it was a grim
tragedy to see General Botha sitting at the table
where Chamberlain preached a crusade against
Botha’s nation only a few years ago. Indeed, we
trust it is not indelicate to hint that General Botha
has overdone his part a little. One can understand
his readiness to bury the hatchet for the sake of
the peace of South Africa; one can even understand
his lack of any personal rancour against men like
Roberts, though such lack stands for an exceptional
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