it—­on the ground of expediency; it would not be an easy thing to put this measure into operation in Ireland.  Sir Edward Carson spoke later and counselled the dropping of the amendment.  With matters in this stage Redmond spoke very fully to the House, recognizing the absence of all partisan tone in the speeches of Ulster members.  He had long felt, he said, that “if conscription came, Ireland’s whole attitude towards the war was likely to suffer cruel and unjust misrepresentation,” because it must emphasize a difference between the two countries.  Conscription in Ireland would be “impracticable, unworkable and impossible.”  Instead of leading to the increase in the supply of men it would have the opposite effect.

“It would most undoubtedly paralyse the efforts of myself and others who have worked unsparingly—­and not unsuccessfully—­since the commencement of the war, and would play right into the hands of those who are a contemptible minority among the Nationalists of Ireland, and who are trying—­unsuccessfully trying—­to prevent recruiting and to undermine thus the position and power of the Irish party because of the attitude we have taken up.”

He complained once more of the Government’s failure to utilize the Volunteers and of the damping effect which had resulted from the non-fulfilment of Mr. Asquith’s words.  Yet Ireland was doing all that was asked of it—­maintaining the reserves of Irishmen for Irish regiments at the front.—­This was true at the moment; but the Sixteenth Division had scarcely yet begun to come into the line and the Ulster Division, during its first few months, suffered slight casualties.  In point of fact, however, the bare rumour of conscription had checked recruiting, and Redmond was guarded in his terms.  It was, he said, “on the whole very satisfactory, and in the towns amazing”; but he admitted that the country districts had not given an adequate response.

But he made now an appeal to the House as a whole to lift the consideration of this whole matter on to broad lines, to view it on the plane of statesmanship.  If five years earlier anyone had foretold that in a great war Ireland would send 95,000 volunteer new recruits to fight by the side of England, would he not have been regarded as a lunatic?  “The change in Ireland has been so rapid that men are apt to forget its history.”  That was a true saying; his own success had created difficulties for him.  Once more he quoted the example of the other statesman in the Empire whose position had most analogy with his own.  “I honestly believe,” he said, “that General Botha’s difficulties were small compared with those we had to confront in Ireland....  It is true to say at this moment that the overwhelming sentiment of the Irish people is with the Empire for the first time.”

That was his claim, and in that month of January 1916 he was fully entitled to make it; and the House, I think, recognized his justification.  His speech has in it the ring of confidence, of assurance that he would be taken at his word.