Frederic W. Pim

“ I have not had the hardihood to put forward any plan of my own for the future government of Ireland, but have contented myself with the less ambitious task of stating what seem to me to be the most salient and characteristic features of the puzzle, directing special attention to some points which do not seem to have been sufficiently considered by those who have hitherto been engaged in the endeavour to solve it. ”

“ On the other hand, it will be extremely difficult to "impose on Ireland"—as The Times itself recognises to be a necessity—on no stronger ground than the expectation of such a reconstruction in an undefined future (however sanguine we may be of its nearness) , a scheme which, in its essential features, differs widely from anything that prevails in any other part of the United Kingdom, and which will not command the adhesion of any considerable party in Ireland. ”

“ If, however, Parliament is not yet prepared to take up the vital question of general devolution, and it is decided that a settlement for Ireland is so urgent that it cannot be,any longer postponed, and must therefore, at any risk, be dealt with separately; then The Times' scheme, though not free from blemish, seems to offer the most statesmanlike basis that has yet been propounded on which a just and safe edifice may be erected. ”