30 JUNE 1917, Page 3

We have refrained from any, comment of late on the

state of affairs in Ireland, stud on the prospects of the Convention, for what seems to us a sufficient reason. We have always held that the Union is- the instrument of government that divides Ireland least, and we have believed that that would ultimately be found true by our rulers. But as they think that• all sections in Ireland may yet be drawn together in a scheme of self-government, we could not possibly dwell on our doubts at the moment. We most earnestly hope that we may have overlooked some determining factor in the problem, and that the Government may be right in the event, and that we may be proved hopelessly wrong.