IRELAND AND COMPULSORY SERVICE. (To THE EDITOR 07 THE "
SPECTATOR.") send you a contribution on the question of compulsory service in Ireland. As a former Member of Parliament for many years, and having given all my three sons (who voluntarily joined at the beginning) for their country, I feel very deep and bitter feelings of indignation on this subject. The difficulty was to restrain this and keep my contribution in moderate compass. May I hope, in view of the meeting of Parliament, that you can insert it in the Spectator of the 21st inst.?—I am, Sir, &c., [Unfortunately we cannot find space to print Sir John Wilson's memorandum, but may extract from it the following passages:— "Read what an Irishman in South Africa, Sir Thomas Smartt, rays : ' As an Irishman I burn with indignation that the same principle that has been applied to England, Wales and Scotland should not also at the same time have been applied to Ireland. Coming from the Dominions which will have to take part in the final settlement, I cannot understand how Irishmen can expect any measure of free local self-government without being prepared to give every available man to fight for civilization against barbarism.' "
Every right-thinking Irishman should, at this critical turning- point in its history, remember the warning of their countryman Sir Thomas Smartt, and should join in urging the Government to remove this deplorable stigma from Ireland and so prove their right to self-government."
--En. Spectator.]
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