1 Private
& Confidential TELEGRAMS,
BALLINAKILL.
STATION, ABBEYLEIX. Heywood
Ballinakill,
Queens Co. 22nd June 1916 Dear Mr. Redmond,
I hope you will
forgive me for troubling
you with a letter at a time
when I feel sure your
mind and energies must
be fully occupied in
connection with a settlement
of the Home Rule Question
My execuse for doing so
is, that during the last
few days, judging by what 2 one reads in the papers-
there appears some danger
of the negotiations intiated
by David lloyd George falling
through, in which case
I am anxious to know,
whether in your opinion
the intervention of an
influential body of Unionists
of the South and West of Ireland,
might not possibly avail
to bring about a repproache-
-ment between the 3 nationalist Party and Ulster,
with a view to effecting
such a setllement as would
enable Ulster, from the
first, to throw in her lot
with the rest of the country. Should unfortunately, W.
Llyod George's proposals -from
one cause or another-not
materialise, it seems to
me that we shall be face
to face with a situation
of the upmost gravity,
for while few may be
found to evince much
upset of the abandonmnet 4 of proposals, which in them-
-selves afford little satisfaction
to any party in Ireland, the
unfeasibility of reverting to
the status-quo-ante, and
the prospect of the sole
alternative, viz, a prolonged
regime of martial law,
cannot but fill the whole
country with dismay. Whatever the necessity for a
settlement at this juncture
may be, that necessity will
be still more insistent in
the event of the present
negotiations failing, for
the forces of disloyalty and
rebellion, 5 rebellion, are in such a case
bound to re-assert themselves
with increasing vigour, in
an endeavour to still further
alienate the good-will and
allegiance of the loyal
nationalists, and to embitter
our relations with the Empire. In these circumstances, I
believe every Unionist,
who has the country's interest
at heart would be prepared
to subordinate his own
particular views, and 6 to exert all his influence
in support of a policy of
reconciliation and co.operation
between the two, hithero,
opposing political parties
for he would realise that
only by a combination of
the best elements in a
united Ireland can we
hope to combat the spirit
of disaffection, unrest,
and disloyalty which now
threatens to destroy our 7 Country, and to wreck
the aspirations of those
who, like yourself, have
so long laboured for the
Welfare of Ireland. Should you, as I hope,
agree with me in thinking
that some good might
result from a movement
such as I suggest, it would
greatly facilitate my task
in approaching leading
Unionists, if you would 8 authorise me to say, that you
are not unfavourable to
such a proposition, for without
some such indication of your
views, many men might shrink
from coming forward, and
exposing themselves perhaps,
to rebuff. I need scarcely
say, there is no idea of
making any communication
to the press asregards this
matter, and the negotiations
between myself and unionists
would be of an entirely con-
fidential nature; no action
would of course, be taken
without your consent,
9 for, unless I was in a
position to show you that
we had an influential and
representative body of
unionist opinion in
support of my proposals. Believe me,
Dear Mr. Redmond,
Yours very sincerly
Hutchinson Poe.