New Chief Secretary outlines vision for Ireland

Exeter, 4 August 1916 - The new Chief Secretary to Ireland outlined his views on the Irish Question at a speech in the English city of Exeter.

Mr Henry E. Duke opened with a reference to the recent disturbances in Dublin. He lamented the ‘foul murders’ which took place during Easter week and noted that many of the perpetrators have gone unpunished and even appear to command sympathy in certain quarters. However, he said that the key question now was whether Englishmen were ready to take up the case of Irish self-government again, or whether they were to declare that task impossible.

Mr Duke noted that seven and a half centuries of attempting to pacify the country using an army had failed, and their duty now was to find a peaceful, constitutional settlement that would heal the wounds of Ireland.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]