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EDITED J~Y · EOIN..' MAC·· NEILL. · Vol. 2. ·No. 56 ( New Series) .
PRICE ONE 'PENNY .
SATURDAY , JA N UAR Y '1,s t, 1916.
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±n a case 0£ undoubted necessity, commits a breach of discipline," and deserves punishment. When a Volunteer is carrying his arms, or wear~ng his uniform, The Irish Volunteers· o:ffer a New or part-uniform, or part-uniform 'authorYear's greeting to their mother Ireland . ised by his officers, he is under' discipline, They tell her that the ~ord they have · a:nd no sort of monkeying or irresponsible given her will not be .taken b~ck. T~ey separate action on _h is part should be will keep on making themselves more allowed to go uncensured .. By the same efficient in her service and more capable token, I liear some complaints of bad of doing the duty they have undertaken care of arms by individval Volunteerstowal·ds her at whatever time she calls rifl.es, etc., kept with the action s-pring on them to do · it. They . also wish a in tension, or with foul barrels, and so happy New Year and a happy future to OIL Every officer is 'responsible for the all the people ·of Ireland, both those who p:roper care of weapons by the meh under ha.ve stood by_ them and befriended them him, :illd inspection of arms sliould be made as frequently as may be found pracand those who have not. • • • ticable. They send the· same friendly greetings • • • and wish the same .blessings to all the Another· gpod service has been done by children of E ire who dwell beyond the the police in some places and deserves to seas and are mindful of their motherland. be recognised. When active recruiting They ask the prayers of all their brothers for ·the Volunteers has been in progress, and sisters in I reland and abroad, that the police, no doubt acting under Mr. they may fulfil their duty according to Birrellls instructions, have gone about the ancient rules of prudence, justice, telling ·y0ung men or their relatives that fortitude, and temperance : the· Ii.{sh Volunteers are sev.erely frowned upon by the benign Government, and • • • The sense of discipline and duty grows that it might b.e better for· the young slowly in a volunteer body and in a men to lrnep away from them . I have . country where law for ages bas been been telling people the same thingmade the enemy and oppressor of the young men who are afraid of lawless people and of justice. I heard the other intimidation had be_tter take no risks, day about the case of a Volunteer who, ;a nd if their relatives think that the in the gaiety of his heart, fired a shot young men should look to their own selfrom his rifl e in .public. He was. sum- fish interests and the rdevil take the moned by the police before a magistrate . country, it is well they should be put to and fined a small sum . I have. had to - the test. · I commend Mr. Birrell for expose. before now the . gross misconduct h avmg · · t't ms i u t ed th.~s £orm o£ preli"mi·of pohce officeTS, law offl_cers, and magis- nary examrna · t.ion . · rn · pa.t n·0 t i·sm . trates . That is no pleasant , task . I · • * • could heartily wish that all Irishmen who Mr . Redmond told the Imperial Parliaare in the service of the unrightful Go- ment on December 21st that the thought vernment of Ireland would at least re- of what was happening·· and might hap.,, fuse at all costs to do any plainly dis- pen at Gallipoli "had been for some honourable .. action and to make them- weeks past something· like a- nightmare ." selves the willing tools of anti-Irish poli- Uneasy lies the head that makes a politicians in power. But in this case I have tical bolster of the lives of men . Mr. the pleasure of congratulating the police Redmond's nightmare is a sign of grace. and the magistrate, whoever they may The Gallipoli :r;etirement will not bring be, on having b~en in a position to do peace to his pillow . what the officers of the Volunteers must • do, to enforce discipline . The Volunt eer Mr. Redmond "'.ent on -to speak on anwho fires n; s4,ot without -orders, except other matter. "H~ would state his per-
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sonal views on compulsion. H e was content to ta.ke the phrase the P rime Minis- · ter used last week, and be prepar ed to say .t hat he ·would stic.k at nothing that was calculated to e:ffect their purpose· and end this war (cheers) . That was the view, he was certain, of the people of Ireland." W here did Mr>. R edmond get mandate or authority for this utterance? Now that he has declared himself, will he venture to go before any free ·and open audience, like the meeting b.eld recently in tne Man.sion H ouse, and ask for man: date and authority? we have h'~ard' :on fifty occasions the rant of "stabb.ing Mr. Redmond in the bac~:'' I do not wish to see the violent language of · faction .established .as a. feature . of Irish politics, and it is enough td say' plainly that ':Wir. R edmond's ·.f '. stick~a:t-nothing '' declarat ion is not "' the view of the people of Ireland" or of any~ considerable. section of the people of Irelan'd .
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Mr . R edmond ·procee.ds :_ "He was not convinced that the compufs~on ·of any class bf the pe0ple 0£ this co,untry was necessary to ~nd the war or was calculated to lead .to that r esult . This was not ai questio1 n1of pr'i.ncip·le1but of expediency, of necessity, and ,if it .w as proved that it was necessary·, to end the war, so far as he was concerned the case was settled . Bu!t he dlidl not thii.n1k it was necessary, and· '~e ' was convinced that they could prove it was not necessary. On the con- · tra'.ry, he believed that the in.troduction of compulsion unde1r' the1conditions of the momenit would have the contr ary e:ffect. W ith. the man' who 'wouJd say he would rathei· lose the war than have compulsioll:", he' h!1.d no sympathy at all, and nobody had . . But the onus of proving the necessity rested with those who advocated comp'ulsion . , H e w~s: con,.vincecf it would be disastrous, and ' if it was. proposed under .present circunJ.i' stances and .conditions he - fo r · one· would oppose ifby every. mea:qs in ' his powe;. · . . . F or these reasons' heI said tG the • • " P rime Minister and th.e Governm.en't --and in this '. he spoke , for all his cQlleagues· from ,I reland- that in,· the .exisilllg . c.i r· '
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