· J~Y
EDITED Vol. 2.
EOIN MAC NEILL.;
SATURDAY, FEBt;WARY 12th·, 1916.
No. 62. (New Series).
I=---------------------------ii NOTES
I
Dr. Starkie and others have lent themselvi::s to be the mouthpieces of a twofold accusation against "the Irish Volunteers under the committee presided over by Mr . MacNeill." One of our crimes has been: "hostility to the G9vernment of the country" ; the other, "hostility to recruitment for the forces of the Crown." Hostility to the present form of the Government of Ireland is the attitude of every honest supporter of Ireland's cfaim to self-government. The Government of Ireland is the cause of disaftection towards the Governm_e nt of Ireland, and is at present causing more a:~d more disaffectio~- towards itself and laying ~he foundation for more solid disaffection than ·it has encountered since it was compelled to reform · its Land .Laws against lreland. * * * The other crime 1s that of "acting in a manner prejudicial to recruitment for the forces of the Crown." Here again, it it easy to show that the conduct of those engaged in advocating recruitment, some of them at handsome salaries, has been the most powerful anti-recruiting agency that could be devised. Poor men have been heavily fined and imprisoned for such offences against r ecruiting as the singing of " God Save Ireland," while a swarm of incompetents have been paid large sums for turning the Government's recruiting campaign into a public laughing stock by their ridiculous oratory. This was admitted some months ago by the "authorities" and Mr. Redmond, and we were told that Mr. Redmond would institute a better method, and that the Viceroy would take charge. * * * It is very unwise for poor men to get sent to jail for doing what Mr. Redmond . can do far better . . I am not referring to the crusade of factious vituperation carried on under Mr. Redmond's auspices by Mr. Redmond's lieutenant, though not King George's lieutenant or even private-Mr. Tom O'Donnell, M.P.-a hopeless crusade of political faction under the pretence of recruiting for the British Army. I refer to the new and improved methods, introduced , by Mr. Redmond
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PRICE ONE PENNY·.
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himself. The English Viceroy at Galway People, and Mr. Redmond claims the last week had the satisfaction of listen- support of everybody _in Ireland who is ing to an Irish political leader who stood not contemptible. H as the Free People be~ide him and sa.i d that everybody in set up the standa.rd? Has it been conIreland who does not dance to the tunes sulted about the standard? Have Mr. the English Government gramophone Redmond's followers . been consulted? is ." .contemptible." There was once a How w~s the standit~"ii :~rived at? This fox who said that grapes were contempti- was not explained in Galw!:\y. Mr. Birble, but he didn't think so . Mr. Red- rell "made no bones about it . ~' Appamond's "con~emptible" will be taken as · rently he was tired listening to the other a fresh watc.hword of faction- and will be ·.,,bone-makers and their pleas, so "he p1it through all the cases and numbers would mak~ no bones about it, he just and degrees of comparison and words and wanted men." Mr . Birrell can be tenses by the minor apostles of the new humorous, even in the present state of national unity. It is a proud achieve- . Europe . He must ~njoy the grand plea ment for an Irish political leader to pour which appeals so strongly to his humorcontempt on _Irishmen-or rather to try ous colleagues and political allies, and to do so~in the presence of the repre- to the humour-forsaken «Irish Times" sentative of the -English Government in - the plea that "Ireland will be disIreland.- Only for thaj; aspect of the · graced .i~ _.the gaps in Iris~ Regiments · thing-and it is ·a nasty aspect-Mr. have to be filled up with Englishmenand Redmond's contempt would be food for Scotchmen ." From this plea two conlaughter. It is as if a man up to his clusions follow . The more gaps and the neck in a -bog was ·to shout "contempti- bigger gaps are made in those regiments, ble" against men on the firm roadway . the more effectually will Ireland be disIt will not bring the Viceroy a single re- graced. The other conclusion is equally cruit. plain. Every English or Scotch regiment . •* which contains Irishmen is a disgraced * * But the watcliword of faction did not regini.ent1 a disgrace to Englan,d- or Scote:x:haust Mr. Redmond's demonstration land. The new methods thus afford a of the new methods. He wound up his . double proof that Great Britain has forspeech by the extraordinary declaration feited all claim to self-government. tha~, if recruiting does not come up to * * * In September, 1914, and for several the standard set up for Ireland, then Ireland will be unworthy of self-govern- months afterwards, Mr . Redmond kept ment. That is to say, if Mr. Redmond's proclaiming that he had actually won new policy proves a failure, he declares Home Rule for Ireland. Quite recently himself ready to become a Unionist . N;' o Mr. Dillon repe£lted the claim, said that other meaning can be taken out of the the Home Rule Act was better than Galway pronouncement. It is only the Grattan's Parliament, and asked, "Could logical and natural fulfilment of the King George forego his signature?" Sharp Curve. But it will not bring the Those who dared to doubt that we were already in enjoyment of Home Rule, Viceroy a single recruit . among them the Bishop of Limerick, * * * We know that recruiting in England were declared by Mr. Redmond to be does not come up to the Government Mrs ~ Gummidges. Now they have -the standard, and so compulsion had to be consolation or the pang of reading in adopted. Possibly Mr. Redmond under- Mr. Redmond's Galway speech that Mr. stands that compulsion means the end 0£ Redmond himself is a Mrs. Gummidge. popular self-government in England. At So far from having Home Rule, we are all events the British Democracy has now now told that, as things stand, we are learned, on Mr. Redmond's authority, not worthy of Home Rule. As a compenthat it has proved itself unworthy of self- sation, however, ·we have Eight Millions a year of additional taxation-which, if government. it gets time, will deprive County Galway * * * and the rest of Ireland, Ulster included, And this standard set up for Ireland..;\ ho has set it up, and upon what foundo- of the present surplus of population. lion? Mr. Asquith says we are a Free Th:is topic is out of order for the great
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