Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-29
"sINN FEM"


A s final outcome Of thirty years
n of struggle and bloodshed in Ire
4 land to procure home rule the sop
now offered by England in the form Of
the Irish councils bill awakens new
animosities In the Irishman's breast,
and the new movement called "Sinn
Fein" is the result. "Sinn Fein" is the
Gaelic for ourselves" and its doctrine
Is, as set forth in an article in the
North American Review by Seumas
MacManus, the salvation of the nation
to be wrought by the people upon ma
tional soil, rather than in the British
parliament. To cultivate among the
people regeneration politically, lin
guistically, industrially, educationally.
morally and socially, and especially to
inculcate temperance and a general
knowledge of the Gaelic tongue.
This movement had it's origin two
years ago in Dublin under the lead of
Arthur Griffith and has had a phe-
nomenal growth. The land is covered
with schools and colleges teaching the
Gaelic tongue and fitting the people to
answer "call upon the Irish people to
hold England bound to her solemn
assertions made in the renunciation act
Of 1888 under stress of war with the
colonies and threatened insurrection
at home, that it is hereby declared
established and ascertained forever,
ard shall at no time hereafter be ques-
toned or questionable that Ireland
shall be bound only by laws enacted by
the parliament of Ireland" The "Sinn
Fein" party, following the example of
Deak in Hungary, calls upon the Irish
people to hold England to this law,
never taken from her statutes. 1t also
calls upon Irish representatives to with
draw from England's parliament and TO
establish a council Of the nation which
should plan and direct the carrying on
OF resistance, passive and active, TO
British law and taxes; to harass Eng
land at every turn and to form alliances
with wronged peoples in other parts Of
the world.
The withdrawal Of the parliamentary
members would save the Irish people
the e25,OO0 C125,00O) it costs to keep
them there, and this sum could be util-
lied to foster new industries and find
foreign markets. In this way 1t IS
hoped to make it impossible for Eng
land to govern Ireland.
To the end that these things may be
made possible emigration is to be dis
couraged and finally stopped, and the
young men and women taught to work
out this destined plan for Ireland's
freedom.
The writer shows that the only con-
cessions Ireland ever got from England
were got by agitation on Irish soil and
not through parliamentary work, and
that her final freedom must come in
like manner. He claims that wages and
work have materially increased in Ire
land and thus will tend to remove the
great cause for emigration, and he
looks, in the near future, for thousands
of Irish-Americans who are well-to-do
to return and settle down under "Sinu
Fein" rule.
One of the most hopeful aims Of
"Sinn Fein" is to abolish the rum
drinking habit among Irishmen, and to
this end an anti-treating crusade is
now in progress all over the island, one
of it's principal incentives being that it
will deprive England of an annual
revenue from spirits drank in Ireland
of $4,000, 900.
The propaganda is active in America
and its teachings find ready acceptance
everywhere. 1t is particularly strong
in San Francisco, and is spreading over
the state rapidly.