The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1912-08-02

Imagine the policemen, the natural protectors
Of life and property being hated by the peoplo,
Ihat Is the condition In Ireland yet and has been
80 almost from the beginning That does NOT
mean that the Irish do not want 10 hnye life and
property protected. It means that they have so
long seen the policeman identified with tho pro
lection of particular kind Of life. to-wit, tho
landlords and baiin'a. and particular kind OF
property. to-wit: tho landlords property I'm land
that they overlook his other useful public sery
ices II IN most unfortunate state OF things
The policeman has been made the buifor between
the English Government and the Irish people ana
the efficient instrument OF coercion OF tho Iatte,
and between the two his lot has not been happy
one. When home rule becomes an Accomplished
fact the Royal Irish Constabulary will be dis.
banded II will no longer be necessary to keen
an English garrison" In Ireland.
The CstranEomcnt between the police and tho
people Is indeed remarkable In the lawloss dis.
tricts OF which there are stll too many the people
who could give information to the police will not
do 30, Hence, there is a good deal OF unpublished
crime In those districts one OF the worst conn
ties In this respect Is the county o. Clare the
historic constituency that first elected OConncu
to Parliament Here the old wounds ~ the agra
rlan war have never closed up. During my stay
I saw In one OF the papers a pastoral letter OF
the Most Rev DR., Fognrty, Bishop Of Klllaloe civ.
Ing a bloodcurdllng description OF outrageE which
continued TO be committed with impunity against
life and property In Clare. ] visited Ennis the
capital OF the county was told that In one week
no less than three shooting outrages had been
perpc'rnted on unoiIending men one OF the vic.
tins was al cxsola!sr, who was acting letter.
carrier. and who was shot IN she highway In open
day. Although many people passed his wounded
body on the road. not one would comfort
Hove him Ill the police came several hours after.
wards These passers by doubtless fclt that II
they gave any help to the victim they might meet
the same fate as himself So helpless has British
law become IN the county OF Glare
SaunterinG round the narrow streets fell IN
with an old man who did not object to conyersa'
ton lie proved to be ex-policomnn. This
man did not minco matters In detailing his views
and experiences Glare was the most poacoable
county in Ireland" said he, when Joined the
force but the cursed Land League came upon us
and since then things have been different. Most
~ the men you meet on the road are Fcnans or
Ribhonmen and many OF them criminals
told him thought this was too strong de-
scription Of his countrymen. He. however, stuck
20 his opinion and took me to an elevated spot At
the back Of the Court House, from which he
pointed out the scenes OF AS many AZ seventeen
assassinatlons, all more or less successful but
for which only one man was ever brought To
Justice
f. is not alone tho malcontents and the secret
society men that refuse TO tell the police what
they know about outrnges Even the relatives OF
the injured persons are often known TO adopt a
tlmilafly uncommunicatye attitude To give In
formation TO the police ia 10 be branded as an
"iniormer" which Is the most offensive cpthet In
tho irishmans vocabulary being worse than that
OF "hangman" The stigma dosconds from father
TO son. while there rs any OF the family left to
endure II My eXpoceman friend told me that
be himself had heard Glare mother, whose son
was shot before her eyes make the ayowal that
she would rather all her sons lying dead be-
eide her than become hated 'informer" She
brought the secret to the grave with her
asked my friend for his opinion to why the
force was so unpopular lie laid the blame un.
besitatngly upon the English Government The
Government have employed the police almost cx
clushgyely at evictions and other such unpopular
tasks when they might have employed the rogu
lar soldiers or the militia The result Is that the