The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1912-07-27

" | plenty OF Information MMNND
81 from the policeman. N*SM##M%
C1A1 II who is be Ma~sszs5SSi
~ far on having in Hs% ssssgzs
(S| these days little to do W III ~
l n except scrutinize l| ~ ~ ~
strangers railway 4 II sSz6sNz
stations and street corners. Although saSS4E
often frigd and uncommunicatve to N
natives, the policeman is free enough w SeS9f
with strangers. and his information is M%,&f25
apt TO be reliable about the country NM
generally, for, he is never kept MA
long at any place. his local knowl- - W$~(N
edge Is extensive II is true that he " ~
Is apt to be biased against the peas ( ~ "
antry. because. although a peasants rW
son himself, his training and employ ~Jo
nent have made the people hate him y
For the common people have no use - M
for the 'peeler." the constabulary \ 3~J1
are contemptuously called by them -
imagine the policemen. the natural protectors
ol ite and property, being hated by the people,
That is the condition in ireland yet and has been
SO almost from the beginning That does not
mean that the Irish do not want to have life and
property protected. 1t means that they have SO
'ong seen the policeman identified with the pro
lection Of particular kind OF life to-wIt. tho
landlords and baf's, and particular kind OF
property to-wit: the landlords property in Land
that they overlook his other useful public sery
ices, IL Is most unfortunate state of things
me policeman has been made the buffer between
the English Government and the Irish people and
the efficient Instrument of coercion of tho lattor
ana between the two his lot has not been a hanrv
one. When home rule becomes an ACCOMPLISHED
iaet the Royal Irish Constabuary will be dis
banded II win no longer be necessary IN kaar
an English garrison" in Ireland .
The estrangement between the police and the
people is indeed remarkable In the lawless dis
il't7 OF which there are still too many the people
who could give information to the police will not
do so. Hence, there is a good deal of unpunished
crime in those districts One of the worst coun.
ties In this respect is the county OF Glare the
historic constituency that first elected OConnell
90 Parliament, Here the old wounds of the agra.
rian war have never closed up. During NV stay
i saw in OF the papers a pastoral letter of
the Most Rev DR.. Fogarty. Bishop OF Killaloe Civ
Ing ood-curdling description of outrages 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
perpetrated unoffending men. One of the vic
tins was an ex-soldier. who acting letter
carrier, and who shot in the highway in open
day. Although many people passed his wounded
body on the road. not would comfort or re-
Iieve him till the police several hours after
wards. These passers by doubtless felt that If
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 l fell in
with old man who did not object
uon, He proved to be expoliceman This
did not mince matters in detailing his views
and experiences. Glare was the most peacea BILE
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
OF the men you meet on the road are Fenians
Ribbonmen and many Of them are criminals
l told him I thought this was too strong a de-
scription of his countrymen. He. however stuck
to his opinion, and took me to elevated spot at
the back OF the Court House. from which he
pointed out the scenes of many seventeen
assassinations. all more less successful. but
for which only brought to
Justice.
1t is not alone the malcontents and the secret
society that refuse to tell the police what
they know about outrages Even the relatives OF
the injured persons often known to adopt a
similarly uncommunicative attitude. To give In
formation to the police is to be branded
''nfornier." which is the most offensive epthet in
the Irishman's vocabulary. being worse than that
of "hangman." The stigma descends from father
to son, while there is any of the family left to
endure It. My ex-policeman friend told that
he himself had heard Clare mother, whose son
was shot before her eyes. make the avowal that
she would rather see all her lying dead be-
side her than become a hated "informer." She
brought the secret to the grave with her.
1 asked my friend for his opinion to why the
force was SO unpopular He laid the blame un-
hesitatingly upon the English Government. The
Government have employed the police almost
eIushivey at evictions and other such unpopular
tasks. when they might have employed the regu-
Iar soldiers or the militia The result II that the