The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-09

newspaper offices and political headquar-
 ters The people of Ireland have not
 changed their attitude toward England.
 They look upon this war as a struggle
 for commercial supremacy between Eng
 land and Germany: they consider that 1t
 Is not their war in any sense of the word
 and would be well satisfied to see Eng
 land humbled; for the supremacy of Eng
 fish commerce has always meant the de-
 struction of Irish industry.
 England is doing all in her power
 to change public opinion in Ireland and
 is posing as the champion of Catholic
 Belgium The Anglo-Irish press dur
 ing the latter part of August and early
 part of September contained Iurid &C., counts of German atrocities in Belgium priests and nuns murdered churches
 burned. and thousands of noncombat-
 ants carried off to Germany to be forced to work in German fields and
 mines. After Belgium, those papers
 said. the Protestant Germans will not
 attack Ireland. The Belgians were the
 most industrious, sober, educated and
 religious people on earth. Rally to
 the defense of the brave little Catholic
 Belgium! Such was the appeal made
 to Ireland. There were. however, many
 people in Ireland who remembered the
 Iurid accounts printed in the English
 papers few years ago of the Belgian
 atrocities in the Congo. Then, the
 Belgians were so cruel bloodthirsty
 and barbarous. that in the name of hu-
 manity, England was almost forced to take possession of the Congo territory. The Irish were called upon to avenge the destruction of Louvain with It's great library containing many priceless Irish manuscripts. Ireland felt the loss of Louvain, if 1t Is lost, for many of our Irish priests were educated there in the days of persecution. But Ireland also remembered that those same Irish priests sought shelter in Louvain because of Eng fish, not German, persecution. They, therefore concluded that If they were to take up arms to defend the rights of small nations and avenge the destruction of Catholic institutions, they could scarce ly do so consistently by fighting for the increase of British power and influence. Then they were appealed to in the name of Irish patriotism. The democracy of
 England has given you home rule! Show your gratitude by enlisting in the army of Lord Kitchener! From an Irish bri- gade which will be officered as far as possible by 7rlshmen. A very fine ap-
 peal, indeed, but unfortunately not found ed on fact. England has not given Ire land home rule True, indeed bill called "the government of Ireland bilP' has been placed on the statute book and received the royal signature.
 It has, however many string attached The first is that it does not go into ef- feet until after the war; and then only on an order in council being issued to
 that effect. The second string is that before it goes into effect another bill will be put through Parliament amending the original bill in such manner as to
 make it acceptable to the unionists of Ul- ster. Now the leader of those unionists has declared repeatedly that no com promise will be accepted by his party short of the complete exclusion of the | whole province of Ulster. This, noth- withstanding the fact that the majority of the members of Parliament from Ul- ster are home rulers. The home rule party offered to submit the question tc a vote of the people of Ulster and abide by the result. This was refused. Sir Edward Carson proclaimed that the union ists would opose home rule by force oi arms The officers of the British army declared they would resign rather thar enforce decree of Parliament upon the unionsts of Ulster. Sir John French re- signed from the army council rather thar reprimand those officers. When war was declared they proclaimed a truce, bu the unionists and Orangemen still say they will take up arms to oppose home 1 rule; and the prime minister declared that | it was unthinkable that the army ane navy of England should be used to en 1 force home rule.
 1 It is unthinkable to use the armed l forces of the crown against Carson and his followers. but it was not unthinka-
 ble to use the same forces to maintain the power of landlords in Ireland 1t
 or 15 years ago; or against the nationa,
 volunteers in the city of Dublin on the first Sunday in August 1914. Then the
 armed forces of the crown shot down defenseless women and children. But they were nationalist women and chil dren that of course made 1t not only
 thinkable but right and just.
 When the English army refused tc
 protect the lives and property of na. ! tionalists in Ireland the young men oi
 the country formed tho nationalist vol. unteers for their own defense. They
 smuggied guns and ammunition into
 the country and at the outbreak of the war they. numbered almost 100000 They are now fairly well drilled and
 armed Kitchener would like to get