The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-09-11

Mr.. F. Sheehy Skefflngton is an
Irish refugee, now in this country
having been arrested for making a
speech calculated to prejudice recruit.
ing. Having been committed to bail,
he left Ireland and came to New
York. Because he advocated that Ire.
land should be neutral he was sen
fenced to six months hard labor. The
intrepid Irishman started hunger
strike. He was released after being
without food for six days, and without
water for three days. His release
was under the celebrated "cat and
mouse, act, which requires that, as
soon as his health permitted, he shall
return to jail. He declared that he
would never serve the sentence. He
will remain in America about three
months, at the end of which time he
will return to Ireland, where he is
subject to re-arrest. The condition Of
ireland from National point of view
given out by Mr.. Skeff1ngton, will be
of particular interest to the readers
of the Irish Standard and the man
who conducted his own trial, as did
O'Donnovan Rosa, has many things
to say on the Irish question, from
first hand information, and from his
own experiences. In an interview
with the Irish World" Mr.. skefing.
ton, who was also newspaper man,
being editor of the Irish Citizen" q
weekly paper published in Dublin,
gave the following outline of the Irish
situation:
1.-THE government is in a dilemma;
Il it employs coercion against the
Nationalist movement, it only strength
ems that movement as we'll as adver-
Using to the world the fact of Ire
lands hostility; If 1t does not employ
coercion, the logic Of facts helps on
the growth Of the Volunteer move
ment Their way out is, as far as
possible to prosecute in secret-to CO.
cree and yet to keep the facts from
the world, by its grip on the subsi-
died Irish press. One Of the things /
hope to do in the United States is to
help to break down that policy Of sup
preston, by telling the American peo-
pie, in speech and writing, exactly
what is the state Of affairs In ireland
and how much zeal England has for
the cause Of Small Nationalities at
home.
Redmond and the Irish Parliamen-
tary party are in dilemma. If they
back coercion, they lose the last YES
tige of their hold on the Irish people;
If they oppose it, they ALLEVIATE the
English government, to the coat-tails
of which they have been clinging in
desperation for some years. If they
oppose recruiting and CONSUMPTION,
they lose all their value for their Brit
fish patrons; If they support recruit
ing, they are confronted with the de-
termination of their own followers not
to go So they adopt the usual dis
honest policy Of saying one thing in
public and the opposite in private.
Every day weakens their power. At
present they are trembling for fear of
losing the Harbor Division of Dublin
to Labor candidate; they cannot
hold any electoral convention in that
division, because there are no branches
of the United Irish League there.
"Contrasted with the position of the
coercion government and of the rene.
gade party, the position of Irish Ma
tionalists is a very strong one. Being
on straight course, with clear and
honest and Incorporating policy, nc
attack can seriously weaken them, nc
incident of the struggle can disconcer,
them. They are gaining strength and
confidence every day, as the country
comes in increasing numbers to theil
side. At the time Of the split in the
Volunteer ranks last September, Red
mond's section (the so-called National
volunteers) was admittedly the larger
in numbers Though even then inferior
in spirit and in equipment; but tht
majority Of the Volunteers enrolled
prior to the split simply dropped ou
altogether, unable to make up theil
minds between the conflicting claims
of Redmond and MacNeill. Since tn,
formation Of the Coalition Ministry ii
May, these men have been coming
back, In steadily increasing numbers
to join MacNeill's Irish Volunteers
the years events have shown how RICH
MacNeill was. Large numbers ar,
also leaving Redmond's Volunteers t.
rejoin the Irish Volunteers.
"The Irish Volunteers are no
merely growing in numbers, and In
proving in equipment, but, what |
most important Of all, they are stead
" growing more resolute in spiri'
Their self.conhdence increases Wit
the failure Of each new government
plot against them. For . year the
have quietly accepted deportation o
ders-frequently issued BY the militar
authorities against active men-frol