The Irish standard., 1915-09-11
Irish Refugee on
Slss}k|ing ! Tour

81
Mr.. F. sheehy Skeffington is an
Irish refugee. now in this country,
having been arrested for making q
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
viii 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 q National point Of view
given out by Mr.. skeffington, will be
of particular interest to the readers
Of the Irish Standard and the man
who conducted his own trial, as did
O'Donnovan Rossa, 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 a 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 dilemma;
Il it employs coercion against the
Nationalist movement, 1t only strength
ems that movement as we'll as adver-
tising to the world the fact of Ire
iand's hostility; II It. 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 persecute 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 a dilemma. II they
back coercion, they lose the last YES
tige of their hold on the Irish people;
II they oppose 1t, they ALLEVIATE the
English government, to the coat-tails
Of which they have been clinging in
desperation for some years. II they
oppose recruiting and conscription,
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 60 So they adopt the usual dis.
honest policy OF saying one tnlng IN
public and the opposite IN private
Every day weakens their power. a,
present they are trembling for fear o.
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. Beinl
on straight course, with q clear ant
honest and uncompromising policy, n,
attack can seriously weaken them, n,
Incident OF the struggle can disconcer
them. They are gaining strength an,
confidence every day. as the countr.
comes in increasing numbers to thei
$ side. At the time Of the split In tn
Volunteer ranks last September, Red
I mond's section (the so-called 'National
Volunteers was admittedly the large
in numbers (though even then inferio