, 1916-05-17

executions although the previous inquire was
twelve. H asked what perpe weie TO ne
lievo aud comp aimed that 7 emHer Asqulth
was kept in the dark by The military rutho-
rites as TO what was Goln9 on. lie dId not
hold General Maxwell and the other military
authorities responsible fol the executions Of
II. Sheehy Skeffin2ton, but pointed out that
Mr.. SIX, if ngton was shot on April 26th and
the IN ltary authorizes did not hea OF II un,
til May 9Th. How could anyone blame the
people of Dublin for believing that dozens
of others have been shot secretly IL barracks,
he sud. Horrible rumOurs are current IN
Dublin and they are emhitteFlng the popu-
lation. Out of the whole Of Ireland, Mr., Dillon
continued, there were only four OF five spo's
where there was Instruction, yet the Whole
country was under martlel-iaW and there
was absolutely no trace of the civil admins
tration. At present everything concievable,
said MIR. Dillon was being done 10 spread
disaffection throughout the county, Lime-
rick, Glare and Mayo Counties were not in q
disturbed condition and their reward was the
sending down of troops to make arrests. Ii
Ireland were governed by men out OF bed
lam, shouted Mr.. Dillon, they could not pur-
sue Il more insane policy. You are letting
loose a river of blood between two races,
which after 800 years Of hatred we lad nenr-
!, succeed in bridging. You are Washing
out our whole l~ife-Work III a sea of blood.
There is no Government in Ireland except
Maxwell and the Dublin Cubs. Every body
in Dublin knows that. The men of the Old
asc9ndency party are going about the streets
of Dublin to-day openly glorying II the re-
belliou. They claim that it brought martial
law aud real government into the country.
That is what makes he situation so terrible.
Ii hat programme is to be enforced in Ire
land Won ha1 batter oct maO to p0TTlcOn the
country. And then what sort of appearance
will you make as The champion of The small
nationalities. Men arr rested, continued MIR.
Dillon, had been thI eatened with death aDd
actually placed against a wall N order to
persuade them TO lecome informers. ln one
case q boy of fifteen was ordered 10
give evidence. He said 81 wont" and the
officer said you will be shot. The boy
replied 'sShoot away. He was then bliud-
folded and taken away and was again asked
TO inform but replied mo. He was then
made to hear the click of rifles. Afterwards
the bandages were taken from his eyes
and he was sent home. Another man
said fshoot me for l have killed three
three of your soldiers. That may horrifv
some of the honorable members here but
l am proud of +hese men. I am proud Of
their courage, and if the English people were
not so dense they would have these peop.e
fighting for them. Nh. Dillon contrasted
the treatment of ireland and South Africa.
1t was recognized, be said, that these men
were the victims of misdirected enthusiasm.
What was wanted was not II military Bill for
Ireland but a means to find u way 10 the
hearts of the IRISH people. Yesterday my
sou, seventeen and a half years of a~ge,appIied
for a military pass to go to K'ngstown. lie
was asked his name and college and was
grossly insulted by q British officer, who
refused The pass. This son asked permission
ON bis seventee Dth birthday to join tie BJitish
Army. I gave him leave to enlist when he
became eighteen. He will never Join it now,
and there are tens of thousands of others in
similar cases. After all it is our country
aIthough you look upon it as a sort of a back
garden, which you can trample into dust
without consideration. Mr.. Dillon said that
the insurgents had made a good, clean fight
however misguided, when he was interrupted
by a member, and he retorted, it would be
a good thing if your soldiers were able to
put up as good a fight, 5000 against 10000
with macbine-guus and artillery. Premier
Asquith opened in grave tones i'll reply to
Mr.. Dillon. He expressed deep regret that
the Members had forgotten some of the
elementary rules of justice. which ought to