The Washington herald., 1916-06-18
Rebels, Cranks in Life, Mar
tyrs Now-Hard Tim e S
with Food Prices Doubled
and Few War Contracts
Cause Trouble.


Cause Trouble.
I cannot claim to have sounded this opin-
Ion myself. as Sim Fein at present keeps
out of sight and does not talk to strang-
ers, but l am told the most definite
promises of military aid were made from
Berlin, promises which the unfortunate
dupes now realize the Germans had no
intention Of keeping. There is also much
criticism of the failure of Sim Fem
sympathlZers in America to help.
Due to Economic Discomfort.
Many explanations of the febellion
/ have been given, but I believe economic
discomfort had more to do with the rising
than is appreciated outside of Ireland
The situation here is serious, prices hav-
/ ing more than doubled during the war
with no increase in wages and much un-
employment. In England there is no
unemployment, government war con-
tracts using UP all available labor at
high pay but the government did not
give Ireland even that small percentage
Of war work to which its Industrial re-
, sources entitled It. The result has been
a steady emigration OF men and women
to England in search Of better paid work
and increasing misery in the Dublin
slums Labor agitators, like Connolly,
| exploited the latter, while Sim Fein
idealists of the Pearse type, made capital
out Of the drain on Ireland's manhood
and womanhood by England, greedy for
! men to fight her war and bribing men
and women to desert their country and
! fatten the purses OF British industrial
/ Imagnates by their labor The economic
! phase of the situation is less exciting than
| the others and is less talked about so
] Inn =
| an observer sees the misery existing
among the working classes in the slunns
The causes Of the Easter revolt are
/ still operating to make Lloyd Georges
| plan OF settlement doubtful Of attain
ment. l asked a man who is certain to
I be in the new government OF Ireland, If
| the castle oigarchy is abolished, and
whom many persons regard as the great
est living authority on Irish affairs 10
tell me what Is the matter over here?"
I cannoS analyze this extremely COM
pleX situation in a few words" he said,
but the dIscordant elements are these:
Trick Suspected by Many.
First doubt about home rule. Many
! Irishmen think Redmond tricked Ireland
| or was himself triCked by the British
into accepting a bill that was a sham
| The passage of the act suspending the
| operation of home rule caused intense
1
/ Of a coalition government including Sir
/ Edward Carson and Bonar Law. the lead
ers of the Ulster campaign. doubled the
Sim Fein membership, for even those
! Nationalists who had faith in Asquith's
liberal government, could hope for moth
ing when they saw such men in authority
| True, Redmond was offered a seat in the
coalition, but Irish opinion would not
/ let him take il.
/ Second, ConscriptIon The agitation
among English Tories and in Ulster for
! the extension of Conscription to Ireland
was seized on by the Sim Feiners. The
! Irishman, while ready to accept English
rule and even, if he feels like it, fight
! for England, never ceases to regard him
, self as belonging to another SEPARATE
country, and he regards the suggestion
! that he be forced to fight for an alien
empire as the grossest tyranny.
Primary Cause of Trouble.
Third, the temptation held out bv
! Germany and agitators in the United
! States British reverses in the war en-
| couraged the small minority which is
always ready to revolt If it sees an op-
portunity, and the promises conveyed
through Easement, though known to but
few of the leaders, undoubtedly In
| fluenced them.
| Fourth, and vastly most important.
the arn1ing by Ulster to resist home rule
n The contagious influence of this evil ex-
ample was the primary cause OF the whole
trouble. Nationalists had gradually
come to regard rebellion as something
belonging to the dim past, and when they
saw Carson's men running in guns from
Germany, defying the government, and
getting ready to fight the lawful
authority of England, and of Ireland
when home rule should be law, their
mental development receded a hundred
years. The natural impulse to arm, too.
could not be resisted by Redmond, and
the government could not disarm Red
monds volunteers unless it also disarmed
Carson's. Then along came this disloyal
organization with its own troops the
i Irish volunteers, Irish Republican
| Brotherhood, citizens army and its open
tpropa ganda of revolt. To attempt to
disarn It without dealing with the others
would have led to bloodshed, so 1t was
permitted to prepare in peace until ready
to strike. The only thing to do now is
to disarm everybody, but how it is to be
done, heaven knows"
If Lloyd George can settle the Irish
question. not on paper but in ireland.
beating Germany will be an easy Job for
him. That is the impression I shall
carry away from ireland.