The Irish standard., 1916-07-08

Wall SA0 OAStcT TeU0lS. C6CQOllC Ire.
land was very proud of them. What
they are allowed to do, we can do
This needs no elaboration from me-"
Catholic ireland took the hint from
the Orangemen, and began in turn to
arm and drill. This unforeseen devel-
opment placed Dublin Castle in very
awkward dilemma. 1t was generally
suspected in Ireland that the Ulster
demonstration was being secretly con-
nived at by the British Cabinet, even
after Home Rule had been made into
law. That these suspicious were we'll
founded appears from the following:
"The Chairman-Was the policy of
non-intervention in the case of these
armed Volunteers q Cabinet or an
Irish Government decision? Mr.. Bir-
rell-As to Ulster in the earlier days
before the war the decision was I'M
doubleday a Cabinet decision, in which
I am bound to say entirely concurred.
The Chairman-But it was not a Cab
met decision about the Sim Feiners?
Mr.. Birrell-No. not Cabinet deci-
ston." Here is a frank declaration of
policy. The Obstetrics were not to be
interfered with in their preparations
against Home Rule; but as regards the
South, the matter was different. The
South was to be goaded and thwarted
on a thousand petty pretexts, which
were to eliminate in an embargo on
the shipment of arms to the Irish
Volunteers, demonstrations in force by
the police and military here and there
throughout the country, and finally
a Bachelors Walk massacre. To assas.
sinate the native Parliament, and yet
to deceive the world by making it ap.
pear that the Irish were responsible
for their own undoing, to extend the
right hand in friendship, while the
left, concealed behind the back,
grasped dagger-this was the Brit.
ish policy. 1t was policy Lord Bur-
leigh would recognize, and even Ma.
chiavelli might claim for his own!
The testimony of Sir Matthew Ma
than gives the Dublin Castle point of
view. AS the Chief Secretary divides
the blame between Sir Edward Car
son and the Cabinet, giving the Ulster
leader the major portion, so does the
Under-Secretary lay it squarely on the
shoulders of John MacNeiIl and Sim
Fem. To him it is uncomfortable that
Dublin Castle-that compound of Gu
pidity, stupidity, and malice-should
have contributed any materials to the
explosion. Throughout the Under
Secretary's statement Mr.. Redmond is
colleague, and John MacNeill their
common opponent. He rebukes the
Volunteer leader for attacking Mr..
Redmond's claim ito offer up the blood
and the lives of the sons of Ireland
and Irishmen to the service of the Brit
ish Empire while no national Govern
ment which could speak and act for
the people of Ireland is allowed to ex-
ist." For to this British official, hon
oring doubtful check by payment in
advance, seems to be the only rational
method of transacting business in Ire.
land.
1t is to the testimony of Colonel
Moore that we must turn for the only
really objective view of the insurrec.
ton. The Colonel is a scion of the
Ascendancy, a staunch imperialist, but
an Irishman. He knows his race, theil
long suffering, their spirit of reverence
for even the semblance of law, their
readiness to forgive England's repeat
ed acts of treachery and betrayal Re
viewing the events preceding the ris
ing, he sees in them only another link
in the ever-lengthening chain of chi
| canery that stretches from StrongboW
to Sir Edward Grey. His tone how
ever Is moderate throughout, and en-
tirely free from that rhetorical bitter
ness which one remarks in John Red
monds verdict on the rising; but or
that account it will hardly prove more
palatable to pro-British readers. OF
: the leaders of the instruction all OF
whom he knew intimately, he speaks
; thus: These men were of the highest
! character, public and private; they
were men whose whole lives from
childhood had been permeated with
thoughts not of their own selfish in
terests, but of the interests of theil
country. Some of them like MacNeil
were scholars and professors whose
opinions are as much studied and re
spected by students abroad as at home;
others like MacDonough, were poets
with considerable literary gifts
Pearse was man of such tender sym
pathies that he would not shoot or fish
because he could not bear to give pain;
his school-garden, full of fruit was not
shut off from the boys; he trusted their
honor not to steal, and when the temp
tation of rosy apples proved too great
he could not bring himself to slap the
little culprits. All were men who
would have been the finest and choic
est blossom of any nation in the world
and whose one absorbing passion was
to lay down their lives in order that
their country might be advanced even
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