The Irish standard., 1916-12-30

VV "HN
UNDERSTAND
ENGLAND's FAILURE TO UNDER
STAND LOSES ERIN's LOYALTY,
SAYS MRS. FARWELL, A WRIT
.ER FOR THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
COMPANY - SAYS ENGLISH
HAVE LITTLE SYMPATHY FOR
RUMANiA-Is CONVINCED slNN
FEIN REVOLT SUCCEEDED.
In her second letter, of series of
three, Mrs. Mildred Farwell, who spent
several weeks in England studying
war conditions there, and then went to
Sweden to write her observations be-
yond range of the censor's pencil,
makes some assertions that are very
truthful, and while we do not coincide
with her views, it is nevertheless a
very readable article. The article in
full appeared in last Wednesday eve
ning's Minneapolis Journal and the
following is part of the article in
which she speaks of the Irish ques-
tion:
Things are done now under the de-
tense of the realm regulations that at
the beginning of the war would have
raised howl of popular protest.
Take, for instance, the treatment of
pacifists which, by the way, is the
most unpopular thing you can be in
England today. They are not allowed
to leave the country, or if they do are
obliged to swear that not even in pri-
vate conversation will they mention
the word peace.
Only the other day the police went
into mans house and looked through
his private check books to find out if
he had been giving money to peace
societies. Personal liberty must go
before the need for public safety, but
do not let us be hypocritical about it.
This is Prussian doctrine and Eng
land at war today has realized that it
must fight Prussianism with Prussian
: anly.sas< yet they. have not
been called that. 1 prophesy that be-
fore it ends there will not be much to
choose between the methods of the
two countries.
The censorship is getting more and
more strict, though one is constantly
surprised at the latitude allowed Ger.
tain privileged persons such as Win
ston Churchill and Bernard Shaw, who
speak their far from complimentary
minds at all times. No photographs
can leave England now, and nc
printed matter. If you read one Eng.
lish paper you find the same, and only
the same, news items in all the others
There are guarded references to
Rumania, and little sympathy is
shown for it. What little there was
has been alienated since it's entry into
Pennsylvania, which people here say
was against the wishes of the Allies
board of strategy.
AS to Ireland, no one knows really
what is happening there. 1t might as
well be at the bottom of the sea, SC
little does it count journalistically
Nine-tenths of the English are consti
tutionally unable to understand the
Irish and the ones who do understand
you generally find have drop of Gel
tic blood somewhere.
l confess the longer l stay in Eng
land and the more l hear of the "bet
ter shoot the whole lot of them" atti
tude of those who don't understand
the more sympathy have for Ireland
Treason is an ugly word, but you car
hardly accuse men of treason who all
their lives have refused to acknowl
edge allegiance to England.
have seen photographs of the Sim
Fein leaders and their faces are those
of idealists, of dreamers. They Ger
tainly realized that the rising could
not succeed but they hoped by it tc
put England in such a position that
home rule could no longer be over
looked and they have succeeded
What places them to my mind beyond
all criticism is the open-handed man
ner in which they threw away theil
lives for the cause in which they be
lieved.
I had a copy of the governments
official report of the rising, which was
financed from America, not from Ger
many, and what l think is not gener
ally known in America is that before
1t took place an order purporting tt
be from the English government was
circulated in Dublin-copies were
even sent to supposed Irish sympa
thizers in England; Bernard Shaw re
ceived one. 1t stated, among othel
things all calculated to rouse Irish in
dignation, that the Sim Fein and Ma
tionalist societies were to be dis
banded, their arms confiscated, ant
several named localities isolated
among others the archbishops house
at Drumconna.
Who is responsible for this forger!
for it was a forgery-will never b.