New Britain herald., 1916-04-29
REDMOND PLAYS THE
 IRISH REVOLUTION
Says Germany Is Making CatspaV
 Out Of Erin

London, April Notwithstanding the revolt in Dublin as an "attempt to make Ireland the catspaw of Ger many, John Redmond, leader of the Irish Nationalists in the house of commons, gave out a statement on the uprising. The plot, he declared, was not so much treason to the allies, as it was to the cause of Irish liberty, of home rule, achieved after centuries of struggle.
 This attempted deadly blow at home rule," said MT. Redmond, Hs made more wicked, more insolent by this fact-that Germany plotted 1t. Germany organized; Germany paid for it. So far as Germanys share in it is concerned, it is a German inva sion of Ireland as brutal, as selfish as cynical as Germany's invasion of Belgium. Blood has been shed, and if Ireland has not been reduced to the same horrors of Belgium, with her starving people, her massacred priests and her violated convents, it is not the fault of Germany.
 Like Lapse Into Tragic Past.
 My first feeling, of course, on hearing of this insane movement, was one of horror, discouragementa and all most despair. I asked myself whether Ireland, as so often before in her trag- ic history, was to dash the cup of lib- erty from her lips-Was the insanity of a small section of her people once again to turn all her marvellous vic- tories of the last few years into irrep- arable defeat and to send her back, on the very eve of her final recognition as a free nation, into another long night of slavery, inculculable suffer- ing and weary and uncertain strug- gling.
 For, look at the Irish position to- day. In the short space of forty years Ireland has by a constitutional move ment made an almost unbrokenly tri umphant march from pauperism and slavery to prosperity and freedom. She has won back the possession of Irish land; she has stayed emigration; she has at last begun an era of national prosperity. Finally she has succeed ed in placing on the statute books the greatest charter of freedom ever of fered her since the days of Grattan. Is all this to be lost?
 Germany Ireland's Foe.
 When war came she made choice which was inevitable if she was to be true to all the principles which she had held through all her history, and which she had just so completely vim dicated on her own soil, namely, the rights of small nations, sacred princi- ples of nationality, liberty and demo- cracy.
 Moreover, the nations for which all her history she had felt the sympathy that came from common principles and common aspirations were trampIed, as she had in her time been trampled under the iron heel of aro- gant force.
 What has Ireland suffered in the past which Poland, Alsace, Belgium, and Serbia have not suffered at the hands of Germany? And may add also, that portion of the soil of France. her old friend and ally, which is in the hands of Germany?
 Sons Dying For Allies Cause.
 What has been the record of Ger many but the suppression of nationa- ality, of freedom and of language in short, the suppression of all things for which for centuries Ireland has struggled, the victory of which Ire land has achieved. Take the case of Belgium. Has there not been there the same ruthless shedding of blood of the priests and the people that is part of Ireland's own history? Leave the question of principle out and con- sider the question only of the mere interests of Ireland herself. What did the situation demand?
 Neutrality? That was impossible Hostility to the just cause of the AL lies? Is there a sane man in Ireland who does not see that this meant the drowning of Ireland's newly-won Hb critics in Irish blood? Be this view right or wrong, this was the opinion of an overwhelming majority of the Irish people. It was the opinion which thousands of Irish soldiers have