The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-05-13
FORMER IRISH N. P. SAYS De
FACTO GOVERNMENT PLANNED
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FACTO GOVERNMENT PLANNED
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official Irish Nationalist party. Many
members Of that party had expressed
sympathy with the new policy and
merely held back because they regard
ed it as impracticable. Hence, one
would think that they ought to have
refrained from opposition and If the
Irish people should decide to adopt
the new policy, then it would be their
duty to make it effective by withdraw
ing from the British House of Com
mons. But in dealing with this mat
ter, as with many others, the official
Irish party showed that long residence
in London had weakened their nation
al faith, just as Parnell predicted
would be the case. Anyhow, the Sim
Fem policy at the very outset was
hampered by the bitter antagonism of
the Irish parliamentary leaders, sup
ported by all the Irish daily papers.
polled one-third of the total number
of votes cast in the election following
my resignation, but no other member
of Parliament was willing to take a
similar stand and so the most impor-
tant plank in the Sim Fein platform
had to be dropped. There remained
the industrial and anti-taxation pro-
posals, which began to be vigorously
pushed and much good work was &C.
complished in impressing on the peo-
pie Of Ireland, the Importance of pat
ronizing their own industrial products.
Three Parties Then Existed.
This was where the Sim Fein party
stood when left 1relandsin May, 1912.
There were then three parties in Ire
land: The Physical Force party, band
ed together in a secret organization;
the Sim Fein party and the Redmond
lite party. OF course, there was also
the Gaelic League, but it was not a
political party, although it was main
ly supported by members of the Sim
Fein party. 1t must be confessed that
the policy of passive resistance out
lined by Griffith did not make a strong
appeal to his fellow countrymen gen.
orally. The actually enrolled men,
bers Of the Sim Fein party never
numbered more than 10000, but,
thanks to the journalistic genius of
Griffith. the party became a powerful
force in Irish politics.
The sequence Of events by which
the Sim Fein party drifted from its
avowed policy of passive resistance is
plain. In 1911, Sir Edward Carson be-
gan to organize the Ulster Volunteers
for the avowed purpose of resisting
by force of arms the enactment Of
home rule for Ireland. At first Car
sons movement was treated with con.
tempt by the Irish party led by John
Redmond, and, acting on his advice,
the government made no determined
effort to suppress it. So Carson went
ahead, enrolling, drilling and arming
his Ulster men until finally the gov
eminent found itself confronted with
q formidable force which could no
longer be ignored. As is the way of
English statesmen, the members of
the cabinet sought compromise with
Carson, Offering to exclude Ulster
from the authority of the proposed
Irish Parliament. The Ulster men
agreed to accept the compromise, al
though with considerable reluctance,
and Redmond, after much parleying,
had to bow to the inevitable Eighty
votes in the British House OF Com
mons could not hope to overcome the
argument of 100000 Ulster rifles. But,
though Redmond agreed to the parti-
ton of Ireland, his decision was greet
ed by his followers in Ireland with in
tense dissatisfaction. Up to this time
he had been supported by MacNeill
and other leaders of the Gaelic League,
who have since sealed with their blood
their devotion to Irish freedom.
War Changed Everything.
The more determined of Redmond's
followers in Ireland resolved to meet
force with force, and in answer to the
Ulster Voluntary sprang up, under the
leadership of MacNeill, the Irish Vol
unteers. The members of the Sim
Fein party all Joined the Irish Volun-
teers, together with thousands of Red
monds followers. What the outcome
Of the struggle of the rival bodies Of
armed volunteers might have been is
merely matter for speculation. The
outbreak Of the war changed every
thing.
1t is hardly to be wondered at that
the idea of armed opposition to Brit
ish rule in Ireland should have been
fostered by the war;. Irish National.
lists had just received a lesson in the
value of physical force as an argu.
ment with which to convince the Brit
ish Government. CONSUMPTION began
to be talked Of and Nationalist Irish.
K