The Washington herald., 1916-11-12
Hibernian Conscription Sought
ToOvercomeL Loss Since Revolt

every week for the duration Of the war.
This task was undertaken by the Ma
tionalist party. The wastage Of Irish
troops being assumed to be 1,4e0 men n
week by the above percentage, a recruit
ment OF 1,5o0 would keep the gaps fifed
up, which Is all the war office asked.
Since the Dublin revolt, however, re-
cruiting for the whole of Ireland has
fallen to about 400 and 500 men a week.
The dilemma of the government Is there
fore manifest. II they cannot get the
men they,must disband the Irish units Or
I'LL them up with men who are net Irish
men. There are, only two ways to get
more soldiers. either to persuade them to
enlist or to bring ireland under the con-
scription act and fetch them as Enz-
lishmen and Scotchmen are fetched -
The Irish divisions 1t Is officially an
nounced. need 1000 men before Christ
mas" ~.
Bitterness Before War. O..
Nobody who knows the bitterness arous-
ed before the war by the Home Rule
controversy, not only between National
lists and Ulstermen in ireland but between
Liberals and Tories In England. needs to
be told how every sort of politician is
hustling around these days trying to make
political capital out of the recruiting
crisis. Before confusing the reader with
the widely divergent opinions and claims
Of the factions, 1t may be useful to give
the official figures regarding Irish enlist
ments during the war.
The number of men of military age in
Ireland in 1914 as announced by Augustus
Birrell, then home secretary for Ireland.
was SCI, 900. Since that time, the military
age in the United Kingdom has been re-
duced from nineteen to eighteen years,
and this would add about 1000 to the
total, so that roughly there were when
cluding men unfit for service, from whom
the contribution of the Emerald Isle must
be taken.
Including the Irishmen with the colors
when war broke out who had Joined in
Ireland, a total Of 157,594 men had en-
tered the army up to September Is Of
this year. OF this number 92 4O5, Lord
Wtmborne states, were known to be
Catholics, and s., 391 known to be Profess
tants. From the province of Ulster 54,-
Ss5 men enlisted, 1903 of them Pro-
testants. The religious classification is
Of great importance from the point of
view Of Irish politics in considering the
moot point Of the loyalty of Ulster
men and the south. The figure just
given indicates that in the province of
enlisted up to this autumn, although in
the summer of 1914 it was claimed that
$4,000 men would fly to arms to oppose
the establishment of Dublin rule over
the north. Most of the remaining Is. 900
men who Joined in Ulster were Ma
tionalist followers of Joseph Devlin, who
since the Dublin revolt has declined to
assist further recruiting for the British
army.
Irishmen Won't Join.
Obviously. the all-important point at
present is the number of Irishmen who
are fit for fighting and will not join the
colors, although this is largely over
looked by Sir Edward Carson, John Red
mond and their partisans in England
who spend much time wrangling about
whether North or South Ireland has made
the better showing. The opinion of Lord
Wimborne, now back on his old Job as
lord lieutenant after resigning in Easter
week. Is that there are 10000 men in the
country available for service without
crippling industry or agriculture In max
ing this estimate he allowed $4,000 fit men
for indispensable farming. and $1,000 now
engaged In munition work from which
they cannot be removed. Sir Edward Car
son, who is most anxious that conscrip-
ticn. should be forced on the country,
sharply challenges Lord wimborne's fig.
ures. There are at least sc, 600 men IF
military age in Ireland" he says, land
of these only about 100000 to 10000 have
SC far as know. enlisted" On the Other
hand, the Nationalist leaders claim that
not more than 5000 to 10000 men remain
in Ireland who can join the army with