The Irish standard., 1917-12-15

AOrQ W1mOOr00 00l0 the extreme
section might accept German aid, but
the rank and file were not German.
The Convention could not be alto
gether failure. At the worst they
would obtain from it q definition of
the differences. He admitted there
were anxious, indeed sinister, posi-
bilities lurking in the Irish situation,
but they should not lose their sense of
fairness. The Governments conten.
lions were frequently misunderstood.
The gravest danger they had to appre-
bend, though not, he prayed, to ex-
pect, in those days was the smuggling
of arms, or even a hostile landing it.
self.
"The first thing I did on my return
to Ireland last year was." he said,
Ito institute thorough investigation
into the mechanism by which security
on this head might be attained. The
matter was thoroughly overhauled and
considered by the authorities con-
cerned-the Horse Guards, the Irish
Command, the Admiralty, the Naval
base at Queenstown, the Constabulary,
the Coastguards, the Customs officers
It was carried out by able Staff Of
ficers and other competent officials,
and was pronounced water-tight."
Nothing had since occurred to alter
his opinion. There had been some in
stances of rowdyism in one or two
towns, but the Kings writ ran.
The Ashe Tragedy.
After mentioning Ireland's healthy
agricultural position and the extension
of tillage, he said that internally and
psychologically there was evidence of
the tension of the public mind in the
paroxysms of fear and fury with which
the country was convulsed by the Ashe
incident. Nobody could deplore the
death of Mr.. Ashe more than himself,
but the disproportionate significance
attached to that occurrence, and the
public funeral by which it was sue
ceeded, was symptomatic of abnormal
irritability. No sane man in Ireland
could believe that the prison authori-
ties or the Executive desired that
tragic event. II myself" he went on,
had proposed better conditions for
the prisoners, whose offence sprung
from political motives. The ameliora-
tion was under consideration of the
Executive when the prisoners passed
from passive to active defiance, and
in the sequel Ashe succumbed to heart
failure, possibly, but by no means GER
tainly, accelerated by forcible feed
ing"
To the members of the Convention,
not only Ireland but the Empire was
under a deep obligation. The attitude
Of the Executive was, and must be
determined by the existence and pros
poets of the Convention. For its sake
the policy of amnesty for the rebel
leaders was adopted. and he believed
that that act, to enable the Conven-
to to come together, had been re-
garded, as It was intended to be re-
garded, as an earnest, both to Irish
men and to onlookers outside, of the
sincerity of the Imperial Governments
proposal.
Points Of Difference.
Public opinion was naturally in
fluenced by the recollection of the re-
bellion of last year. If it occurred
then, persons asked, what confidence
could be enjoyed that it would not
occur again, especially in view Of the
fact that the Sim Fein element which
was then apparently small is now OBJ
viously great. What right, they asked,
had they to run risks, even for the
sake of the Convention, which might
lead to such disasters and damaging
results. There were two cardinal
points of difference between the posi-
ton today and the position Of 1916.
In the first place the Government has
what it did not then. possess ade-
quate military establishment for the
preservation Of law and order. There
was also something which was, If any
thing, more important. The right of
armed assembling on the part of Vol
unteer forces which had been con-
nived at owing to reasons the respon-
sibility for which he would not allo-
cate, was connived at no longer.
Their dream Of an Independent Irish
Republic must always remain a dream.
If the Sim Feiners were all irrevoc-
ably committed to fnternecine intrans.
geance, but good judges believed that
It would, indeed, be a gloomy outlook
most, If not all, Sim Feiners would
hesitate to reject the practicable and