The Irish standard., 1917-02-03
ENGLISH TYRANNY
IS THE CAUSE OF
IRISH GRIEVANCE

illegal, as we'll as an unlawful victim
of the Sim Fem uprising of last Eas-
terrible; and in it's first issue of 1917,
| it publishes an article from friend
of Skiflington's, J. +. Byrne, entitled
''The Irish Grievance: The Case for
the Anti-English Party"
Mr.. Byrne sets out with the asser-
ton Of the truth of which there can be
no reasonable doubt, that the attitude
of resistance of four of the thirty-two
counties of Ireland to the will of the
other twenty-eight for Home Rule, and
| the persistence Of the asccndency of
this Orange minority in the councils
Of Great Britain have been the proXi-
mate cause OF the latest revolt.
| In 1912 these Ulster Unionists were
the only body of armed men in Ire
land. For more than year they had
been unchecked in their drilling and
importation of arms, from Germany
be it noted; and, naturally, their ar
rogance grew with their numbers. Sir
Edward Carson, member of the later
formed Coalition Cabinet and of the
new Cabinet which has succeeded it,
was their leader.
The Irish Volunteers of 1913 were
the Nationalists' response to the Or.
ange menace; but they had not even
the implied tolerance of the British,
government. On the contrary, they
were the cause of the Arms Proclama
ton of December, 1918. Nevertheless
though always at real risk, the Irish
succeeded in smuggling into the coun
try, buying them for cash from small
English firms, quantity of small
arms. During the interval between
the Proclamation and the gun-running
incident at Howth on January &c, 1914
followed in few days by the begin
ming of the European war, the Home
Rule bill was plodding along through
the House of Commons, bitterly op
posed at every stage by the Orange
minority backed by the British Union
lists. No use to recall more of this
protracted struggle, which, as Mr.
Byrne declares, Threatened to spill
the very shield of Britannia" wher
the Liberals saw that a military con
spiracy, rooted in the War Office, was
behind the Orengemen.
We know, to go back a little further
it had been necessary if Ireland evel
were to have Home Rule, to wrest tho
veto power from the House of Lords
but this accomplished, after all, it was
possible to get the bill on the statute
books only after Prime Minister AS
outfits assurance that the coercion o
Ulster was ''unthinkable."
Mr. Byrne disapproves strongly o
John Redmond's attitude on lrelant
in the European war. He believes al
would have been we'll if the Irish lead
er had insisted on Home Rule becom
ing Immediately operative; or if III
had even returned to take counsel will
his fellow-countrymen as to Ireland
line of action in the matter of recruit
for the British army. Mr.. Byrn
is of those who believe that lrelan
should have abstained from any par
in the conflict, thus giving his reasons
ITO continue to drag Ireland at tn
scut of Brittanias chariot to fore
Ireland to sit in and take hand il
the most extravagant war gamble tn
world has ever known; to compel he
to keep up her end and put up he
stake, pari passu, with a bloatedly ricl
country like England, would not mere
ly impoverish her absolutely, bu
would bleed her to DEATH"
He notes that Irish immigration wa
encouraged by Great Britain, until sh
wanted Irish soldiers. Then it wa
forbidden, and an attempt was mad
o introduce CONSUMPTION into the cour
try. 1t is but fair to add, however
that the Irish Parliamentary Party j
strong resisting this proposition. MI
!. Byrne grants that the price of TIL
commodities of life has increased tel
ribly in England as we'll as in Ireland
} but maintains that through the direc
imposition of Imperial taxataion, tn
people of the latter country are ia
less able to meet the higher cost c
living; nor is it offset in Ireland by ii
dustrial opportunities as it is in Emf
land. He continues:
"In these circumstances, the Irisl
man is faced with three alternatives
"He may stay at home with his fan
| lily and enjoy, in common with hi
: wife and children, the privilege {
= slowly starving to death.
"He may join the army, and so s.
cure for his family the tempting q
+ lowance promised by the military a
}. thorities.
ole NAV 20 to Great Britain to Sc