New-York tribune., 1918-08-28
Sir1r, Feita Gone Crazy
That Is Pro-Gern7anis5a IN Ireland
By Thomas F. Woodle

cannot be compromised, to settle the matter
in every way except in the only way that
will settle it-that is the story of British
government of Ireland in modern times.
Nationalist Ireland has offered to let Union
ist Ulster write into the Home Rule consti-
tuition whatever guarantees it wants in pro
lection of its rights but no guarantees will
satisfy Unionist Ulster. and Protestant Eng
land, democracy or democracy, is not
yet ready to compel her into acceptance of
Home Rule for all Ireland. Political Sim
Fein in Ireland is the creation of British
policy, and of nothing else-especially of
British policy since the outbreak of the war
in August, 1914. Previously to that date
1t was little more than faction 1t bears
about the same relation to the national
movement in Ireland that the sincere, thor
oughgoing Bolsheviki bear to the revolu-
tlon In Russia. After the Lansdowne- Cecil
betrayal" following the Easter week rising
IN 1916 it was for a time the dominant sec
tion in Nationalist Ireland The rise and
fall Of its influence have closely followed
the "curve" of British laundering in Ire
land Let US take the conscription policy
as an example of this laundering
When the policy of conscription was first
determined upon for Britain, Ireland was
excluded from its application Why?
Clearly because the British "democracy's"
conscience functionng. and would not
permit it to violate in so direct a manner
and vital matter the national rights of
the Irish people. For two years the mat
ter Of Irish conscription lay seemingly dead.
Last spring the Irish Convention made it's
reports One of its subcommittee com
posed, be it noted, Of three Unionist and
two Nationalist representatives. recon-
mended that conscription should be ann|ied
to Ireland only with the consent of the Irish
people. Hardly had the convention renort-
ed, however, when it was announced that
the government would extend conservation
to Ireland.
In the twinkling of an eyeld Ireland was
on the verge of armed rebellion. That this
rebellion did not actually take nlace that
the horrors of Easter week" were NOT re-
peated many times enhanced, was due ~
one thing alone, viz, the action of tbo
Catholic hierarchy. Had the bshons and
their clergy not placed themselves AT tbe
head of their people, had they not taken
INTO control and directed what was literallv
a frenzy of popular resentment into the
channel OF passive resistance" the conse-
quences would have been appalling. They
old inns seemlngly-to those who do not
Know the elements Of the problem-mos.
desperate, most "lawless" and most unac-
countable thing, and did it under the ban
ner OF Sim Fein. By doing it they gained
the time necessary for the British "democ
r&cys' conscience to reassert itself and
there was no boodshed. And for their
warrant in doing it they had the funda-
mental national rights of the Irish people
as against the law of the British Parlia-
ment, and they had the conscience If tho
British democracy" on their side.
olhn rem waXes the British "democ-
racy's' conscience wanes and wanes as that
conscience wakes. "Pro Germanism" is IN
Ireland merely Sim Fein gone crazy. The
lflsh soul has nothing in common with the
German soul; they represent opposite poles
OF thought. The main thing to note about
lrlsh pro-Germanism is that it is a direct
product Of British blundering. 1t will dis
appear the moment the laundering stops.
have no guesses to offer as to what will
happen IN ireland IN the future. After
thirty five years of observation of Anglo
Saxon relations | feel quite unable to pre-
diet what the course of the British govern
ment viii be. or how many more blunders
must be committed before the end finally
comes. But the end. | believe. must be
either an Ireland-all Ircland-governine
herself as a free nation should or Ireland
all Ireland-inhabited by another people
than the Irish.
Meanwhile, believe that have correct
ly described the elements Of the problem
ms it stands to-day, and that these elements
furnish a means Of Interpretation of cur
rent events-includng. and especially Ire
lands relations to the war
Eoy N;cto,