New-York tribune., 1918-02-28
Sim Fei1ers Seizing Guns
And Holding Military Drills
Have Practically Set Up Provisional Government n Dublin
Seriousness of Situation Shown by Establishment
of Martial Law in County Clare

TO Sim Fein propaganda. TO reat
them makes one rub ones eyes ant
ask Who are these frankly pro- Ger
man writers? Is Ireland Germar
province Ireland is not only dctachet
from the war, not only enjoying a gay
ETY. and affluencc which surprise the
visitor from London, where the pre-
vailing tone is grim earnestness anC
self denial, but the majority of the
people here are bitterly hostile tc
England. They allude to the world
conflict as 'England's war; ridicut
John Bull as the Big Bully and
the so-called champion of little ma
tons"
Attack IRISH Soldiers
'Thcy render the lot of the soldier
home on leave a miserable one q
have seen soldiers who had Just re-
turned from Flanders, with the trench
mud on their clothes, assaulted in
Duhlin's leading thoroughfarc)
"The chief charge against Mr.. Red
mond brought by his Sim Fein rival
Mr.. de Valera, is that he is such a
gull as to offer lrishmen to England
and have them slaughtered in the Oar
ue'hSiico dIU McSOpOtuIlild.
If [ could hold the fires Of hell in
my hand says another orator, 4 would
hurl them in the face of England!'
"'D Do you say exclaimed Mr.. Oar
rel Figgis, that it is unchivalrous to
take advantage of England when she
is weak, but would England take ad-
vantage of Germany if she was weak {?
Sim Fem, as propounded by its
leader, de Valera, has two sides a de.
structlvc and q constructive one. Il
aims at destroying the government OF
the foreign invader, the Sassenach,
and then building up a sovereign Irish
republic as free as France or Germany
The Clergy Alarmed
There are signs that the Roman
Catholic clergy arc becoming alarmed
at the prospect of another rebellion,
and at masses throughout the country
priests have warned their hocks against
doing anything which would brin,,
them in conflict with the military.
"l'he Sim Fciners are showing i'm
patience at the interference of the
priests in politics, and nothing short
of a direct mandate from the Pope
would have any effect on the physical
force party in it's present mood
I'm the mean while it takes (accord-
ing TO thc Sinn Feln ncwspapcrs) 10000
soldiers, in addition to the constabuary
TO preserve "A sort of peace, and the
boast is openly made that these troops
are kept detached from the war, and
IN defiance of the Defence of the Realm
Act there are drillings and marching
the carrying of rifles and hurley sticks
and the Volunteers are urged to fight
against conscription and to sell their
lives as dpar1V ac rocsibIo
"Sinn Fein leaoers are most anxious
to state their case before the peace
conference. They persist in defran-
chlslng Ireland by refusing, when elect
ed to take their seats in Parliament
for, they argue, if Irish representatives
sit at Westminster. the powers will
shclvc the case of ireland as Il domestic
question. but they forget that if 'oul
noble ally in Europe Germany. wins
the war, the small nations cannot hope
for freedom, and if the Allies win scant
attention will be paid to the preten.
sions of Germany's plottcrs and agents
in Ireland.