Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-05-10
Mr.. DiLLoN's BLINDNESS

III the opponents OF conscription in
Ireland are depending on such an ar.
gument as that advanced by John Dill
Ion. nationalist leader, in his address
Sunday to his East Mayo constituency,
there Is little wonder that Premier
Lloyd George loses his patience in dis
cussing the issue which looms SO
large just now in Great Britain
Mr. Dillon is quoted as declaring 1t
was "a great blunder to depart from
England's settled policy against com.
pulsory service, especially when 1t was
not to defend the soil of Great Britain
but to send huge armies to the CON
tinent"
Certainly the British citizen who
cannot see in the fighting along the
western front desperate struggle In
defense of England, and Ireland, too,
is both blind and deaf. When the
battle 1s at its height, Mr.. Dillon might
journey In a few hours from London
to the Dover coast. From there he
could see the cliffs on the French side
OF the English channel, and his ears
would catch the heavy roar of the guns
in Flanders, where the soldiers OF Pc
tain and Haig are battling. inch by
inch, to restrain the ,Prussian tordes
that would sweep on to the coast at
Dunkirk and Calais, there to set up
their mammoth guns with which to
batter England's shores and make Of
the channel a sea of death.
A year ago, Americas pacifists were
telling us this was no war of ours.
They were assailing new war policy
which proposed CONSUMPTION of vast
army of Americans to cross 5000 miles
Of ocean in order to fight on foreign
shores. They were talking of our in
reference in highlands war; and
processing inability to understand the
peril that would be Americas in the
event Of Germany's conquest Of
Europe. It was much less than year
ago when that strange sort of patriot,
W. r. Hearst, ceased to argue in his
yellow journals for a war policy which
would keep Americas armies on Amer
lean soil. Just yesterday the supreme
court administered the final blow of
defeat to misguided Missourian who
sought to invoke the nations laws to
prevent his being sent abroad in the
army.
After year all loyal Americans
agree that our country's error lay in
delaying participation in the war, not
in fastening 1t. The socialists and
similar disciples Of anarchy. disloyalty
and destruction are the only ones who
cling to the pacifist creed of 1917.
After almost four years Of war it Is
indeed surprising to find so prominent
figure In European politics as MT
Dillon echoing the empty. 1ndefensible
argument which good sense and patri'
otism should have silenced long ago.
As to what Mr.. Dillon calls .Eng'
lands settled policy against compul
sory service" he should have good rea
SON to realize that the upheaval which
was wrought by Germany's lust FOL
world power has upset practically
every settled policy in every nation
throughout the world. Civilization
faces a crisis which cannot be met sue
cessfully by following settled policies
II Ireland should remain unwilling tc
recognize this fact and IL Ireland's op
position to the draft should so weaken
England as to shatter and destroy the
allies line in France. all 1reland's
dreams Of home rule, which seem now
to be nearer realization than ever
would be swallowed up in the untold
misery of subjugation by Germany.
England is to blame, to be sure, fol
the refusal of many Irishmen to accept
on faith the promises OF home rule
But 1t is apparent that in consideration
of past wrongs those Irish who oppose
CONSUMPTION on the basis of Mr.. Dbl
Ions argument are losing sight of thu
peril to their stored island which ma!
be the result of their pique.
-
WHAT SHALL HE SAY?
~r,,acAorA DaflvN