Arizona republican., 1918-05-20
Tho Irish and Conscription

The Irish have won their fight against conscrp- ton just as Ulster its fight against home rule, and with the same instrument-a threat of revou ton. Home rule has been the statutes for four years and conscrption for a month but neither is in Ireland likely to be. If Ireland could be brought to agree upon home rule it might accept conscription of its own ordering, but there be no home rule without an internal struggle.
 The special correspondent of the London Chronicle on April 2S "No Conscrption" day, writing from Dublin, pointed out the barrier against conscrption with reference to the organization at Maynooth of opposition against it:
 As we had a demonstration of the organized power of the Roman Catholic church in Ireland Sunday, when the young and all their relatives in every parish in the country repeated and subscribed in public and the presence the bishops and priests the pledge resist conscption by the most effective means at their disposal, today have in Dublin and throughout nearly all Ireland the effects of hostile secular organization.
 This is No -Conscription Day" day of complete cessation of all the usual activities. The mail boat from Holyhead arrived this morning. but there trains or trans or other conveyances to carry the passengers beyond Kingstovn where the hotels have experienced unparalleled congestion. There newspapers either morning evening All the public houses closed and all the tradesmens shops. The school children have not been required go to school; bread has not been delivered; and in the hotels they almost rationng of the foods because of the sudden suspension of supplies. Even Punchestown races which only the death of the pope has hitherto affected have been postponed. Ireland putting itself to a mighty inconvenience and is caus- ing real hardship to many of it's poor in order to make the government fin Whitehall reflect
 As a rehearsal however, of what the nation is prepared to do in the event of it's having resist conscrption the demonstration has been successfully impressive and only fools will ignore it's lesson. The anti-conscrption attitude comprehends of all classes. creeds and parties. The chairman the Bank of Ireland has signed the covenant in public and so have 16 kings counsel with characteristic flourish government which undertakes to fight both the Irish priests and the Irish lawyers must needs be confident of beating the Germans
 The correspondent is of the opinion that Order in Council enforcing conscription will never be issued Great Britain therefore, finds itself ip most em- bsrrassing lositon But British good tuck .lo says is as proverbial tcat which attends upon babies that it may te expected that if way out cannot be found way aroYpd may be discoversblp and here is the way he po!ie sout: Ireand hes million and half under cultivation this year than n 1916, and she will want sl hor available labor reap Ter bumper harvests in the summer and autumn. An immediate exemption of the agrcqt,,r- ist from conscription would both the essential tillage scheme and desperate political situation.
 The recent recurrence of Sim Fein troubles and evidences of a German plot may make d;t trcu:t the position of Great Britain and may compel the government to throw into Ireland force sufficient to make conscription effective. Thus Ireland by forcing Great Britain to kill two birds with stone may invite conscsiptiou.