Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-06
DILLON'S VOICE RAISED
AGAINST CONSCRIPTION
[Continued from First Page.1

ain or in Ireland, and believed it a
great blunder to depart from Eng
lands settled policy against COM
pulsory service, especially when it
was not to defend the soil of Great
Britain but to send huge armies to
the continent.
But it was impossible and un-
thinkable, the Nationalist leader de-
clared, to attempt to apply conscrip-
ton to free and democratic people
unless there was agreement amount
ing almost to unanimity. He earn
estly appealed for a spirit of frank
and friendly cooperation throughout
Ireland. Without this, unity was i'm
possible. Committees throughout
the country must be organized with
a sincere desire to give fair repre-
sentation to all sections.
If the nations unity was broken
In the face of the present terrific
danger, Mr.. Dillon continued, the
government would be ENCOURAGED to
pursue their wicked and insane pol-
icy and the discipline of the people
which is essential to the defeat of
conscription would be broken. Then
the whole game would be thrown
into the hands of the military au-
thorities.
The Nationalists and Sim Feiners,
he said, actually agreed that the
whole struggle for Ireland's rights
was based on the principal of her
rights as a nation. There was a false
impression in the country that all
danger was over. This was a terrible
false impression, Mr.. Dillon declared
There was no question that the gov
ernment had been staggered and no
CO
practicability of their policy as pro-
fessed when the bill was introduced
Mr.. Dillon suggested the forma-
ton of Irish committees attached to
every church and chapel so that in
the event of struggle being forced
upon them, the church could be the
rallying point.
The Nationalist leader declared he
was convinced it would take an army
such as England could i'll spare to
carry out successfully conscription in
Ireland. He was also convinced that
the government would split on the
Irish rock and instead of destroying
the Irish nation, the Irish would de-
stroy them.
Prof. De Valera said his followers
unite with those of Mr. Dillon to de-
feat conscription. With reference to
the issue raised in East Cavan he
said there is only one arbitrator to
whom the Sim Fein would submit,
namely the free choice of the cleo
tors.
Dublin. May 6.-Declaring the
governments conscription- home rule
policy is disastrous, Sir Horace
Plunkett, chairman of the recent
Irish convention, in a letter to the
press suggests immediate establish
ment of a responsible government in
Ireland as a way out of the diff
Guilty.
"At the gravest crisis with which
the empire has ever been faced"
says the letter, 'the government had
staked their existence on a two-fold
Irish policy-conseription and home
rule. They cannot achieve both ex-
cept at the cost of much present
bloodshed and lasting hate. They
might achieve the first and by il
make the second impossible.
In my opinion they would fail in
the second attempt and have to go
on leaving both undone. Their sue
cessors then would have to find a
way out of the worst Irish situation
in my memory which goes back to
the Fenian days Aetx years ago."