Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-04
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OConnor on ireland.

"SOnnOf on lreianu.
Greeley. Neb., Dec. 2S.-To the
Editor of The Bee: A few days ago
/ had the i'll luck to send letter to
The Bee couched in as mild and
simple language as ! could use. In
fact, I know no other, and that not
we'll, and instantly am accused of
being a German propaganda and
an Irish agitator.
Strange how people will jump to
conclusions when they read some
thing that runs counter to their own
cherished ideas Of what is.right and
wrong on a subject that concerns
them more or less deeply.
The question l touched on was
1reland's right to consideration at
the peace conference. in which l
tried to show that because of its
helplessness and subsection to a for
eign and hated rule which 1t never
accepted, and never will, it would,
along with other small and strug-
Cling nations OF Europe, be allowed
the right Of determination.
From my viewpoint / could see
nothing Objectionable in this, and
certainly nothing inimical to either
France or the United States, as my
critic so fiippantly asserts. Eng
land, Of course, would lose some in
come from a little island some $50
by 800 miles In extent-that and
some prestige. But why should that
be considered when the welfare of
the island and the happiness of its
inhabitants are at stake?
My critic accuses me of saying
thatEngland never did anything for
mankind but from purely selfish
motive. I defy "Aitch" and all his
tribe to prove that statement false.
England was a good performer in
that awful tragedy, / freely admit
it did some meritorious things, and
some that were rather inglorious.
But for whom or for what? For
England, first, last and all the time
Every move it made, every gun it
fired, every Hun 1t killed had one,
and only one, object in view-the
preservation Of the tight little isle
from the domination Of its beastly
'kinfolk," the other branch of that
malodorous Anglo-Saxon litter. True
its allies, Belgium and France,
profted by its efforts, but that was
only incidental. 1t in turn profited
by the others, so there can be moth
ing owing on that score. But to as
sert that England went to war for
democracy. to right the wrongs Of
Belgium or to benefit mankind in
general is rot, just rot.
"Aitch" uses some figures to prove
that Ireland didn't do it's share as
compared with England, Scotland
and Wales. Now, | have great re-
spect for figures when honestly used,
but l have mistrust of them when
l don't know where they were OBJ
tanned, by whom compiled and for
what purpose. and the distrust is
naturally quickened when they are
presented by a nameless propo-
gandist.
But admitting, for arguments
ments sake, that the figures are cor
rect, what do they prove? Simply
that England, Scotland and Wales
are satisfied with their form of gov.
eminent and the way 1t. is admin
istered. Ireland is not They have
an entirely different form Of gov
eminent. and are allowed some share
in its administration. They were
fighting for their homes and fire.
sides, while Ireland didn't even have
a fireside to fight for, that being
claimed by that benevolent bird, the
absentee landlord. just as Scully,
sometime Irish landlord, is now
reaching out his devilish tentacles
to strangle the farmers of a large
section of Illinois. Is it reasonable
to expect that the interest of those
countries in the war would be the
same?
England passed a home rule bill
about the beginning of the war, but
Ulster, under the leadership of Car
son, and armed by Germany, threat
ened to kick the union jack into
the Boyne If the measure was put
in force. And it never was. AS
quith backed down. Carson won
out on a bluff. Was Carson pun
ished for that fragrant and notorious
act of disloyalty? Not he. In
stead, he was honored with a seat in
the cabinet.
The Sim Feiners, observing Car
sons success, made up their minds
to profit by it and sent Sir Roger
Easement over to Germany to flirt
with the kaiser. but the filtration
proved fatal to Roger. He, too, was
honored. not with seat in the cab
met, but with swing on the gal
lows, a six-foot hole in the prison
yard and quick lime for shroud.
This is a sample of English rule
in Ireland. This is equality before
the law. Was such treatment likely
to enthuse Irishmen and cause them
to rush the standards of England
and pull it's chestnuts out of the
fire?
And yet some of us wonder, or
affect to wonder, why Ireland-na-
tionalist Ireland-wasn't better rep
resented in the great war. In truth
the wonder is that it was represented
there, at all. for, as between German
and English domination or intoler-
ance, it was case of Hobson's
choice. Poor old Ireland was in
deed between the devil and the deep
sea.
Now as to propaganda: Does it
not seem that English propaganda,
for an infant industry, and, of
course, without the approving nod
of Downing street and the per
uuisites" that usually accompany il.