South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-14
BY GBoRGE BERNARD SHAW.

N ants ~ "a lev years OF strong re-o-
lutte government
They are perfectly right
Why they should limit their pre-
scription 20 few years. az n Ire
and might Thereafter be abandoned
20 anarchy or TO feeble irresolute
government. / do not know. and
probably they do not either. but
there can bc no mistake about the
present need Ireland actually wants
strong and resolute government
rarliam en- tarily. and Will stand much
more OF II than the English. who
are al az heart anarchists. and viii
put up with the utmost evil that
human nature can bear IL the only
remedv be good government The
Irish are not like that; they under
stand law and like f. One can see
81 in their litigiousness.
A quite considerable little country
own in England will get on quite
well with one lawyer visiting II twice
week A town OF half its size in
ireland will support six solicitors in
rourishing practice.
More Law the NerricF.
We can stand Brehon law. Roman
law. Canon law and any other law
ve can discover or invent. all piled
ON top OF one another: the more the
merrier. We join orders and chain
ourselves with vows for the sake OF
little more regulation. Our OBJ
lection % being chastised by Eng
and with whips is probably at root
that IL prevents US from chastising
ourselves with scorpions
We may. therefore. agree with the
old unionists with great heartiness
I'm their advocacy Of resOlute gov
eminent and plenty OF IT,
How is II 90 be brought 90 pass =?
Must Have Consent.
Everyone who is not an idiot will
admit, TO begin with. that no govern
rnent can be strong, or indeed gov
crn at all. without the consent and
cooperation OF the governed. Laws
ave enforced. not by tho police. but
by the citizens who call the police
when the law IS broken. If the citi-
zens connive at breaches of the law
and shield the lawbreaker instead OF
denouncing him, Il is all up with
the government The executive may
refuse TO admit checkmate for a
time If Il has sufficient man power
at its disposal IL can bring about a
state Of things in which out of every
five persons I'm the country one is q
spy. one a policeman, and two are
soldiers II il has sufficient money
10 can put the whole population in
prison and support them there But
-
coercion. destructive TO production,
incompatible with prosperity. ruin
Gus alike to the cOercer and the CO
creed. IL cannot settle the country.
develop the country. secure proper
~ and person In the country. satisfy
the country, or. In short, achieve any
OF the ends Of government This is
so obvious that the advocacy of such
coercion by sane men viii be taken
az evidence OF a design 70 ruin the
country. and a very stupid one when
the circumstances are such as 70
make is impossible for even Crom-
well TO go through with the process
A. Much "a People Allow.
a government, then, can govern
just as the people viii allow it 10
govern. ard not bit more. 1t may
have troops and tanks and aero
planes and Mills bombs enough 70
wipe ont the whole population: but
severn them 10 cannot When the
man who disobeys its orders and
says it's officers 90 avoid arrest can
depend ou his neighbors not TO de
uouucc him. and is assured by his
spiritual adviser that he is justified
iu resisting. even 20 that extremity
the authorities can proclaim dis
rricts. can shoot and bludgeon and
arrest and imprison those whom
they catch red-hauded; but they can
not keep the peace. they can only
break 10. and as to constructive
measures the mere suggestion IS
laughable Tn word. such a gov
eminent is miserably weak, irritable.
Ilischievous. and pcrpetuaUy at its
wits ends Its strength is as use
less Co it as the strength OF a bull
lr an arena. 10 can gore a horse here.
toss piCador there, and even kill
tlie matador II he attacks before #
IS tired out. but II Is never for a
moment master of the situation, and
the end. however long 30 may be de
layed, Is foredoomed
All this sounds like an extract
trom The Chrd's Guide 10 Know
edge" and I apologize to the uni
verse for offering it 10 grown-up peo-
pie as n they did not know it al
ready. But our unionists do not
seem 20 know Il, and the poor Eng
lish whom they bully so scandalous-
iy are afraid 90 say IT,
4 FSsebie PIausibiity.
The castle cIings TO a feeble plaus-
ibility given - its impotence by the
fact that civilized men know that
they must keep a certain minimum
% order spontaneously II business
is 20 be carried on az all: so that
common thieves are still denounced
20 the police though rebels are not.
When a rebel Is by chance caught
cut by the authorities the laugh is
undeniably on their side. the pris-
oner may put on his hat and refuse
20 recognize the court" but as the
court can Immediately knock HIS hat
off and handcu6 and browbeat and
iuprison and ruin him. It's triumph
IL very real and his defiance depress-