The Irish standard., 1919-01-18
Republican
Ireland

lreldn0
(By John G. Coyle, M. D., in the Advo
| cate)
| The election in Ireland has demon.
strated that Sim Fein now controls
the great majority of the Irish people
But several Nationalists were re.
turned, while % Sim Fein candidates
were successful. This plainly tells the
death of the Irish Parliamentary par.
ty.
Sim Fein has grown from cultural
language and industrial movement in.
to one of overwhelming political sig.
ni1icance. 1t has triumphed over the
oppression of British of1icialdom, over
the apathy and Indifference and event.
ual hostility of the supporters of the
Parliamentary party and now avowed.
ly is supported by the great mass OF
the Irish people.
When the Sim Fein policy of alb.
stention from participation in the con.
duct of the British Parliament was
first proclaimed, it was impractical, in
! view of most of the well-wishers of
Ireland. Home Rule was about to be
an accomplished fact. The power of
the House of Lords had been shackled
by the good will Of the Liberals of
Great Britain, and the eventual pas.
sage of the Home Rule bill was Ger.
tain. Since all of the great reforms,
by the good will of the Liberals of
landlordism, higher education for
Catholics, better housing for tenants,
opportunity for control of local gov
eminent, land purchase and many
others had been won by ceaseless, az.
gressive parliamentary vigilance and
unity on the part of the Irish party,
the doctrine of non-participation in
Parliamentary affairs seemed foolish
But the intimidation of the British
Government by small minority of
| the Scotch-Irish and Anglo-Irish I'm
ionists of few counties in Ulster
the disloyalty of the British army Of
ficers, who proved themselves unwill.
ing to take orders against the Ulster
Unionists; the unpublished sedition of
! Carson, Bonar Law, Campbell, Smith
! and others; the subsequent rewards of
all of these open and avowed rebels,
some going into highly paid posts in
the cabinet, others into lucrative po-
sitions; with the postponement of the
operation of the Home Rule Act,
turned Irish sentiment more and more
from adhesion to the Ministry of Great
Britain. The conduct of the war by
the British Ministers, upon the avowed
championship of Belgian independ.
ence, the announcements again and
again that treaties and official cove
nants of governments must be respect
ed and that Great Britain was fight
ing for such principles, with the con
tinued denial of even Home Rule for
| Ireland, caused an increase in the dis
affection ofthe Irish people towards
, the Irish Party and growing attach
ment to Sim Fein, which had an
nounced from the outset of the war
that Ireland ought to be neutral in it's
attitude.
while neutrality was legally and
practically impossible for Ireland, and
the public opinion of the world ap
proved the course of the Irish Party
in supporting the war and having
Irishmen volunteer for military serv.
ice, not only because of the increas.
ing hatred to and recognition of the
menace of German domination, never.
theless there was justifiable and in.
creasing distrust of the good faith OF
/: the British Government with regard
: to Home Rule for Ireland.
When, at last the Sin Fein leaders
supported by money from sympa
thizers outside of Ireland, and count
ing upon German aid, brought about
the rising Of 1916, it was the fact that
Sim Fem did not control the mass OF
Irish sympathy. In this country
where neutrality had long before dis
appeared, and public sentiment was
heartily in favor of the cause of the
Allies, it was evident that the Sim
Fein rising distincly injured the cause
of Ireland in the public mind of the
United States.
But the savagery Of the British mill
tary administration, the executions o.
the Sim Fein military leaders upor
evidence never yet made public
though repeatedly asked for by Mr.
John Dillon and others, and originally
promised by the Government; the Sc
verify of the administration of mill
tary rule in Ireland, the arrests, pro