Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-01
STERN MILITARY STEPS
DEFENDED BY IRISH
RULER, IAN MACPHERSON
Continued from Page one.)

| IL lIle auCceSS Oh your DODCy SHOWN
! by the fact that the number of courts
! martial and political prosecutions is
diminishing" was my next question.
| 81 cannot answer that offhand"
! Has not this same policy of coer-
cion been tried by your predecessors
! for more than thirty years-Sir Nj.
| Hicks Beach, Messrs. Balfour or Jack
son, Mr., Walter Long and the rest
and is it not proof of its failure that
| you are now compelled to resort to it
again"
Il am not concerned with what my
! predecessors did am acting on the
facts as l see them"
rs not ireland in a graver condi
ton of unrest at this moment than
a any time since the union?"
Il am not prepared to admit that.
| Her material condition was never so
good, and the evidence of prosperity
never so plain"
Sim Ecin on the Wane.
HAS any previous chief secretary
had to deal with so formidable a po-
| litcal movement as the Sim Fein p"
The political conditions in my
opinion, are improving, and | cor
slider that the Sim Fein movement is
on the Wane."
isn't II q fact that the nationalist
constitutional movement has been de-
| stroyed leaving the field to the Sim
| Fem party, and is it not the charge
against the Dublin castle administra-
ton that the policy it has pursued for
/ the last few years was calculated. If
not intended, TO destroy the constitu-
| tional movement"
| Il am not responsible for what was
done before | came here. Nothing has
been done under my administration
! to produce such a result. Nor do |
admit that what you say is well
| founded"
Censor Put His Foot Down.
| may explain that after a visit to
| Ireland in August, 1917. | wrote an
article for The World describing the
| situation, pointing out particularly
| that the policy of Dublin castle under
| the then chief secretary was so pat
emily playing the game of the Sim
! Feiners that 1t must inevitably lead to
! the destruction of the nationalist
constitutional party. | argued it was
| impossible to believe that the castle
| was not deliberately working to at
! tain the latter result under the fatal
delusion that the disappearance of the
nationalist would make il easy for the
government in the house of commons,
/
| Feiners could also be easily suppresst d
| by the military and the police. as is
now being attempted.
That article was stopped by the
| British postal censor in London on
| the ground that sit showed sympathy
with the Sim Feiners,' whereas its
whole purpose was to emphasize the
danger of Sim Feinism replacing con-
stitutionalism. The true reason the
British censor stoppedJit WAS because
it exposed the plot against the liber-
| ties of ireland in which Dublin castle
was then engaged.
"Unrcpentant Home Rulcr."
you have seen the suggestion that
the Irish problem should be solved by
the granting of dominion home rule -
asked Mr.. MACPHERSON,
Eyes, ] have seen it, he replied
"As | have stated in the house of
commons l remain an unrepentant
| home ruler myself. But the decision
as to the solution that may be offered
| is a ma tter for the imperial govern
ment, which, to my knowledge, is
now considering the question. But
YOU must remember that the position
| in Ireland has changed with regard to
home rule since the nationalist party
| has been defeated
The nationalist party asked for
home rule within the United Kingdom
and within the empire. The home
rule desired by the Sim Feiners is not
! that What they desire is complete
| independence. They desire to have
an isolated republic adjacent to Great
| Britain, which they declare to be
| their enemy"
Are you not satisfied that they
| genuinely believe the esta blishment of
| a republic to be a political possible
ity?"
IAN can say is that the Sim
| Feiners of the country advocate that
and nothing else. | assume they are
genuine in their yiews-if not they
must be the biggest hypocrtes alive
Demand Never to BE Accepted.
! Might they not be demanding
more than they are prepared to ac-
! cept on the principle of bargaining? =
II don't think so at all. Those men
never swerve from their ultra atti-
ude of insisting on demand which
will never, under any circumstances,
| be accepted by the British people"
But if the nationalist representa-
| ton in parliament has been swept out
of existence you cannot expect to deal
with them ?"
tionaism is growing again in the
country, and that the strength of the
nationalist party Is being revived
The Irish people are beginning to-
realize that the dreams of Sim Fein
are ludicrous, impracticable and cam
not be fulfilled. l know that the ma
tionalist view is that the notion of a
republic is both undesirable and i'm
possible"
1T must be passed or otherwise
dealt with within six months of the
home rule act already on the statute
bookg"
1T must be passed or otherwise
dealt with within six months of tho
declaration of peace"
us it likely to form the basis-of any
settlement that may be offered?"
Home Rnlc Act Not Popular.
II am not in a position to answer
that question, but | gather from my
own personal ohse walton that II does
not seem to be IA cry popular act in
this country"
81 have seen your reply to the |
charges and allegations of the Irish !
American delegates" | said do you
propose to grant an inquiry into those |
charges as demanded by the Irish |
American delegation in their report?"
THAT would be a matter for the
imperial government to decide. But
after my reply / should hope an in
quiry is wholly unn .cessary."
In conclusion the chief secretary
said,
II feel myself that the situation in
L.. l.. \ 49,. al