The Irish standard., 1919-02-01
Count Plunkett Bears Message From
Prisoners in Birmingham to
Brethren at Home.
Distorting the Proposals of President
ia Wilson.
Labor Almost Without Representation
in The British Parliament.
Will There Be An English Sim Fei
Movement?

Will There Be An English Sim Fein
Movement?
Rev. NJ. O'Flanagan, who received
an enthusiastic welcome from an
enormous audience at the great Vic
tory Concert in the Mansion House
spoke of the recent elections, and, re-
ferring to the large number of peo-
pie whom he had addressed in various
parts of the country said it was easy
for a large crowd of people to degen-
discipline, but he saw no mobs any
where in Ireland, but large masses of
people conducting themselves in an or
derby way, and protected from any in
f1uence that would cause disturbance
by disciplined young men.
Referring to the fact that the lead
ing men of Ireland were in prison.
he asked what was the Lord Lieuten-
ant of Ireland but the Governor of the
Irish iails. These imprisoned leaders
were dealing with their governors in
the way that Austin Stack and the
others were doing and the Lord Lieu
tenant of Ireland and his hirelings
might soon find themselves confronted
with a country that was just a Belfast
Jail on a big scale.
Artificial Feeding.
He had got Letter from Peterhead,
where there were Irish prisoners,
and it stated that they had been on
hunger strike for 2 weeks, but col
lapsed after 9 days, and were being
artiticially fed in hospital.
He went on to say that they had an
audience all over the world anxious to
know about Ireland. They had got
one good lesson about Ireland in the
recent elections. 1t would be neces-
sary to make it plain to the nations of
the world that in dealing with Eng
land they were dealing with hypo-
critic. She had kept Ireland surround
ed by an impenetrable fence which
was set up by Ireland's own leaders,
but it had now been knocked down,
finally and forever.
They had now got leadership that
would give clear and definite express
sion to what the people had always
felt in their hearts. Not everyone
who voted for Sim Fein was full of
the complete spirit Of the new move
ment, and, therefore, they had an edu-
cational propaganda to continue. There
was long road to go before the full
spirit of this new movement had per-
meated the rank and file of the peo-
pie, because it was not merely ma
tional movement, but movement for
purity, Independence, courage and
honesty in public life. 4
He was not in any sort of hysterical
impatience about the coming of Irish
freedom. If it was postponed even
for a few years the discipline of liv-
ing consciously in an enslaved coun-
try would develop type of citizen
ship in Ireland in the spirit of the new
movement which would bring re-
ward a. hundredfold when the time
came for the flag to wave over an in
dependent Ireland, and the more they
gained their independence by a devel-
opment of their own strength at home
rather than by the help of foreign
countries, the greater and better would
be the freedom when it came.
The Turn Of the Tide.
Let them do everything in their
power to make us of the international
forces at their disposal at present, and
they must remember, no matter what
the outside world might do or say, they
were true to the ideal of complete
ly Independent Ireland, and they were
going to work and prepare for it, and
insist on having it. The tide had risen
at last in Ireland, and there was no
power on earth could push it back
Count Plunkett, who was loudly
cheered, said he had come from Bir-
mingham Prison, where 10 comrades
were still under England's lock and
key. Father O'F1anagan and the brave
men working with him had accom-
plished within the past few months
such work as had never been
equalled in the history of Ireland.
The men in Birmingham Prison sent
the message, "Tell the people that we
are prepared, if need be- to rot in Eng
lish -jails for Ireland. Let them not
weary, of well-doing in Ireland. and
we will not weary of waiting for lib
erty for ourselves and our country"
The late leaders of the Irish Party
got their grip on the people by using
phrases that meant one thing to the