South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-19

arrested with his collea CUES. The
name Sim Fem" was given wide
publicity and the Irish people were
taught to associate il with a splen-
did resistance. Meanwhile the pris-
oners Of the insurrection had an
opportunity 10 decide on a common
policy This policy was declared at
the Sim Fem convention held at
the end Of 1917. The constitution
OF 1852 was allowed 10 pass out OF
memory, and Arthur Griffith resign
ed the presidency OF the Organiza-
ton he had founded in favor OF
canon de Valera, a young Volun-
teer Commandant who had taken
part in the insurrectiOn and whose
life was saved from the military au-
thorities by the circumstance Of his
American birth.
The new policy was easily under
stood. 1t spoke OF an Irish republic.
II aimed at organizing resistance to
British imperialism, and il kept the
ideas of elf-determination. the
European conference, and the league
Of nations before the people. Lord
French and Lloyd George did
a good deal TO make the organiza-
ton compact and spirited. When,
In April last, they arrested all the
leaders with the exception Of Prof.
MacNeill. and put them in English
prisons TO be kept until the present
moment without a trial, they raised
the morale immensely. And they
must have added TO the determine
ton Of the Irish electorate by ar
resting the director of elections and
shutting up his office before the
polling days.
The Sim Fein party can now
form its council in Dublin and take
over as much of the government of
the country as is responsive TO pop
ular control. Theirs will be a pro-
visional government limited by the
fact that the army and police will
be arrayed against it--limited too
by the fact that northeast Ulster
will remain aloof and hostile. At
the moment it may not be the part
of wisdom to attempt to govern. 1t
may be wiser, perhaps, for the Sim
Fein representatives TO sit as a con-
stituent assembly. They might spend
the next three months drawing up
n constitution for the country.
And what will England do about
it? 1t is easy to prophesy what
England now that the conservatives
are in the saddle, will do-she will
blunder and coerce until the ma
tionaI spirit is more intense and
more implacable than 1t is even
now. There is nothing between
coercion and elf-determinatien for
Ireland. The men on the nationalist
side who would have made a deal
have been swept away. And what
is the world going 10 do about it?
The world at present is America,
Great Britain, France and Italy.
Ireland is now an international
question and the powers named have
an interest in it, Ireland coerced
would mean that the Irish in Amer
lea would be alienated from British
sympathies. They might be drawn
toward the party in America that
stands for the creation Of the worlds
greatest navy. This is a possibility
lndl EnS ldllQ anu AiileIlCds dc wei
as France and Italy, would do well
10 take into account. On the other
hand, an Ireland pacified would
make it more possible to have agree
ments between America and Great
Britain.
And how about Ireland's own in
ternal problem? If she insists upon
Characterization, is she not bound
to agree to it for the Ulster counties?
The Irish could very well point out
that self determination is being
granted to national majorities, and
that no one so far has said a word
for the German minorities in Alsace,
Bohemia and Poland. Still, il is
possible that the majority in Ire
land would agree TO a plebiscite in
the Ulster counties If it went with
real offer Of self-determination-
an offer made by America or by
some international tribunal. The