The Washington times., 1920-04-30
IRISH INDEPENDENT
.EXC0R|ATES BRITISH
Largest Erin Daily Says Brutal
Methods Have AIienated
independence.

A somber picture of lreland's pres
ent reign Of terror under martial rule
| Is contained In an editorial indlcl-
me mt of Britain In the Irish lndepend
( ent. Just received here. The signin-
cancs Of the editorial lies In tho iact
that the Independent, which has the
largest circulation of any Irish daily
I Is not a Sim Fein newspaper IL SUD
istantiates the claim OF Irish sympa-
thizers In America that the brutal
coercion by the British government
/ mas ahenated every shade or lrlsh
independence. and has given tremen-
| dous impetus TO the demand for recog-
milton OF the republic.
/ The editorial, in part. says;
/ Lord Sausbury's panacea for ire
land was twenty years ior resoiute
| government or coercion.
'By Tories and Liberals coercion
was alternately tried in the last quar-
ter OF the nineteenth century ana
each in turn found that the policy was
failure.
Liberty Has Vanished.
Under the present government.
there has been a reversion to that
hateful system; but the methods EN-
ployed on this occasion, for cruelty
repression, and viniictiyepess are
worse than any punitive campaign
adopted by the British or any other
government in modern times. Liberty
in the personal, as well as IN the po-
litical sense has vanished. The people
dare not meet publicly to state the
national grievance; they are forbid
den even to inquire into the economic
condition OF the country; raids, ar
rests, and deportations are the order
OF the day. "a
I'm the month Of January. alone,
1855 arregts were made. Without
trial or charge men, and even boys,
have been cast into prison. LORD
French, Mr.. Macpherson. and their
abettors at the castle, are, X is pre-
te lded. doing all this for the pury
pose OF maintaining law and ordef'
Was there ever such mockery!
Laws Of Justice Violated.
"DaIy the government themselves
are violating the fundamental prin-
ciples OF law apd Justice; they have
abolished constitutional government
in this country and cnthroned in its
place a form Of repression and ruth
less tyranny beside which, Prussian-
ism may be regarded as mild. Their s
Is not a rule to maintain order; ii is
cruel and merciless process to XIII
the spirit OF the nation. Somewha,
similar methods were tried by the
pagans of old to kill Christianity il.
self. r..
when Lord French and Mr., Shortt
came here, in 1913, the country was
comparatively quiet and peaceful Re
preston first tried on a slightly mod
fed scale. has been brought 10 de-
gree of perfection on a par with tho
penal laws denounced by Burke as
the most cruel engine Of oppression
ever devised by the perverted in
genuity of man. What have those
so-calIed rulers accomplished? Their
sway has reduced the country to II
state OF distraction such as has not
been witnessed within living memory
Anarchical tendencies may exist al
the top as well as at the bottom, and
arbitrary power carried to extremes
| is anarchical. The Lord Mayor Of
! Cork was shot dead in his own home;
few hours earlier a policeman was
! killed in public thoroughfare in tho
city. We deplorc these awful deeds
by whomsoever committed. The cruc'
death of the Lord Mayor has shock ed
| has occurred for many a year. These
and the many other tragic and de-
! plorablc incidents fresh in tho publ,
/ memory arc the direct outcome OF
/ tyrannicaI misgovernment. We sec
| here the results that have followed 8
| like regime in other countries.
Calls Them HypOcritcs.
when the ministers committed 10
| this policy of repression in Ireland
speak of their sympathy with small
nations. and support their right 10
! self elf-dctermination they convict them
/ selves of hypocrisy. The only right
/ they support in this country is a
! GlarinE wrong. While dragoning the
majority they support the ascendancy
or small minority and select Gen
{ cral HacketPain. the most prominent
! of the Carsonitc rcvolutjonsrics, to
take drastic measures" against the
people of the south of Ireland. Even
under a government not chosen ov
| the people themselves there may be
| peace and order although the people
may not be satisfied with that form OF
government Peace and order in Iro-
| land under Lord French and MIR Mae
! phcrson is impossible. SO mischicV-
| Gus. so intolerablc and so grossly re-
! prcssivc has their regime been that
their designations arc a condition
| precedent to any improvement. Tho
next step of q StatcSnanlikc govern.
mcnt should be to allow tho pcopl"
choose their own form.of government.
GERMANY CAN'T PAY