The Washington times., 1920-09-04
CORK NOW UNDER
RULE OF MILITARY
People Grow Bitter As British
Troops Patrol Streets
OF City.
(continued from First Psge.)

very young, with only a partial sup
ply OF arms. They are organised
along regular military lines and call
themselves Irish Volunteers." These
same forces serve as the local police.
On the other hand 10 the British
administration. IL Is now entirely =
military organization. II has It's own
police. but In Cork they are devoted
entirely 10 apprehending political
prisoners. IL has its own courts. but
they are courts-martial, since IL has
been impossible. In the last few
months for any English court TO en-
panel Jury. Out OF SAT men re-
Gently empanneled In Cork was told
that only ten woSid serve.
Some OF the situations which arise
because OF this dual government. one
side supported by armed force and one
By the rebellious win Of the popula-
tion. are extraordinary. While ] was
In Cork a military court-martial con-
victed and sentsHced to imprisonment
two volunteers on the charge OF IL
legal assault upon another man. The
case looked like a political one. justt-
Tying the accusations OF terrorism on
the part OF Sim Fein. The facts were
these: Two volunteers acting as civil
police, Srrested a thief. The thief es'
capped and appealed 10 the English
police against his captors. The Eng
l.sh police promptly arrested the Irish
police and court-martialed them. The
thief, OF course. escaped entirely.
TROOPS ARE GOvERsMENT.
One OF the men with whom / talked
in Cork was "A colonel in the army OF
occupation In that area. I had asked
to see General Strickland, the COM
mandant, but he was engaged, and
this colonel offered to speak for him.
l CLEANED three things from my con-
versation with him. First that II
Sim Fein is terrorizing the Irish
population. no Section of the people is
seeking refuge in the British mill
tary. Second. that casualties inflicted
on Sim Fein by the military are
twice as severe as those inflicted on
the military by Sim Fein. lThis
statement the colonel made categori-
cally in answer to a direct question:
Third, that the British civil admins
tration has broken down, and ad-
mits II.
Withdraw the army from Ireland
and you withdraw the British gov
'ernment," said this Englishman.
"The object OF Sim Fein. supported
by the Volunteers, is to make the
British administration completely in
effective and to substitute their own.
he admitted frankly. Things have
been quieter in the last few days
since the military frightened the
screws, but there is no change In
spirit. II just means that we have
machine guns now. The resistance.
though passive, is just as great"
l told him that ! had heard bitter
complaints against the military in the
city. That / had been told that they
n
broke windows.
We'll" he said, "some of those ac-
cusations may be true. but we have a
very bitter population to deal with
and our army is made up OF very
young men, hardly more than boys.
1--WE want to defend the population |
against terrorism. But our
men are likely to be shot at by ten
year-old children in the streets"
ANOTHER IRISH PARADOX.
Nevertheless. it is another Irish |
paradox that the volunteers, anxious
to avoid open clashes with the British |
soldiers, are using their civilian |
police powers to enforce the military |
curfew.
On the one night that l spent in |
Cork / remained out after the 10
O'Clock curfew deliberately. The city |
seemed to be in nervous mooi |
greatly augmented when the soldiers
rode down from the barracks on the |
hill with fixed bayonets and with ma
chine guns rafting after them. i
contaminated trouble and wanted to |
be on hand if.anything happened. AS
I lurked in the shadow of building |
on the main street / was startled by a |
man in civilian clothes who came UP
to me and said: Young woman,
dc MT YOU know IL is past curfew |
hour? You ought to be at home"
But ] want to see what Is going |
on" / protested.
at is dangerous" he said. Last
night there was shooting.
ar there is going to be shooting I
want to see it," l continued obsu-
nately.
"But we don't want unpecossary
trouble" he said firmly. where do
you live? ! will take you home"
At the door of my hotel he ex.
planned himself: "Tm a volunteer"
he said.
"NO UNNECESSARY ROWS
1--WE never think Of you keeping the
peace for the British military / said,
smiling.
ut isn't always that we're doin' it,
want no unnecessary rows"'
How long can you keep this up"
asked impulsively. Wont you boys
with guns come to open clashes with
the soldiers some day."
"It's thinkin we arc that that's
what they want" he said gravely.
But that's what we've done before.
Always before We have lost. For
what can even 10000 of US hero in
Cork. or 200, 900 in ireland, do against
the might OF the British army? No,
we will not have war, however much
we are provoked. I mean we Will
have war but 1t will be our kind Of
war, fought according to our methods.
To kill men is one thing, isn't II?
But to coerce n whole pcople-that
you cannot do at allv'
Thus did my guardian OF the night
summarize the policy OF the Irish
volunteers. A minimum OF armed
force and maximum OF moral re-
sistance.
HORSE KILLS GIRL.