The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-02
IT'S SIM EEIN War
Railway Troubles in Ireland
Not Union Dispute.
Irish Reds Would Not Let Rail-
road Men Quit Plan.
WILL NOT HAUL BRITISH COPS
Judges, Even, Must Now Travel
to Court by Motor.
Gasoline for AirpIanes Cannot
Be Hauled by Train.
WILL NOT HAUL BRITISH COPS

Dublin, Aug. 2.-The Irish railway
situation apparently has resolved itself
into a contest between the govern
moves on each side are calculated
from that point of view.
If there is to be a general stop
page of all traffic each side is de-
termined to make TIE other RESPONSE
BILE for it, and there will be an argu-
ment as to whether it is strike or
a lockout. The government has been
accommodating transport, and has no
difficulty in conveying any quantity
of guns and munitions TO any part of
Ireland. It has therefore not chosen
to force the pace by rendering NUM-
tons for the Irish goods trains, which
on the refusal of the railway men to
handle them would have meant de-
priving Ireland of many of the neces-
sites of life
Police Ordered to Sit Tight
The trouble which has occurred has
been solely on the passenger trains
and has been mainly concerned with
the carriage of small parties of police
men or of troops who are being used
as supplementary to the police. At
first when the railwaymen refused to
carry them, the soldiers or police took
it calmly and returned to their bar
racks Later on the government is
sued an order that the soldiers or po-
lice should sit tight in the railway
carria geS and insist on being carried
They were also directed to present
themselves at the next train starting
for their destination.
Hence a series of spasmodic hold
ups of trains all over the country
which cannot be relieved till the po-
lice decide to withdraw. Wherever
the police insist on being carried the
trains cease to run beyond that sta
ton, and the railwaymen responsible
are dismissed. But the passenger
trains which do not stop at that sta
ton are unaffected. and run thru as
usual on the Midland line this has
| meant that trains from Dublin cannot
get past Athenry and Castlerea, while
trains up to Dublin still run
The driver fireman and guard start
| ing from Dublin convey their train as
| fair as the point where the police
want to get on. They refuse to go
/ any farther, and there is a regular
| daily list of dismissals.
Trouble Really Small.
How small on the whole is the
trouble so far may be esumateo from
the fact that the total dismissals after
| three weeks or a months conflict is
less than so on all the lines in Ireland.
Business has suffered but slightly.
| The situation may be relieved any
day by a decision of the government
to send their mon by motor. That
would be hailed however, as victory
for Sim Fein.
! The Irish judges who are now going
! out to hold the assizes have decided to
travel by motor. Usually they go by
| train accompanied by an armed guard
| of honor If they went by train with
| the guard they would not be allowed
to leave the terminus. If they went
without the guard it would be &C
| knowledging the Sim Fem power, and
/ they would be liable to be held up like
| any other passenger at any station
where police wanted to come on board
So they go by motor
Not Union Disputes.
The barristers in many cases are
doing the same thing, and as a Spe-
cial concession to difficulties of the
time have obtained permission to ap-
pear in court without their wigs and
gowns which are usually carried by
the bar atteudents by passenger trains
now liable to incalculable chances OF
delay. The dispute is not at all a
Trades Union matter, and no union
can now control it. The funds for the
support of the dismissed men come
mainly from Sim Fem sympathizers
There is no likelihood that the rail-
way men will yield but even If they
wished to do so Sim Fein would not
let them. Sim Fein, for example
thinks that petrol for the air force
is munition of war. The railwaymen
did not think that, and had conveyed
three thousand gallons to Mullingar
en- route for the air force at Gran
more. At Mullingar the train was
boarded by an armed party who re-
fused to allow it to proceed with the
petrol They took the petrol out OF
the train carried it to the embank-
ment and spilled out the lot. It il
regarded as an interesting sidelight on
military administration that the au-
thorities had taken no precautions
whatever against risk and had left
the petrol to travel without a guard