The Washington times., 1920-09-14

Va tAA' ~ AtNpupilts
league OF youth. 100000 strong
organized secretly. defending them
selves with smuggled arms and
weapons wrested by daring hoid-ups
CT soldiers and constabuiary, wearing
no uniforms. receiving no pay. work
ing in the nelds and shops by day.
drilling by night, preserving the
peace and order OF the infant an !
perhaps ill-starred republic on the one
hand and waging a guerrilla warfare
with the British military on the other,
they represent q spirit which 10 both
chivalrous and ruthless. Their enc
mics speak OF them as "the terror"
To the vast majority OF the people OF
Ireland they epitomize the hope OF
national Independence.
The Volunteers antsdate the repub-
lie and even Sim Fein, considering
the latter as q practical movement.
When Ulster unionists a few years
ago drew unto themselves six OF the
nine counties OF Ulster and took a
solemn covenant to preserve the
union with Great Britain at all costs.
they organised for defense against
the rising tide OF national spirit the
Ulster Volunteers. The Irish Nolun'
teers was the answer.
sINN FEINERs aPACIFIsTB.-
Sim Fein, as a movement, is paci-
Dst. philosophical and sophisticated.
Arthur Griffith. the vice president OF
the republic and unauestionabiy its
directing genius. studied the resur-
rection OF Hungary and saw In II
V,,ts
He developed that policy and as a
publicist presented II to Ireland and
called in "Sinn Fein" His idea was
to cease fghting England; 70 ceas"
petitioning England, but. bit by bit'
to take over the government consti-
tutionally, and by the exercise OF
massive resistance, refusing to rccog-
nlze British laws or obey Britirh au
thority, gradually to elbow Great
Britain out OF Ireland.
1t was the Sim Fein policy wnicn
quietly carried by-election after oy'
election in the various localities un'
tn In 1919 IT established republic
controlling 70 out OF 1O5 seats in al
Of ireland. II is this policy which SET
up republican courts. encouraged the
population to bring their cases there
and to refuse service In Britisn
juries, and which in tho course oi
only a few months has literally
wiped out British civil Jurisdiction
in the South OF Ireland.
VOLUNTEERS AGGRESSIVE.
The Volunteers, on the other hand
are militant, aggressive and young
They led the bloody rising Of Easter
week, 1915, and kindled the fire
which Sim Fein directed to Its owr
ends. Now they serve the republic
which they, above all. helped tc
create. The ardor Of their youth Ia
somewhat tempered by the cooler
more disciplined, more conscious
policy OF Sin Feinn and the republi
can government.
To understand their power you
A country with a population which
has been steadily declining for a
hundred years, Ireland today con.
tains fewer people throughout its
entire length and breadth than the
city Of New York. 1t is country OF
bogs and mountains. and Of easy
access to the sea. These youths are
for the most part farmers sons. They
know every inch OF the land, every
nook in the hills. They have behind
them sympathetic population and
they have in them a love for adven
ture and for personal exploits.
Their record Is like a tale from
Robin Hood. They are responsible
for the "outrages" which have led "a
the establishment of martial law In
Ireland--the killing OF constables, the
burning of barracks. the robbing OF
the mails. At the same time that
they are crippling every effort OF the
British police they are themselves
responsible for prosecuting thieves
suppressing secret distilleries, en-.
forcing the licensing laws. and in all
respects fulfilling the capacity OF civil
police.
AN UNUSUAL WARRANT.
They have to their credit the secur-
ing Of at least one prosecution where
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