The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-01
IRISH USED LIKE
JEWS IN RUSSIA
Protestant Clergymen Make
Report on Conditions
I'm Erin
BIGOTRY FOSTERED
BY SCHEMING MEN

Committee Conviets Obstetrics of the Bel
fast Riots i'm Which So Persons Lost
Their Lives - Finds No Evidence of
Catholic Reprisals.
WASHINGTON. April Religious
aspects of the troubles in Ireland are dis
cussed in report made public here today,
which supplements the findings of the
commission of the Committee of One
Hundred investigating the Irish question.
The supplementary report, made by the
Protestant members of the commission,
summarizes the evidence presented at the
hearings.
Report Summarized.
l. Outside of Il part of Ulster, Cath
olics and Protestants live in peace and
harmony and their political opinions are
not primarily matter of religion.
>. Even in Ulster religious bigotry
is not by any means wholly spontaneous.
but is artificially stirred up by those
whose economic and political interests are
served by dividing the people.
3. While it obviously lies beyond our
province to pass final judgment upon the
various aspects Of the Ulster issue, we
have not only n right. but a duty as
American Protestants, to depounce the
degradation of religion by such programs
as occurred last summer Upon this sub
ject we owe it to our fellow religi0nists.
/ both in America and i'll Ulster, to speak
plainly
No examination of the Irish situation
can ignore the religious ISSUE" says the
report. 1T seemed peculiarly appropriate
that the Protestant members should deal
with the subject in view of the over
whelming predominance Of Roman Catho-
lies in Ireland and the charge sometimes
] heard in Protestant circles that repub-
| lican sentiment has its chief origin in
ecclesiastical agitation"
The only evidence before the commits
sion concerning serious religious contro-
versy resulting in the destruction of life
and property dealt with the Ulster riots
of the summer of 1920. the report says.
| Unable to obtain testimony from eye
witnesses or any member of societies de
voted to the cause of Protestant ascend
| ency in lister" he commission SAYS il
| heard the &. tin. Iy of three individual
non-CathoiI'.. .Na of whom were Ameri-
can citizens a"H the third "a British cit
| izen of Scotch Presbyterian stock
Like Russian E'gsrOm.
/ Referring to the Belfast disorders be-
| ginning July u. 1920. in which, by the
! end of August, 5 persons were killed
| the comm ~ observed that these
riots bctv.~ga -yte>tants and Catholics
| in whic.a 3't.r ants, were the aggressors
partook 81 fv character of Russian
lpogrom ae--,:ss. he Jews
| The Uitrs pogroms." the report con.
tinued, ''weEs not primarily due to q
spontaneous frame-up Of smoldcring big
| otry. but were rather promoted by those
| whose economic and political interests
| were opposed both to strong labor union
| ism and to Irish Republicansm.
| As regards the rest Of Ireland outside
| the region Immediately about Belfast. the
commission says. it was Impressed by the
| evidence of lack of any religious strife .
The report continued: In ireland
| there was, according to the census of 1911.
1.147 .j94 non-Catholics as against
3.2425T0 Catholics" Of these non
| Catholics 500. $50 las compared with
690.S60 Catholicsl are in Ulster. leaving
236, ia non-Catholics las compared with
2,66l, 1J4 Catholics in all the rest of Ire
land This small minority is, of course.
physically at the mercy of the Catholic
| majority. Yet there is on record not one
single case of attack upon the life and
property of any Protestant on account of