The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-04-01
BRITISH ARMY GETS BLAME
FOR MOST OF ATROCITIES
COMMITTED ON IRISH SOIL
Committee of One Hundred esgating Irish Question
Makes Public Its Report Covering the Examination of
Witnesses at Hearings

to Americans so closely bound by ties
OF blood and culture to the Irish and
English people," Unless moral force
could prevail to end the terror in Ire
| land, the commission pointed out,
physical force seemed bound to cor
tinue both to deny the possibility of
peace in Ireland-and to diminish the
possibility of non-interventton of our
| government In the struggle"
1T seemed to u.s." says the commits
sion, that we could best serve the
! cause of peace by placing before the
English Irish and American public
the facts OF the situation. free from
both agonized exaggeration and moral
understatement; for a knowledge of
the facts might reveal their cause
and recognition of that cause might
permit its cure, by those whose pur-
| pose was not to STAY but to heal"
In touching upon the events leading
to the present crisis, the report de-
clares:
THE central fact in the Irish situa-
ton is the presence of the British in
I.eland. The British can point to 700
years of possession of Ireland, and to
700 years spent in trying to pacify Ire
, land, and the British naturally desire
to continue to possess Ireland, for they
are proud of their empire, jealous of
its integrity and anxious about its
security"
irish Won Home Rule.
The report points out that the Irish,
as a result of their resort to arms in
1888, 1898, 1903, 184S and 1857, have
won from the British parliament the
abolition of penal laws against Roman
Catholics, dlsesta bishment of the Irish
church. liberal land laws, and, finally,
the Irish home rule act, which was
passed by the house of lords and COM
mons and signed by the king in 1914.
"At the behest of the British tories, IN
der Sir Edward Carson" the report
says, that act was suspended for the
duration Of the war and was later rem
dered void by superseding act which
partitioned Ireland"
The commission in referring to the
Ulster rebellion Of 1914, which, it says,
was started by the tories to fight
home rule, charged that Carson and
other leaders who had imported arms
from Germany and had set up a pro-
visional government in Belfast were
forgiven and promoted to high Offices
in the British government.
after this" the report says, "in
1915, Irish poets, teachers and leaders,
with less. than 1000 followers rose in
rebellion and declared Ireland's indie
pendence. Confronted with the Irish
declaration of independence, the i'm
perial British government poured addi-
tional troops into Ireland. The rebel
lion was crushed in April, 1916. The
imperial British government then con-
tinued to pour troops into Ireland. The
Irish to an increasing degree were de-
prived of civil and social liberty. Such
British rule lasted until December IA
1918 when, at the conclusion of a war
avowedly fought for the rights of small
nations, the Irish people in the general
election held under British auspices
gave the endorsement Of their suffrage
to the Irish republic which was the
election issue in Ireland. In fulfill
ment of their pledge the elected repre-
sentatives of the Irish republic met
in congress (the Dali Eirann) at Dub
lin, organized as a government, nomi-
mated officers and proceeded to func-
ton January 81, 1919, and an army
known as the Irish republican army
was created, equipped with distinc-
tive uniforms and drilled openly"
Two kinds of killings" have char
acterized the Irish republican warfare,
according to the report. First, the cas-
ualties resulting from the Sim Feiners'
attempts to obtain arms and ammuni-
ton in attacking motor lOrrles and pO-
lice barracks and, second, the secret
execution" OF spies, traitors and enc
mics of the Irish republic who have
been adjudged guilty" by its courts
and sentenced to death. It is admit
ted that the accused never appear be-
fore these Sin Fein tribunals Minor
offenses are punishable by Sentencing
the guilty to enforced absence from
their home town and residence for a
stated period in IAN unknown locality"
The commission condemns the social
ed legalized killings.
Many Instances of Alleged Atrocities.
Many instances of alleged atrocities
and wanton destruction of property by
the British troops are presented in the
report but all OF these were testified
to and publicly reported at the time
of the hearings last winter. Denuncia-
ton of the methods Of the auxiliary
CADETS ana the DIaCk ana tanS, two
forces of "irregulars" that supplement
the royal Irish stabulary and the |
regular British troops is expressed in
the findings. Evidence of witnesses
and dispositions from victims, accord |
ing to the report, established the fact |
that these troops included in their
ranks burglars and highwaymen, !
gunner and petty thieves"
Regarding casualties, the commits |
sion says that it is justified In con-
Guiding that mot more than 600 of
the British have been killed in Ireland !
from Bay 1916 to December 1920. These |
500 casualties would seem to have oc-
CURED in a force of rs 900 during
period of four and one-half years, It !
is pointed out, or at the rate of not
more than 20 of one percent per an
mum.
On the other hand, according to lists
compiled by the Irish republican gov
eminent and submitted TO the commits !
sion. more than 200 unarmed Irish