The New York herald., 1921-12-07

Sim Fein decided rightly or wrongly
that their lives were traitorously forfeit.
These men were deliberately killed off
in long series of horrifying shootings.
Irish spokesmen always insisted that
their ambushes of pa rites of police We're
legitimate warfare which any Belgian
during the German occupation might
have been proud of. and that in cases
where individual police officers were
shot down each individual had had
fair trial On a charge of treason or
spying
At first these killings provoked scat
! tered reprisals on the part of the police.
But the old police were soon either
wiped out or reduced TO impotence. In
July. 1920, Sim Fein was practically
running all ireland. The Kings writ
no longer ran. Sim Fein courts and
Sim F'en police operated openly and
Sim Fein officials could be seen any
day on the streets or in their offices In
Dublin. while British officials were
practical prisoners in Dublin Castle.
1t was at this point that the Govern
nlent decided to give the Irish dose
of their own medicine" In August.
. 1920 the London papers carried adver-
tisements for young men, preferably
(
serve for a pound n day and expenses
| in q special force in Ireland. The Gov
ernment did not take into consideration
the fact that the post war boom was at
its peak in England at that time and
only the least desirable ex-service men
responded to the call. They reached Ire
land without uniforms or equipment
and were served out what came TO
hand. part of it khaki and part of it
the dark. almost black green of the
police-hence the Black and Tans.
Black and Tan killings.
With the Governments desire to give
Ireland a dose of her own medicine"
these men were in perfect accord. There
followed the series Of burnings OF towns.
lndiscriminate shootings and deliberate
killings by the forces of the crown in
which may be listed the burning and
looting of Balbriggan, Listowei and
finally Cork. the killings of the Lord
Mayors of Cork and Limerick and the
accidental deaths in street fighting OF
maLy women and children.
1t was at this point that the influence
of American opinion began to be very
effective in Irish affairs American
correspondents poured into Ireland and
without exception did not hesitate to at
tribute outrages to the forces of the
crown when they had proof positive that
those forces were guilty English CORE
spondents quite naturally hesitated to
accept even positive proof against their
own forces. But British statesmen who
knew how American opinion was being
influenced began to take serious notice.
particularly after the inauguration of
President Harding at Washington last
spring and the knowledge that a new
policy with regard to Ireland was not an
impossibility.
1t was in this state Of political feeling
and with both Ireland and England be-
coming thoroughly sick of the horrors
of warfare that Martin H. Glynn Of
New York came to London and met
Mr.. Lloyd George. spending several
hours with him in his office In the
House of Commons. Mr.. Lloyd George
had already said publicly that he would
meet any Irishman who could deliver
the goods, barring only men known to
be guilty of crime.
Mr.. Glynn's Talk Bore Fruit.
After Mr.. Glynn had talked to him
Of American views on the situation In
Ireland Mr.. Lloyu George made his first
offer to meet the Irish leaders with
out exacting promises and without i'm
posing conditions" That message l car
ried to Dublin and gave to Mr.. De
Valera, and the contact then esta ablished
has now borne fruit.
1t has been known in London for many
weeks that substantial agreement on
many points had been reached in the
course OF the Downing street negotia-
tions and finally it became apparent that
complete agreement as to principles had
been attained. The negotiations then
became long drawn out and carefully
played game to get the result presented
in such fashion that the three political
faces in England, Ireland and Ulster
might be saved despite their apparently
widely divergent aspects.
1t has long been known that the vast
majority of persons in both England and
Ireland were against a renewal of hos
tilities. Each side used the threat of
renewal to bring their own recalcitrants
into line. Apparently both succeeded
until Monday afternoon, when something
happened and Mr.. LLOYD George went to
see the King. 1t was known In London
that this was the last resort The King
had made the flrst open appeal for peace
in Ireland when he opened the Belfast
Parliament i'm the spring. His deter
mination to stop the killing of his people
in Ireland was no figure of speech. ac-
cording to unquestionable information in
London, Il seems likely that it was fear
of denunciation from the throne,
punishment which no Briton relishes
even in these republican days. that
brought the final recalcitrants into line
and will yet make the settlement arrived
at effective.
ARMENIANS IN CILlCTA