Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-02-22
DOCUMENT HINTS
WEAKNESSES OF
LIVERPOOL PORT
Burning of Ships, Build
ings and Destruction
of Farms Planned.
Chief Secretary Defends
Reprisals From Fierce
Attacks in Commons.

London, Feb: 21.-(By The Associ.
ated Press. During a discussion il
the house Of commons Monday Of
Captain William Wedgwood Benn's
amendment to the reply to the address
from the throne denouncing the gov
ernment's Irish policy, Sir Hamar
Greenwood, chief secretary for Ire.
land, warned the house that the Sim
Fein conspiracy was spreading to Eng
land, and read memorandum captured
at Sim Fein headquarters dealing with
lican army of 10000 pounds sterling
mostly from Irish American citizens.
The document emphasized the i'm
portance of large scale operation
! ! abroad" and suggested Liverpool as
| holding out the greatest hope. Staff
officers, it added, should be given a
free hand and it proposed the destruc-
| ton of large ships and buildings by
fire, the cutting of telegraph and tele-
phone lines and signalling systems,
whereby trains and trans could be
wrecked, and the destruction of farms.
Sabotage Encouraged.
Operations should be directed to
encouraging direct action and incite-
ment of mob to looting," the document
continued, ''and the officer in charge
should not be hampered by considera-
ton of preserving life."
The chief secretary asserted that the
reprisals which were now being con-
Quoted in the martial law areas were
according to rule and with due regard
to the lives of innocent people. He
declared that the ordinary civil courts
were again functioning almost through.
out Ireland, but in the major part OF
= nryv n
criminal cases over to courtsmartlat
because no civilian judges were avail
able owing to the fact that they would
be in hourly danger of their lives.
Ulster Invites Premier.
Sir Hamar expressed the hope that
the dominion premiers would be able
to attend the opening Of the Ulster
parliament in June.
The chief secretary, in long speech
seeking to blame the Asquith admins
tration for the present situation IN Ire
land and justify the policy of the pres
ent government, said that when he was
appointed to his post i4 1919 he pur-
sued a policy Of conciliation for more
than two months. Every person was
released so as to enable start with
a policy of good will, but the Sim
II Gill lUteIpIclGu LAlS WS0AASoS uAo
redoubted their efforts at terrorism.
By July, 1920, said Sir Hamar, the
Sim Fein terror was triumphant in al
most three quarters of Ireland, while
the constabulary were sealed in barr
acks, inadequately armed and lacking
transport. Today the police were no
longer prisoners in barracks, but
fighting for the authority Of the crown
and succeeding, whereas the Irish Re-
publican army was confined now to
certain areas. The government had
broken the railway boycott and the |
reign of terror in two thirds of Ire |
land.
Opposition Opens Attack.
Lord Robert Cecil followed with his
first speech from the opposition
benches. He condemned the govern
ment policy of reprisals in unmeasured
terms as responsible for the situation
in Ireland, which he asserted was
worse than for 12O years. He said
evidence had reached him of wide
spread looting by the crown forces.
Condemning the holding of the
Strickland report, Lord Robert said
hat the government itself was to blame
f charges were made against it. He
,xhorted the government to abandon all
and making a searching
Investigation of all the events as the
sole means of restoring the confidence
# the country.
The amendment was rejected and the
'eply to the address from the throne
ormally adopted.