The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-04-08
Protestants Said To Be the
Riot Starters
BREWING OF TURMOIL
Story of Priest Who Declined
Prayer For Hunger Striker
McSWiney
IAssociated Press Dispatch. ]

pSSIS vi Tic tlOuulcS III lIciduu dIC
discussed in a report made public
here today which supplements the
10000 word findings of the commits
sion of the Committee of One Humid
red investigating the Irish question.
The supplementary report, made by
mission, summarizes the evidence
presented to the hearings held here
in November, December and January
as follows:
"First.-Outside OF a part of
Ulster, Catholics and Protes-
tants live in peace and harmony
and their political opinions are
not primarily matter of re-
ligion.
MEANS MEANS % Ulgof s sS 4l oy a bat
is artiicially stirred up by those
whose economic and political in
terests are served by dividing
the people.
"Third-While it obviously
lies beyond our province to pass
final judgment upon the various
aspects of the Ulster issue, we
have not only right but duty
as American Professionals to de-
uouuCe lie ueSldudIfon VI re-
ligion by such pogroms as &C.
CURED last summer. Upon this
subject we owe it to our fellow
religionists both in America and
in Ulster, to speak plainly"
Majority Commission are Protestant
All of the members OF the commits
sion, excepting United States Sena-
tor David /. Walsh of Massachusetts,,
who were chosen by the committee
to conduct the inquiry, are Protes-
tants. These members are Jane Ad-
erick Howe, former United States
Commissioner of immigration, New
York; James H. Maurer, President
American Federation of Labor OF
Pennsylvania: Major Oliver P. New
man, formerly commissioner Of the
District of Columbia; United States
Senator George w. Norris of Nebr-
aska and Rev. Norman Thomas of
New York.
mo examination Of the. Irish sit
uation can ignore the religious is
peculiarly appropriate that the Pro.
testant members should deal with
the SUBJECT in view of the over
whelming predominance OF Roman
Catholics in Ireland and the charge
sometimes heard in Protestant cir
cles that Republican sentiment has
its chief origin in ecclesiastical agi-
tation"
The only evidence before the com
mission concerning serious religious
controversy resulting in the destruc-
ton of life and property dealt with
the Ulster riots of the summer OF
1920, the report says. Unable to OBJ
tain testimony from eye witnesses
or any member of societies devoted
to the cause of Protestant aScen-
dency in Ulster" the commission
says it heard the testimony of three
individual non Catholics, two OF
whom were American citizens and
the third "a British citizen of Scotch
Presbyterian stock. AS in the case
of the major report the testimony OF
witnesses taken before this commit
tee was made public at the time II
was given.
The Belfast Disorder.
Referring to the Belfast disorders
beginning July q, 1920 in which by
the end of August, fifty six persons
were killed, the commission observed
that these riots between Protestants
and Catholics in which Protestants
were the aggressors partook of the
character of Russian pogrom against
the Jews"
One of the witnesses, Mrs. Annot
Robinson, the report said, declared
that in October 1920, she visited
Ulster and found that more than
10000 expelled workers and their
families were existing on relief
Some of them, the report said, were
expelled not only from their joos
but from their homes. The victims
it continued, were predominately
Catholic, though among them, were
Of sloh
ialist or Sim Fem sympathies."
The killing of District Commits
sioner Smyth in Cork. the election o:
twenty five men who were not
Orangemen" to the Belfast City
council, where total membership is
fifty the alleged expulsion Of 1000
nationalist workers from the Belfast
shipyards; and the destruction of the
town of Lisburn, just outside Of Bel
fast were designated as IAN appalling
record of revival of religious
strife"
1.-THE Ulster pogroms," the report
continued, were not, primarily due
to spontaneous fare up OF smold
ering bigotry but were rather pro-
NOTED by those whose economic and
political interests were opposed both
to strong labor unionism and to Irish
Republicanism Certain manufacture
6TS ana uIllOulSL pOllIdClduS, IL "dS
alleged, had taken alarm at the soli-
darity of labor, Protestant and
Catholic, shown in the great ship
yard strike of 1919"
What Belfast Manufacturers Says.
A large Belfast manufacturer was
quoted as having said:
81 know and all the manufacturers
in this know, that the trouble is not
a religious trouble except as it has
been fostered by them to serve their
political and their economic inter
ests / warned them a long
time ago that they were rousing up
monster they cound not control
and which some day might turn upon
them" Politicians and manufacture
ers, opposed to Slim Fein, the com :
mission says it found, have had 1.-THE
aid of a large section of the press
and of the clergy"
As regards the rest of Ireland out
side the region Immediately about
Belfast the commission says it was
Impressed by the evidence Of lack
of any religious strife" 1t also
charged that Sir Edward Carson,
former leader in Ulster would seem
to have accepted home rule act
which gives his party practically
what they want in Ulster at the price
of delivering over the Protestant
minority in the rest of Ireland to the