New-York tribune., 1921-04-01
Willard Board
Bla11les Britain
For Irish Terror
Committee of 100 Declares
Probe Shows Troops Gull.
ty of Excesses Comparable
to German Acts in Belgium
Admits Witnesses Biased
3O,OOO-Word Report Made;
Holds That Facts Prove
Grown Is Morally Guilty

WASHINGTON, March si~-The
British government is held morally re-
sponsible for the disorders in ireland
in a 30.o00-word report by the commits
sion of the Committee of One Hundred
investigating the Irish question, made
public here to-day and covering the re-
suits of examination of witnesses al
public hearings held last November
December and January The committed
was purely unofficial and was spon-
sored by Oswald Garrison Willard
editor Of The Nation.
THE American Commission or Con-
ditions in Ireland" is the title Of the
report, and the investigating body an
nounces that it will continue its
hearings.
While the commission comedies that
1t was without official British testimony
in the case except as it was obtained
from documents, it declares that "the
imperial British army in Ireland has
been guilty of proved excesses, not in
comparable IN degree and kind with
those alleged by the Bryce report on
Belgian atrocities to have been com
mltted by the imperial German army"
Of thirty eight witnesses of alleged
atrocities examined eighteen were
American, eighteen Irish and two
English citizens, and testimony avail
able, the report admits. gives the case.
therefore, almost wholly from the
Irish republican or Sim Fein viewpoint.
or from sources not unsym pathetic
to the application Of the principle of
self-determination to ireland. The
Ulster Unionist viewpoint and that of
the British authorities in Ireland were
not represented
Irish Deprived of Protection
After hearing all the testimony the
commission finds:
That the Irish people are deprived
Of the protection of British law. to
which they would be entitled as sub
jects of the British King. Thev are
likewise deprived of the moral protec-
t1on granted by international law.
to which they would be entitled as bel
ilgerents. They are at the mercy Of
imperial British forces which, acting
contrary both to all law and to
standards of human conduct. have in
stituted in Ireland a terror the evi-
dence regarding which seems to prove
that:
Il. The imperial British government
has created and introduced into Ire
land force of at least $4,000 men.
many of them youthful and inexper-
fenced, and some OF them convicts;
and has melted that fo&e to unbridled
violence.
"2. The imperial British forces in
Ireland have indiscriminately killed
innocent men, women and children;
have tortured and shot prisoners while
in custody, adopting the subterfuge Of
refusal to halt and attempting to es-
cape, and have attributed to alleged
Sim Fein Extremists the British as
sassination of prominent Irish repub-
licans.
'3. burning and wanton de-
struction of villages and cities by i'm
perial British forces under Imperial
nanced, and ordered by officials of the
British government and elaborate pro-
vision by gasoline sprays and bombs
has been made in number of IN
stances for systematic incendiarsfn as
part OF a plan of terrorism.
~. A campaign for the destruction
of the means of existence of the Irish
people has been conducted by the burn
ing of factories, creameries, crops and
farm implements and the shooting of
farm animals.
British ''Terror" Assailed
"5. Acting under a series of proc
1amatfons issued by the competent
military authorities of the imperial
British forces, hostages are carried by
ferces exposed to the. fire of the re-
publican army; fines are levied upon
towns and villages as punishment for
alleged offenses of individuals; private
property is destroyed in reprisals for
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