New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-10
By Arthur S. Draper
LONDON .LuIu

LONDON, July /.
Ew " HEN any one assumes a
n I dogmatic air and processes
to tell "the truth about
Ireland" it is wise to be on
ones guard. Perhaps the two men
best qualified to undertake that task
are George Bernard Shaw and George
a E.) Russell-both Irishmen. The
latter has given his views in a pam
phlet which leaves the reader unsatis
fed because a. Z. is so eminentIv fair n
every one he indicts no one. Shaw
pierces to the very heart of things. but
he leaves one wondering whether he is
sincere or fooling.
H. G. Wells. who is unsurpasse6 as
an observer, might tell the truth about
Ireland, but he would not stop there.
Having offered a solution for the "Sal-
vaging OF Civilization" Wells would
find the Irish problem absurdly simple
ard incidentally pile confusion on con-
fusion, for he thinks III aons, while
Irishmen are interested solely in to-
morrow.
Just as no two observers riding in a
railway train will see exactly the same
things in passing, no two reporters
are in full agreement as to conditions
in Ireland. However skilled as observ-
ers, however free from bias, they dis
agree as to details. But one and all
they will accept the word rotten as
the most comprehensive, descriptive
adjective that can be employed. Still
there is no prettier spot in the British
Isles, no finer cloud effects on a bright
June day, nothing to equal the lakes
of Killarney. Nature is glorious The
peoples bloomed between the trenches
in France, while man did his best to
destroy.
Sim Fe ners Fire Finest
Building in the Country
Dublin is beautiful city, with pleas
ant suburbs, range of hills in the
background and river flowing through
.he center. AS it should be. the finest
Of all buildings in Ireland was the
Dublin Custom House, the repository
Of all the records required by the agents
Ct the British government in collecting
duties taxes and other fees in Ireland
He is strange Irishman who is with
out sentiment, pride and Imagination.
Sirn Felners are Irishmen who pride
themselves on their love for Ireland
love as strong as that of the Belgian
who gave his life at Liege or the
Frenchman who died at Verdun. But
one beautiful day party OF Sim Fem
ers--brave, fearless, clever Irishmen-
entered the most beautiful building in
the most beautiful city of Ireland and
set fire to those records The fire
burned until nothing remained but the
skeleton Of the structure. 1t was an
amazingly daring enterprise. 1t was a
nishly successful one. Even more as
founding was the sequel to the fire, in
the form of an authoritative admission
that the act was the work of the SIM
Feia array.
According to the publicity depart
ment of the Sim Fem organization,
ol9 buildings in Ireland were wholly
or partially destroyed by members of
the British crown forces in five months
Of 1920. The government has admitted
In Parliament that nearly two hundred
houses we're DESTROYED in the military
area by their representatives this year.
As / write it is announced that the
policy of reprisals on the part of the
crown forces is to be abandoned.
ANY one who has travelled about in
Ireland viii agree that the country can
III afford 20 lose any dwelling places,
phiess exception be made Of the slums
o. Dublin. The Sim Fein information
bureau gave two reasons for the de-
struction of the Dublin Custom House.
Many councillors and officials have
suffered arrest and the destruction of
inelr homes because of the 'informa-
aon supplied the local government
eoard from the documents and files
which were destroyed" The second
reason is that the tax-gathering de-
Partments housed in the custom house
mad been extracting from the Irish
people revenue at the rate OF $780,
coo'oOO year, only half of which was
spent on the civil government of Ire
iahd- Twenty million dollars was spent
IN the year 1920-'21 on a police force
whose functions are spying, murder and
arson"
devastation Confined to
comparatively Small Area
From the figures / have given and
the declarations made b. Sim Fein
one might readily gain the impression
mat good part of Ireland has been
iaid waste, but that is far from the
Ease. Americans who visited Belgium
s'ace the war have been amazed to
Ana That only relatively small part
vi mat unfortunate country was de-
'sfoyed Similarly there has been
'aucn lighting. burning, bombing and
uShamitlng, but outside of Cork,
'aah part ST Dublin and a few little
images the face Of Ireland does not
seem badly dishgured. Many bombs
we're dropped on London during the
4. ha