The Washington times., 1922-09-05
ENGLISH GOLD
bRIbED MANY IN
RANKS Of IRISH
Michael Collins Declared Most
Of These False Leaders
Met Deserts.

In toddy's installment Of
michael Collins Own Story"
Written in collaboration Nth Hay
den Talbot for The Washington
Times, Collins tells of the prob
lens confronting the Irish people
and how events in which he par
ticipated caused the burden of
leadership to faH upon his
shoulders.
BY HAYDEN TALBOT.
Copyright. 1929, New York .American.)
CHAPTER VIII.
Section 2.
Continuing his statement to me
concerning the British spy system
in Ireland and the problems that the
Irish leaders had to solve. Michael
Collins said:
THE English secret service in
Ireland, with its limitless supplies of
money. had been unquestionably
able to reach men Of influence and
position within our own organiza-
ton. Most of these met their just
deserts down through all the years.
When the Fenian leader who
betrayed his comrades who com.
mitted the Phoenix Park killings
thought himself for all time immune
from Irish vengeance, he suddenly
found the long arm of the Irish re-
publican brotherhood could reach
out to the furthermost ends Of the
earth and mete justice in the name
OF Ireland.
Shot While on Ship.
Itch
carried him away-with 10000 of
English money as his reward for
delivering up his colleagues-was
taken into a South African port he
was shot dead by one Of the brother
hood travelling on the same ship.
Thus every Irish youth for many
generations knew in a general way
OF Englands spy system and how
IL was tremendously strengthened
by renegade Irishmen.
But up to the end OF 1918 we
had done little to combat It. Griffith
had won a vast majority Of the best
element in all parts OF ireland to
his way Of thinking, and the Sim
Fein policy of moderation-urged
by him for thirteen years with but
little success until then-seemed TO
many the best course for ireland TO
pursue.
What Sim Fein Means.
The words Sim Fem have been
generally misinterpreted to mean
ourselves alone'-a mistake which
Griffith never took occasion to cor.
rect.
while that is the literal transla.
nH hn q.
meaning OF the phrase. To one
conversant with the ancient Irish
language, Sim Fein' means self
reliance obviously a very different
thing.
"Unhappily. the Irish people even
yet have learned little OF self
reliance. Today they depend too
much upon a few leaders.
No Longer Serfs.
What else can be expected after
700 years Of subsection? But the
Irish people must acquire selfreli-
ance and put an end for all time to
the present custom Of waiting for a
super-man to lead them into the pos-
session Of full freedom.
"Other nations must understand
the state of mind Of the average
Irishman which makes this a land
where public opinions are privately
expressed. For many hundreds Of
years this was the only way in
which opinion could be expressed.
II was still the case in 191S-with
the important difference that the
Irish people were beginning to
awaken to the truth.
THE triumphs Of the Sim Fein
candidates was proof positive" add
ed Collins, that the people were pre-
pared to accept the responsibilities
involved in self-reliance. We so in
terpreted the overwhelming support
they gave Griffith's policy-but un-
fortunately we did not fully appre-
ciate their inability to know how
to translate their willingness into
practical terms.
Stern Work.
I'VE mistakenly believed that we
had at most only to point out the
way in order to range united
people on our side. This mistake
must be borne in mind as the
events Of the succeeding years are
recorded.
I'VE leaders had committed the
Irish people to definite course
of action. As little by little, some
Of us began to realize that we had
to depend upon ourselves in carry
ing through to final success our
new policy, we found 1t necessary
to adopt more extreme measures
than would have been the case had
we had the active support of the
whole people.
II am making no apologies for
what we did in those succeeding
years. hope merely to explain
the necessity which drove us.
1.-The net result of what we ac-
complished Is the treaty-a hun
dredfold greater result than many
amongst US at the end OF 1918
would have dared to prophesy that
our new policy would win us.
Two Problems.
THAT policy was based on the
recognition Of two OF the most
urgent problems with which we
were faced at that time-beating
the English secret service until 1t
was powerless, and cleaning our
own house until the last traitorious