The Washington herald., 1922-06-11
By SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

peoples, causes increasing agitation
in the public opinion of England
Even the warmest friends Of the
hish people frankly confess despair
over that unhappy country, and
ave lost all patience with botn
Is des. 1t Is especially hard upon
those who advocated peace and con-
ella ton at time when Sim Fein
was fighting its guerrilla warfare
with Brit 'sh troops and who brought
unwise moral pressure upon the
British government to offer that
treaty which history will surely
judge as a generous and magnani-
nous measure for the sake of lib-
erty. Their liberal sentiments are
now made a mockery by those who
regarded all such idealism as weak.
ness and treachery to Imperial in
terests.
by the folly of fanatics, rejecting
the spirit of liberty and goodwill
or a theoretical formula, by the
murderous instincts of young gum
men who play the game of death
$ English boys play cricket, the
-aty Is jeopardized and England
| is again faced with the necessity
Of armed Intervention. The forces
and personalities in England be-
lieving in the old-fashioned con-
quest of Ireland by Britain's armed
might. as they believe in holding
India. Egypt and all possessions not
by moral influence, but by the good
old mailed fist, were for some time
compelled to lie low. to cool their
passion by the victory of peace
methods. They are now in the open
again, proclaiming the urgent need,
of strong measures, by which they
mean full. frank war. with all the
available strength of British to de-
lfend Ulster from Republican raids
and to restore the pnion of Southern
Ireland as it stood before the treaty.
Although / do not agree with this
policy. all can say is that De
Valera and his fellow fanatics have
asked for 1t. Their stupidity or In
tolerance, their mean nagging, their
venomous spirit and their com.
lp'acency with horrible crime have
played straight into the hands Of
that English group which advocates
reconquest. Collins Eand those who
signed the treaty, by 'surrendering
even in appearance to the bullies
of the DeValera crowd. have made
| It hard for the British government
to resist the militarists inside and
outside their own ranks.
There is no doubt that Ulster must
be defended at all costs. We are
pledged to that and must keep that
pledge unless We lose our honor.
! But there are powers working Sc
cretly as well as openly to make
Ulster a graphing hook which will
drag England into a war of recon
quest in Southern Ireland. Those
| Ulster loyalists, dear innocent
lambs as they make themselves out
to be, are shouting for rescue from
their English brothers against the
murderous campaign OF Sim Fein
gunmen and already millions Of
simple hearts In England are stirred
to sympathetic Indignation because
loyal Ulster is threatened with in
vasion from the Irish republicans,
because Sim Fein gunmen are busy
in Belfast. 1t Is easy to see how
this loyalty to those who call them
selves our friends is a good battle
cry for EnGlishmen in high places
as well as for Ulster leaders who
wish to stamp out the treaty Of
peace with the Irish Catholics.
The dividing line between aggres-
sion and defense is always thin. At
tack is sometimes the best means
of defense. Ulster will therefore
have no difficulty in persuading
England that she merely wishes to
| defend her frontier and already
British troops have been rushed to
her rescue plunged into border war
fare. 1t is impossible to say where
that will stop.
Ulster Not BlnmeIess.
For me 1t is also impossible to ac-
quit Ulster of blame. I cannot re-
gard Ulstermen as injured inno-
cents, having had a painful expe-
rience before the war of their in
tolerance and brutality. I have seen
gangs of them kick to death a sin
gle helpless Catholic. I have stood
under the shelter of houses in Don<
egal street road when they have
collected piles of kidney stones and
hurled them at any man they sus-
pected as an inhabitant of a Catho-
| lie quarter. l have seen their or
ganized eviction of Catholic work
ing men which they have recently
repeated. so that there Is a threat
ened invasion from Irish republi
cans of 10000 Catholics who have
been chased out of Ulster under
threats of death. Catholic gunmen
! in Ulster have been busy and mur-
| derous. but Ulster gunmen haven't
been idle. and up to the last day OF
May this competition in assassina-
ton since the peace treaty results
in seventy-three Catholics killed as
against twenty-nine Protestants,
lao Catholics wounded as against
ninety Protestants. 1t is a religious
and racial vendetta on both sides
which tempts one to despair of hu-
man progress in that island Of trag-
edy.
Wilson Advises Force.
The most formidable advocate Of
British Intervention by repeal of the
peace treaty and martial law
throughout Ireland Is Field Mar
shall Sir Henry Wilson. military
adviser for r1st~- R~'tish member
Of Parliament. met him sever.
times during the war and had an
opportunity of studying his char
acter. At that time he was chief
liaison officer between the French
and British general STATS. The
French officers admired him on this
side of idolatry and regarded him
as TYPICAL English soldier of the
most gallant type. He is. however,
neither English nor typical Of Eng
land. An immensely tall Irishman,
with legs like a stork, he is pure
Celt with all the humpr, passion
and subtlety of his race. He played
up to the French, flattered their
vanity. made them roar with laugh
ter at racy stories and whimsical
jokes.< Only for brief time did he
take command of British troops In
n nd brlr