Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-04-30
BY GEORGE N. BARNES
British Parliament Leader
Special Wireless to The Tribune

Copyright. 1922. by The Great Falls Tribune
London, April 29.-The Irish stu
alton shows noticeable Improvement
The elections definitely are called fol
the beginning of June. The will Of
the people then will be expressed. L
remains to be seen whether the gun.
men" will defy. as they are threaten.
ing they will and try to prevent its
execution.
1t must be remembered, however
that the elections will arm the pro
vincial government with a proper con
stitutional mandate under which il
can make short work of the malignant
conspiracy of violence which Ireland
has had to endure for months. The
improvement throughout the past week
can directly be attributed to the cour-
age of Arthur Griffith and Michael
Collins. The former at Sligo and the
latter at Killarney took their lives in
their hands, but their courage won a
way for them and greatly strengthened
their authority.
The efforts of the archbishop of
Dublin and the lord mayor to force a
truce between the warning elements
utterly failed because the radicals de-
manded the establishment of an Irish
republic even against the wishes of the
Irish people. This was the position of
affairs when Collins went to Killarney.
Although it was in possession of irreg-
ulars, who had blocked the turnpike
and tori up the railway. Collins over
coming these obstacles. faced the
armed men contemptuously and made
his voice heard. Griffith at Sligo de
fled the trouble makers.
The one day strike called as a pro-
test against military aggression was
satisfactory to the originatOrs. Ex-
cept for hospital and humane services,
work ceased completely in the south
counties and many of the public offices,
including those in Dublin, closed. All
sorts of people took advantage of the
opportunity to make common cause
with labor against the gunner. 1t
was a far different celebration than
had been contemplated by the extrem-
lists. Southern Ireland was isolated
for a day. She also was unemployed
and therefore u~nproductive for a day.
1t was a heavy price to pay. How
the gain may be worth the price
for the poverty of the opposition to
the treaty stood revealed as against
the overwhelming body of Irish opinion
in its favor. 1t was not a strike
against the provisional government, but
n strike to demand such a gov
eminent and to encourage it. II will
assist Griffith and Collins to continue
to assert themselves.
Sympathy with the object of the
stoppage has been recorded in reso-
lutions adopted by rate payers asso-
chambers of commerce. farm
ers' organizations and other unions as
well as by the corporation of Dublin.
The lord mayor of Dublin had indeed
led himself into unqualified condemna-
ton for "bullies of the night" He was
supported by a big demonstration,
which is to be followed by another for
the coming week.
The Dali now is resuming its sittings
and these proceedings. past and pres
ent. must have a far reaching effect
on the deliberations of that body. The
effect of the ebulition of pub
lie opinion indeed already has been evil
ienced by the prompt arrest in Ath-
one of the officer and 20 men alleged
TO be concerned in last Tuesdays muir
Ter of the commander of the free state
forces.