The Washington times., 1922-09-18
BY HAYDEN TALBOT.
Copyright. 1879. New York American
CHAPTER XIII.
The Truth About the Truce.

L
granted the truce Of July, 1921; she
! wanted very much 10 withdraw the
Black and Tans from Ireland and
| end the murderous war which she
had begun to realize could never lie
won. A truce could have been OBJ
tained after the burning OF Cork by
the forces OF the Crown--in Decem-
ber, 1920--had our leaders acted with
| discretion.
"There.is every reason 10 believe
that the British government was
minded to respond favofably to the
! endeavor of His Grace, Archbishop
Clune, who attempted TO mediate;
| but the En>lish attitude hardened
through the too precipitate action
of certain of our public men and
public bodies" =" s-"..t,s b.
Michael Collins thus began an ex-
position of the events leading up TO
the hostilities. So far as l am
aware, England's desire for this
earlier truce,is not generally known.
'Unhappily," he continued, "sev-
eral OF our most important men
gave evidences of an overkeen de-
sire for peace-while tentative pro-
posals were being made and con-
sidered. Sc IL was that although
terms of truce had been virtually
agreed upon. the English statesmen
abruptly terminated the negotiations
when they discovered what they took
to be signs Of weakness in our coun-
ellis. They conditioned the truce,
then, on surrender Of our arms. Aid
the struggle went on;
,. War 10 the Death. -,
British aggression continued: our
defence continued. II was now war
to he death in very truth!
"Of course. in these seven months
| preceding the truce there were
many instances of unofficial feel-
ers' put out by men on both sides
much visiting back and forth by
well.meaning but unauthorized per-
sons. Friends Of Ireland from
America frequently tried TO inter
! vene In our behalf. but those of US
actually I'm the fight played no part
in these conversations. We had no
time for talk! -.
The attitude of those Of US who
eventually took part in the treaty
negotiations was the same in 1920
| in Ireland as IL was in 1921 in Lon.
don. II is no good to have confusion
of thought about this. We were
fighting-as Irishmen had always
fought-for freedoml We N4were
| fighting for freedom from English
occupation, English Interference,
English domination! -.
A Struggle to Win. = =
But there was no thought in our
minds as to what especial label
might be attached, to the freedom
II only we could win it, In other
days we had struggled to win re-
peal Of the union, home rule, or
some farm Of deyolution. -, ;"
But II was not these 5labels that
mattered: our fight was essentiallyga
struggle to win for ourselves as
large a measure Of freedom as pos
sible. And so we were fighting
not for a republic-but freedom! We
felt-and those OF US who believe in
the treaty still feel--that freedom
for Ireland is Of vastly greater coz
seduencess than the form of govern
our freedom. T..
when charges Of treason are d.
rected at us now, II Is as well that
mind. l said at a meeting OF Dali
Eireann that the treaty gives us
freedom-not. the ultimate freedom
which all natfous hope for and strug.
gle for, but freedom to achieve It.
AND WAS AND 1 AM NOW
FULLY ALIVE TO THE IMPLICA-
TIONS of THAT STATEMENTi
England Wanted Truce. -
!. Returning to the fight as II was
being waged at the beginning of
1921--the most important phase Of
IL was our gradual realization of
.Englands desire to call a truce.
This was the more important be-
cause Il had never been possible for
us to be militarily strong, nor to do
more by force alone than to make
England too uncomfortable. More
than this--we discovered that while
England expatiates on the futility Of
force (by others) II is the only argu.
ment she listens to. Above all the
valiant efforts of Irishmen under
the Terror--their deaths---these
finally awoke the sleeping spirit Of
Ireland, .'. ....ps.r
That spirit was once more
fiaming-and with cause. For the
people saw In England's desire to
end, the reign Of terror the true
worth Of the young men who had
gone to their deaths that peace
might come to their country.
"There had been--on rare occa-
siuns--regrettable acts on the part
OF individual Irish soldiers. but such
acts had been 80 few as to be neg.
iigible, and when they did occur they
were the outcome of terrible and In.
cessant- provocation, and were for.
eign to the whole nature OF the Irish
resistance.
Irish Soldiers Chivairous.
"The normal conduct Of our sol.
diers proved them to be chivalrous.
courageous and enduring--and with
an unsurpassable devotion to the
ideal Of freedom. Let me cite an
Instance.
-In June. 1921, a party of four
volunteers OF the>>East Clare Bri.
gade engaged In cutting wires ON
the railway st Melick were eur.
nriaed by n marty Of thirty Ensli.,,