The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-14
The Murder of a Revolutionist
BY T. ]. O'FLAHERTY

For raising the banner of revolt against British i'm
perialism two years later James Connolly Padrac
Pearse and many other Nationalist leaders were
brutally murdered by the same government that
honored Carson and Birkenhead with positions
among the highest in the land
When the shipload of arms sent by the German
government to Ireland was seized off the coast
of Kerry by British cruiser, as a result of in
formation supplied to the British government by
the United States secret service, several Of the
leaders Of the Irish revolutionary organization
planning the revolt in favor of calling off
the rising. Connolly was determined that blow
would be struck that even tho the attempt was
doomed to temporary failure the time was ripe and
the consequences of the event would have roper
cussons on an international scale. Connolly's de-
termination carried the day and the forces of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Citizen
Army, a handful, hoisted the flag of re-
bellion Easter Sunday and challenged the power
of the mightiest empire that the history of the
human able to record until then. One thou
sand volunteer soldiers against millions!
The battle short and swift. British gun
boats shelled Liberty Hall, the headquarters of the
revolutionists, British troops brought from
concentration camps, the city bombarded and
partially destroyed and after heroic struggle that
lasted days the survivors of the revolution
airy army made terms with the perfidous enemy
who violated his word the rebels laid
down their arms.
Connolly was the last of the seven signers of the
And the Irish workers will not forget that Irish
capitalist newspaper The Irish Independent,
supporter" of the nationalist cause reminded the
British government two days before the execution
that Connolly and Seam MacDermOt were still
living. Neither will they forget that Arthur Hen
derson, secretary of the British Labor Party, then
a member of the Asquith coalition government
protested against the reign of terror that
was let loose by his government in ireland and
particularly against the execution of James Con-
molly, who, with Henderson, was a member of the
Second International, that putrid fraud which to-
day as in 1914 is busily engaged betraying the
workers and stiffening the backbone of world inn
periasm.
The Irish labor movement for which Connolly
shed his hearts blood has not followed the path
he mapped out for it. 1t is caught in the net Of
reformism like the labor movements of the rest
of the world Men who fought with Connolly in
the early days of the socialist movement in Ire
land have grown old and weary and are content
to leave the political leadership of the official labor
movement in the hands of who would feel
more at home in the company of the British Mac
Donalds. Thomases and Snowdens than in the
pany of the Connollys, Lenins, Liebknechts and
Luxembergs.
A virile and militant minority movement such
has been thrown up in England due to the
rapid decline of British Imperialism and to the
guidance and encouragement of the Communist
Party has not yet made its appearance in Ireland.
Only few scattered and dsunited groups swear
allegiance to the Communist cause. The defeat
of the nationalist movement thru the treachery OF
those who accepted fake Free State in lieu OF
a republic and because of the overwhelming power
of Great Britain spread Generalization in the ranks
of the labor movement But there are signs of
awakening And the eleventh anniversary of the
execution Of Ireland's greatest proletarian son,
James Connolly, permit ourselves the luxury OF
predicting that before the next anniversary comes
around that the radical wing of Irish labor will get
together under the leadership of the Communist
International and in conjunction with the progress
sive elements in the republican nationalist
ment organize for the final overthrow of British
Imperialism in ireland and the abolition of Irish
capitalism well.