The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-01-02
The Reign of Terror in Ireland

and in imports of 15ge A fall of over 3096 is
shown on the total external trade figures The
share of the agrarian crisis in this position is
revealed by the live stock exports for the month
of Sept. These figures show fall in volume
and value of 1880 and 2596 respectively.
For the first time since 1926 the adverse trade
balance figures have made right-about- wheel.
BY its policy Of protective tariffs and its drive
against the standard of living of the working
masses the Free State Government was able to
progressively reduce the adverse balance from
f19 millions in 1925-26 to f1o millions in 1929
80 Or nearly 500. But the slump in agricultural
exports has given the death blow to this pro-
cess in 1884, an increase of ~ million or $3.50
is now recorded
The trade slump has brought about the sever
est crisis on the railways where the companies
are engaged in the most terrific drive against
the workers. In Dublin a third of the railway
shopmen were recently laid off while the traffic
grades suffering wholesale dismissa,s through
the closing down of branch lines and rationale
zatiou generally The government has not been
slow to respond to the cry Of the railway mag
nates-they given derating bill and a new
traffic Act will favor their position at the ex-
pense of the workers and the smaller competing
road concerns.
Armed with the new dictatorial powers the
OOSgIdfe eOfeTUuSUU mas 4OSG no UlIlle III lUeT-
preting the economic meaning of its terror act
to the workers and peasants. farmers deputa-
ton called to see the Free State President The
deputation assured Cosgrave that they were as
near to Rome and far from Moscow as he,
and if only he could give them a moratorium
on Land Annuities, or alternatively derating
bill there would be no danger of their drop
ping their religion or taking to Communism.
With whitening bluntness the representative of
Irish Capitalism told them they "must pay their
debts and that deratng was out of the ques-
tion still worse fate overlook the Civil Ser
vice deputaton representing 10000 signatories.
Cosgrave point blank refused to see them.
But the bourgeosie are not relying solely on
their police, jails, military and bailiffs in the
battle for the maintenance of their rule of
hunger and oppression over the toiling masses.
The Church is moved into the front trenches of
the class fight. THE ruin fall that is dear
to us In history. religion and country" is threat
ened The widest anti-Soviet orgy of propa-
ganda streams forth from press pulpit and plat
form. The fury of the crusade is measure of
the nervousness of the bourgeosie and the ex-
tent O. the crisis.
Britie Imperialism is also obliged to come d.
rectly to the aid of the Cosgrave dictatorship
sham attack is made in the Imperial pa.lia-
nlant on the powers of the Free State CoAsti-
tuticn and a victory is staged for the Free
State Government. .
The Statute OF Westminster"
Through the Statute Of Westminster the i'm
pove7isned Irish workers and peasants learn that
they are nationally free with full Dominion
Status Small wonder that the only bonfires
to greet the new Declaration Of Independence"
was the burning of a Union Jack and copy
of the Free State Constitution by the Dublin
workers.
The forces OF the Free State Government. the
catholic priesthood and the British mperahsts
are reinforced by the Fianna Fail and Labor
parties. The class organizations Of the workers
and peasants are declared outside the pale of
the contribution 1t is at this juncture the Fian-
ma Fail Party declares itself completely con-
verted to the constitution. For several years
DeVaeras Party declared the Free State Con-
Now that 1t has been abrogated for the workers
and peasants it has become the main instru-
ment OF independence
The outlawry of the workers AMI peasants
by the Free State Government is supplemented
by the accommodation edicts OF the priests
This is the moment chosen by De Valera to de-
clare for an Irish and Catholic way of solving
our difficulties" for invoking the Pope's En-
cyclical and setting his new daily paper the task
of popularizing Papal Social Theories" as an
alternative to the policy Of revolutionary class
struggle for national and social freedom.
New Important Struggle
These announcements, made at the Fianna