IRISH ANARCHY.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 142, 15 June 1920, Page 4

IRISH ANARCHY.

Kaininon dc Valera, who was elected by the Sinn Fein organisations as the President of the Irish Republic, has intimated that after visiting England he will return to feast his eyes afresh on "the long-tortured and outraged land, to which _ alone he owes an inherited allegiance." If Ireland ie a "long-tortured and outraged land" it owes a continuance of that state of affairs mostly to the activities of the .Sinn Kciners themselves. It is absurd to say that to polities or genuine grievances .can be attributed the unprecedented series of a outrages which have marked the last twelve months in Ireland. It was thought at one time that outrages in Ireland were due to an evil land system, and that they would be certain to disappear when tithes and rent were aSbolished, and tho land handed over to the people. An alien Church »as also blamed for much of the discontent. So the Church was disestablished, the whole land system was revolutionised io favour of tho peasant, comfortable cottages were built for the labourers, every encouragement was given for tho establishment of new industries, and a complete system of local self-government was instituted throughout the country. Those who believed that Ireland could be pacified by the removal of what they called the last vestiges of Toryism were delighted. They eaid the face of the country ivae changed. Self-government had been established in the counties on the most democratic plan, an 4 frith the most democratic results ever devised or accomplished, and Mr. Birrell declared that though the experiment had "been a risky one, it had, on the whole, succeeded. Kicky it may have been; successful it certainly was not. Mr. Birrcll's whoop of joy was followed by the Easter rebellion, and that statesman was left to reflect sadly on his latest obiter dictum. Also, those who 'believed that politics were in some distorted and demented way solely responsible for outrages received a similar shock. One of the leading Nationalists in Ireland was Mr. Serjeant Sullivan. He was a prophet, and the son of a prophet, for his father had been one of'the most fiery Irish orators in the House of Commons, and hie uncle had composed the Nationalist anthem, "God Save Ireland." But he was retained in his professional c&D&city to plead the cause of the owners of a, creamery which hod been blown up with stolen gelignite. For this crime he was marked down for death, and he and his solicitor only escaped by a miracle. The "Dublin Independent," one of the leading Home Rule papers, and regarded by many as the official organ of the Sinn Feiners, said in an unguarded moment that murder was murder, and for this outspoken and unpopular sentiment it nad its offices attacked and its machinery smashed 'oy an armed band. Old age pensioners were robbed of their pensions through the raiding of post offices; bank clerks were robbed of their bags in open daylight; and many persons living in country districts had their houses broken into at night and their money and valuables stolen. The Sinn Feiners themselves have established the present reign of terror in Ireland, and under cover of political pretext have instituted a campaign of murder, outrage and intimidation. When da Valera eeeks to lay the blame for the present organised campaign of lawlessness on England he is like the criminal who ascribed his frequent appearance in court to what he called the officiousness of the police. Aβ Mγ. Winston Churchill rightly cays in an article in the "Sunday Herald," no nation ever established its title deeds by a campaign of assassination."