THE IRISH FREE STATE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19675, 19 July 1929, Page 16

THE IRISH FREE STATE.

TO THE EDITOB VF THE PEESS. gi r l W as sent your issue of April Sth last by an uncle who lives near Christchurch. He has heavily marked the London cable message in this i&sue headed, ''Alarm in the Free State,' "Gano-' Terrorism," "Cold-blooded Murders." etc. Alter having read this article through, I felt I could not let it go without a protest. In my opinion, which is that of a Loyalist, a Protestant, and a strong Unionist, the article is grosslly exaggerated and calculated to do great harm m many different ways to Southern Ireland and the Southern Irish. _ There is no "atmosphere of hush,' neither is there "grim anxiety in the air," and it is quite absurd to state that "every man has a loaded revolver in his pocket." There is complete freedom of speech and action in the Free State at present (provided one does not break the law), and women and children can walk in lonely ways by day ana night in perfect _ safety, which is more than can be said of many other countries. When the Government of Southern Ireland was formed in 1922 and took over control of affairs, most of us Loyalists were very dubious as to the result; and certainly the headings of the article referred to might have been applied to us at that time. Gradually, however, even the most pessimistic of us have come to change our opinion as to the way in which the country has been brought to order. No Government is perfect, and considering everything we are bound to admit chat on the whole this Southern Ireland is being governed justly and well. True, there does exist a party of "political desperadoes," but this is no new thing (as the writer of your article seems to imagine) ; it was always there and will always be there, in a more or less dangerous degree, in this and every other country. It is also quite true that jurymen and others have been terrorised, in Dublin particularly, and some have even been murdered (more shame for it) ; but we hope and believe that the Government has now the situation well in hand in this respect and that this trouble is at an end.

I have never heard of one of these "mysterious leaflets" referred to as being "broadcasted," neither have I seen one of the "placards" in any of my journeys through the country. As for the "high Government official" who told the writer of this lurid article about the "whole country becoming a vast, whispering gallery," well—the most charitable thing one can imagine is that he was pulling the said writer's leg, and doubtless did not realise the false impression he was likely to produce by so dointr. —Yours, etc.. * " LOYALIST. County Cavan. Irish Free State. May 25th, 1929.