The Grey River Argus and Blackball News

Grey River Argus, 29 November 1920, Page 2

The Grey River Argus and Blackball News

Delivered every mornifig in Greyirtouth, Kiimnrn, Hokitika, Dobson, Wallsond, TaylorvUle, Croimdim, Ngnhere, Blackball. Nelso? Creek, Bnumer, Te Kiiigha, Eotomami , Pv .ua, luc&boume, Fatara, Hum. Kairoafai, Kotiiku, T^oana, Aratika, Buuaiiga, .Diinoliic, Cobdcn, B.:. .ar's, Kokjri, Aliu-m, .Uauutiuw Stillwiitcr. Waiuta. aud Becrton,

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1920.

PBACTICE, VERSUS PREACHING.

Probably no Government in the world has ever exhibited such, a- contrast between its democratic profesBions and its autocratic actions as the British Government is now doing. It is the prime niojcr in staging the League of Nations act at Genfcva, and tfic only mover in discrediting the League principle in Ireland. The farce is kept up, with its background of tragedy, by pretending to confer home rule with a Parliamentary bill, while employing on the spot armed force, to the utmost, solely to thwart and tell actual home rule. So much, of course, is denied, and the justification claimed for substituting tyranny for doirio- . cracy as a practical 'policy is that < there are outrages in Ireland. So there arc, and the worst are those of the forces whose presence is depended as, a protection against outrages. The English ministers have admitted they would never give any scmplance- of Homo Rule if they could continue coercion for a. generation unmolested. That the species of democracy in Ireland is not what Britain bespeaks for Poland, of Armenia, or Montenegro is borne out by the admission of English papers, such as the "Daily Mail," which says: — "Superior in weapon? Jind organisation, the 'black-and-tans are subduing Ireland with fire and sword. Towns and villages arc being burned and sacked, civilians are bciug flogged and shot, Avomon and children are being driven to seek refuge in. the open fields, while their cot cages are burning. Cattle arc being killed and maimed, creameries are being destroyed. Nobody is punished for these crimes." Many thousands Jire homeless &nd worldess, the railways aro largely idle (except for military i Purposes), and no regard ..is had for anything, but the desire to coerce unimating the coterie -of political dictators who admit themselves ready- to replaca the pre-war Home Rule Ac* by a crown colony regime in Ireland. It has not been from choice, but from compulsion, that the Irish people haA'e answered outrage 'by outrage, 4incl what is claimed to be England's excuse is reall Ireland's. Reprisals by military terrorsts arc the . very Avorst method of encouraging the Irish to refrain from rep-reals, and the policy that depends upon terrorism, such as the shooting down upon a caged OroAvd of 15,000 innocent people can find no moral defence. in the.. civilised world, any more than other massacres Avhether at Amritsar qr in Armenia. There are some horrified Englishmen who> realising tho consequences of the Government's policy, have urged that it would be better if the Government withdrew its troops and left Ireland the task of ruling herself. To this Churchill replied that he'd prefer the present coercion to go on for the generation, or score of years spoken about by his colltague, Greemvood. Now as one New Zealand contemporary, the Press, remarks, this reprisal policy "may have results of the most deplorable character far outside the United Kingdom and the British Empire, and it will certainTy have evil results in Ireland itself, for, as Lord Morlcy has lately pointed out in a lettor to "The Times," "the long-spell of coercion which the Ministers seem to coTitepmlato means a whole genera-

tion born and brought up in associations bitterly hostile to England." The / ] fcact tha,t;all but four of tlio M-JVa ( whom "the Irish people elected to govern them have been gaoicd, compares peculiarly Avith other British territories ] not to mention the Dominions. The i Sinn Feiners are at present administering the Irish Brehon law, but k the British Government desires to force , its own laws on the country. Sat . it permits the Scotch to have their " own code; allows the Manxmen to administer Manx law in the Isle of Man, Buffers the Channel Islanders to rale themselves by the old Norman French , laws. Ireland is, in fact, the only ( part of the Empire which suffers "English law administered in the interests ■ of the larger Island regulated and . Avorlml from outside. Malta, Egypt, . India, British Guiana, the Dutch Colonies of South Africa, French Canada, ■ all enjoy their own Jaws. If the British Government allowed Irish Law to . run in Ireland there is no doubt that one of the chief causes of Ireland's troubles would be. removed. InsteaJ,wo have " far-fetched stories about plots, and even barricades against Sinn . Fein not only in Dublin but actually in London! What is this but fooling the people? If a few of the dictators haA r e uneasy consciences, nobody A>ill ' be surprised, but barricades arc no x^rotection to such! The whole blame for the Irish trouble rests upon the shoulders of British Ministers. They put Arthur Griffiths and John McNeill in gaol while they put Carson in the Cabinet and his lieutenant upon the Woolsack. The hopeful fact is that this gang and their international accomplices have been losing all along tho line. Russia has beaten them: Germany has| now got the better of them so have the Greeks: and ma/be so will the Turks, and the Indians, just like the Egyptians did. They have disgraced the King's Government in Ireland, as a Liberal Leader has remarked. As one of the ablest critics remarks, Britishers would never suffer the misrule dealt. out in Ireland. Mr Morel, the editor of "Foreign Affairs," says that "bad as the general situation in Europe undoubtedly is; grievous as the AA r rongs may be to / Avhich sections of the population on the Continent arc subjected, we doubt if any instance of misgovcrmucnt and .injustice exists anywhere to compare with the treatment of Ireland by t»ic present British Government. Do not lot us suppose that it is not noticed and commented on by other nations. It is far too flagrant a case of AA'hat they are apt to condemn as British hypocrisy. A government that is never tired of making professions o f high, motives and ideals and is continually prescribing for others the course they j should adopt, and reprimanding others for their failures >n good government, is soon to employ methods and pursue a policy toAvards a people Avithin their own borders Avhich are cruelly oppressive and at the same time utterly and entirely futile. No one for a moment pretends that the Irish problem is capable of an easy solution, but •has any policy that has eA'er been adopted towards that unfortunate country — and our 'record is pretty black — ever produced worse results? No one approves murders and outrages. But who is responsible for them? Without doubt the present Government .If . you produce a policy for the solution of the problem of the government of Ireland, which satisfies no Irishman, and occupy the time of Parliament in pushing it through; if you treat the ?reat political party Avhich has duly elected the great majority of Irish representatives as a political conspiracy; if you overrun the country Avith soldiers equipped with modern munitions and harry and bully in season and out of season the greater part oil the population; if you imprison men ■ r'or sedition because they express views with Avhich you disagree, the wonder is not that there arc murders, but that the whole country is not plunged into perpetual ciA j il war. Inlirmify of purpose falling back on force as its only argument must spell disaster. We repeat there is no parallel to be found to this outrageous scandal anywhere in Europe. The removal of the present Government is rhe only hope for the recovery of Ireland."