IRISH FREE STATE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 300, 2 December 1933, Page 9

IRISH FREE STATE

SEARCH FOR DOCUMENTS Ammunition Allegedly Found DENIAL BY MR. CRONIN By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. DUBLIN, November 30. The police raided the residences of General O’Duffy and Mr Blythe seeking documents. They also searched, the former headquarters of the Farmers’ League, recently merged Into the United Ireland Party. The raids were extensively carried out in West Cork, the visits including General O’Duffy’s headquarters and the homes of the Blue Shirts’ commanders. Although not accompanied by arrests Mr do Valera’s new swoop on his opponents has astounded tho Freo State. The raiders in each case consisted of a superintendent, inspector and ten detectives armed with warrants authorising a search for arms, ammunition, and seditious documents. A sergeant told Mr Cronin that ho had discovered four boxes of ammunition in the party’s offices. Mr Cronin denied that the ammunition was there an hour earlier. Mr Cronin later said: “A police official asked mo if I accused them of planting the ammunition. 1 rep'ied that I not only accused them of planting it but was prepared to swear that either they or their agents planted it.” In tho Dail D' - . O'Higgins denounced Mr do Valera’s conduct of the economic war and condemned the raids wherein the Government’s opponents’ homes were entered and their wives treated as no women should be treated by Free State officers. If the Government could not provoke united Irclandors by what they did to them they would provoke them by what they did to their wives. Dr. O’Higgins added that he possess«a proof of a hundred brutal assaults on members of the United Ireland and Young Ireland organisations. Young and old men were being taken from their bods and beaten.

Mr Buttledge, replying, read documents, some of which ho said had been seized in tho raids and which, he alleged, proved conclusively that the Young Ireland Party’s aims were revolutionary. He added that arms and ammunition had been discovered. Raids were carried out in daylight, guaranteeing that arrested persons, if any, would reach prison alive, which was more than could be said of the methods of the previous Government. Professor O’Sullivan, amid uproar, protested against irrevalent statements and declared that the Government was goading young men into committing illegalities. He appealed to young men not to play Mr de Valera’s game. He was still speaking when the Dail rose and adjourned until January 31.