Irish Transportations

Maoriland Worker, Volume 6, Issue 243, 13 October 1915, Page 3

Irish Transportations

. * SENTENCED WITHOUT TRIAL

Deportees Refuse to Qo and are Imprisoned; VIGOROUS PROTEST AGAINST "PRUBSFAMIBM" BY JOE DEVLIN, M.P.

. Glasgow 'Torirard ; ' of August 7 rejafa'rts: I Two men who were ordered to leave Ireland' without charge of illegal conduct haying been made cr -proved 4gains.t'them .in .Court, refused-'to ;, £o,' 'and were summoned to'tho Police Court; at.'Belfast last we-cVe'-d for failing to 'comply -with the order. ;:; ' 7 "'' .;',, Mr. Herbert. Pirn's' ease : Vas' first; taken.-•"■•• ••'■ '- '-••' ' "' ' " : (.-Major Price. ; In'elhj-eri'ci C-flicer, ■Irish. Command, proving the. order, declined in examination' to stats what information ths authorities had in their possession ■ when the • order-nvas-rmade, or to say who had set the military in motion against accused. ' ;Mr. Henry Hanna, X.C, who defend-' od, said the authorities-had been set in motion by tho political opponents of Mr. Tim. • '•This statement kd to a demonstration of applause and cheers by a crowded Court, and by order of the Resident i Magistrate the public were expelled. I Addressing the Court, counsel fcaid that after accused seceded from the official Nationalist Party when tho Volunteer split took ; . place, he had been persecuted by the leaders of that Party. „r..Birrell-had stated;in tbe House'of' Commons that- it- was not proposed to .banish anybody from Ireland for making-' ■foolisit-'speeclies, but was jjfiebher to be branded as a-'feldn'on the mere ipse' d)_ifc of an-officer in-Dublin? "• If that)' wj_k law the sootier the people killed it th$ s better-. ',' Sentence of -three months' imprison* wnt was passed. ;'»'t)enis M'Cullagh, Organiser of the Wish Volunteer Movement, was also prosecuted for a similar offence. It was sii-ted that he had obtained an extension of time in which to kayo the country on condition, that he did uot address political meetings, and that he had failed to observe tho condition.

Mr. Charle3 Power, who defended, protested ■ against the methods that' were now being employed to govern Ireland. - Never in tho history of the country under English law had peoplebeen trautWrtsd without trial, for that was.what was being .done in this case. Prisoner and Mr. Fim were objected to hy gentlemen who represented West Belfast, and it was an extraordinary coin-. cidenco that these denunciaiipne ..and tho order for expulsion took place'about

I the on© time. -Seuding leaders to jail never sullied any movement. There were : armed Volunteers in connection with; this movement, and he asked the Government to -pause to consider where the country was drifting to. Were they prepared for the consequences that fol-. owed' the same policy 100 years ago, , and were'they prepared' to drench'the country-in blood? Then on their heads;; "fce'the- responsibility. , • 'Sentence of- tour months', imprison* ment was passed. ' JOE DEVLIN'S PROTEST. In the - -'-Fr*eman'3 Journal,'' Mr. Joe; Devlin, M.F., vigorously denies the. statements of Mr, Hanna,,K.C, that;: the prosecution of theso Irishmen is in-; Ltiiated by, the United Irish-League-j Mr. Hanna, he declares, is one of Edward Carsott's ablest .political sup- j porters'arid lieutenants,-and be agrees). with him tl?at it is a howling shame that | the new British justice (sic) should re-, fuse, to allow-a man to give evidence ou, bis own-behalf. Mr. Devlin then| goes on' to say:-— I "As a. matter of fact, these prose-, cutions in Ireland under the Defence; of the Realm Act have been under-; taken iv the teoth- of the vigorous:_ ■ protest of- the Irish Party,-, officially, •'■ 'convoyed-to the Government, conse-', • que_'t'upon'-"a-motion proposed by -at- 'thfl* last -meeting of the Party,- • ■•'•'l- 'tnr&t'-'w_ have .h^d-'the-'.last of] - tiiese- Benselesfs prosecutions .in Ire-'j - iand.'.-'ln ; myjudgment,,they ca.- do; - On the contrary, they-are j hl-nd to h'av© an injurious effect,on fruiting 'aiid on- Publio opinion gei?- j e^ally.': - -'A ■■ ',:„„' .•;•')"As to the manner in which tiie; fe&lfast prosecutions wero conducted, | ■ . i,'-do not -tbdnk'it can-be defended-1 tiio'-accused were entitled to havo the! charges against thorn- specifically stat-| cd in public Court, and to hare the. fullest and 'freest' opportunity ,of de- \ fending themselves., Star Chamber! methods''wore never popular in Ire-; land, and there' is no condition of; :. atfair6' existing ,in the country io-i-lsy, or likely to arise in the. futuie.. j to'justify-, a resort to them. - <•{ express the hope that-os.the re- !' trial the grounds of .General Friend's | order'-of .deportation ehouljd. be fully ] eta ted, and '.tha abused .given the | .fullest-" and ..'freest, opportunity, of de-' fpnd'sg themselves'" •