BRITAIN'S BANE

NZ Truth, Issue 604, 13 January 1917, Page 3

BRITAIN'S BANE

THE GRACELESS "GNASIiiONAL" GOVERNMENT

LEG-IRONING IRELAND

"Reyoolds's Newspaper" Rips Out

Prior to the fall of th« Asquith Government the murmurs of dissatisfaction that Teached New Zealand per cable seemed to indicate that much of the criticism was press made and emanated from a particular "ring" m newspaperdom. The following article which we clip is from the wellknown London weekly, "Reynolds's Newspaper," is probably from the pen of Sir Henry DahdeL M.P., who, like the ex-Prime Minister, Mr. Asquith, represents a Fifeshire seat m the Liberal interest Sir Henry is a well-known member of very Radical views on land and other advanced questions, and during the ' past two years he had been a searching critic of the Government, more especially since the Liberal Cabinet prostrated themselves ':, . BEFORE CARSON AND COMPANY, and formed a National Ministry. The following article will give "Truth" readers some idea of the Independent attitude taken up m Parliament by the Scots Radicals and also of the nature of the criticism to which the Asquith Government was being subjected, prior to the advent of Lloyd Geo/fe as Prime Minister: ■ Some of the stupidities, which sometimes look like malignities, which were perpetrated at thebeginnfng of recruiting m Ireland are beyond belief. — The Secretary of State for War. • If there are still any. of out readers, or any members of the public who object to the charges we have frequently levelled against the I Government for their conduct of : the war, we ask them to read ) the complete report of the debate lon Ireland m the House of Com- | mons. N,o more damning indictment j was ever levelled against an Adminls- | tration than that made m the speech of Mr. John Redmond. Knowing what we knew, prepared as we were for appalling revelations, conscious that Ireland was » SMARTING UNDER WRONGS which cannot even .be imagined by Englishmen, we must confess that the full tale as told m the House astounds us. It is obviously impossible to give all the points of the speech In this column; we will, therefore, mention only a few. When the Nationalist members surprised the world by throwing themselves whole-heartedly into recruiting m Ireland, they were, from the very first hours, thwarted, ignored, and, snubbed. Their suggestions were derided. Everything that should have been helped so as to arouse Irish enthusiasm was rigorously suppressed. The Prime Minister himself made a definite promise with regard- to an Irish army corps, and that promise has never been carried/out _ Welshmen, Ulstermen, and Scotsmen ere allowed to wear distinctive^ badges ; Irish Nationalists are refused. In districts where a Unionist meeting could scarcely be whipped up for lack of Unionist supporters, recruiting was m ' the hands of the Unionist agents; the ; Nationalist M.'sP. were, with exquisite sarcasm, invited to assist! In | Dublin, Sir Hedley le Bas, SENT TO ASSIST RECRUITING, was told plainly by members of tho Recruiting Committee that they did ! not want too many Nationalist re- ■ cruits. There was a systematic suppression of recognition of the gallantry of Irish regiments at the front. Worst of ell — worst because of its cowardly and calculated hypocrisy — fs the talk about "keeping up the slrength of the Irish Division." The strength is not kept up, because recruits, ay, companies, battalions, regiments of Irishmen are drafted into Scots, English, and Welsh divisions. We beg and pray of our readers not to accept our bare recital of these appalling and humiliating facts, but to read them, and scores of others, m tho speech made by Mr. Redmond. Having read them, turn to the Government reply. And what a reply it la! Not one statement is challenged. Not one damning and deplorable fact can be questioned. The indictment is complete and unanswerable. No amount of Parliamentary eloquence, no bandying of recriminations, none of the old loathy specimens from the detestable bag of political tricks can weaken it We ask our readers, and wo ask the country: Can we trust a Government that has made such a ghastly mess of one small problem to deal properly with THE MASTER PROBLEMS OF THE WAR? Take this terrible record of weakness, of vacillation, of ineptitude, followed by panicky violence, brutality and coercion ; steep your souls m the tragedy of Ireland during tho past two years, and then imagine tho cost m blood and tears and untold and untellablo misery that the nation must pay for tho criminal blunders of thoir Serene and Right Honorable Highnesses who occupy the front benches at St. Stephen's. After all tho struggles of the best men m the kingdom, the clock of Ireland has been put back a century. And why ? Heaven knows. Not long since we were rejoicing m tho fact that Irishmen had mot and come to a settlement of their differences. Everyone seemed agreed on tho I'orm of tho settlement Then the whole 'matter foil through. Why? la this bigoty ami Intolerance, this incomprehensible lack of understanding on tho part of our rulers, to keep Ireland for ever a tortured and yoraecuted vassal or what should be her ulater country? We frankly admit that wo almost despair of tho Government It tackles no problem as a, problem; it waits until tho thing becomes a scandal. It drifts along into all THE BOGS AND PITFALLS that aro m Ha way ; it drives nowhera until thy public and tho Press kick it into uctlon, )i seems to have forgotten that it was onco suppose*! to represent

the British nation and remembers only that oligarchy is still possible m time of war. And what of Ireland now? .Ireland is again a conquered country under an army of occupation.' We have the Government's decision ; they have told us what is to be the 'position. We are still to have martial law m Ireland ; we are to have imprisonment without trial; we are to have political prisoners treated as common gaolbirds. Now is not the time for party distinctions there is no room for party to-day, but we can only use certain words m certain connections, and we ask whether it is possible for any man of Liberal principles to indorse the action of the Government m this matter. It is not possible. Libertarian principles are baing DRAGGED IN THE MUD and spat upon ; £11 those fine ideals •for which th'e youth of the nation are pouring out their hearfs blood are being dimmed by the pettifogging phrase-mongers who rule us. If the, nation is not bitterly ashamed of its rulers it is because it has not grasped the depths to which they have sunk.