Irish Problems

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5974, 6 September 1920, Page 3

Irish Problems

Presbyterian Minister's Analysis

(Continued from our last issue)

“ Tfitoe are people who challenge oar ingot to come before American apd Canadian andiencee to place IreWdV cause before them, but they forget that 20 millions of Erin’s'sons anddanghters have immigrated to

these shores due to economic situations 'if these had been left at home there would have been no nerd of poor/ Ireland oommg to beg at tbe door of America and Canada for sympathy.-' _ . “ We ars all part of the great-Bri-tish dominions, and. what ghry or sorrow‘comes to her we'have a right to shard in. Is it not only right and fair then that conditions in Ireland s today should be known as they exist P Wby qot in the name of common sense apply the same rule to Ireland as other small nations Bneh aa Poland, etc ? What nation has a better right to liberty and justice, and this is the Vital question barog asked by t whole civilised world today.. Why not make ‘ Safe for Democracy the tmcoiple for which the Allies were supposed to fight in the great war an honest one, and inolude Ireland P “ The re*l cause of the. trouble in Ireland today is the 'army ot occupation which is kept there to impress the world that it is necessary to keep the Catholicß and Protestants from cutting their throatß. This is false; the greatest harmony prevails between North and South, and the only

disoordwt note, mb the ants, «■ monrsdcara, Bod airplanes tbat infeefc the oo»o% *W nu amok .mtdat a . highly atrang and artmed people. Thev are the whole trouble, and nnder existing conditions I-aa a_ Christian minister declare that the time u npq to have this question Settled at once

and forever to Bnit Ireland, to give peace to the British Empire and the whole civilised world, and the on y Way to do this is by doing the wdl of the majority of the people of Ireland,

who have maintained and will always maintain that England has no moral or legal claim to that land except that of force*so the only true union that exists; according to ; an assertion of

Lloyd George in a recent ppeeoii, is j that of the giapplii'g hook v . '. ,• ««It is an old-time t'iotk of English .politicians that the question is oae.of religions bigotry $ which is kept alive to sidetraok Home Rule. I repeat it

iB a sltinder on ProtestanUapi ta Sfty it is against the freedom of Ireland simply beoihse the majority the people in Ireland are Catholics.. It was the Irish Presbyterians of Trelaud who first lauueted the idea of -an Irish Republic. Protestant hills are Stained red'with tire blood of those who fought for freedom and liberty aird'have fought for years on plat* forms, side by side with the Catholics and voted in the polling booths for candidates regardless of creed, witb only the one holy canse in view, , ‘ Freedom for Ireland.’ “If the issue were left to the people of would he settled in’2o minntesj as there is more nnanimily in Ireland, than in any other country in the world, as fully-€ 0 per cent are unanimous on the Bubject of government 1 of • th'eiy ' oonntry • and could manage their own affairs as well as the people of Canada or any other dominion oi the Empire

“ Many claim Ireland/does not deserve her freedom,, as she did hot dc her part in the/ great'war, but they most remember three cfeys before, the Thar broke ont, Irish, men and Irish women were warftonly kijled in the streets of Dnblin. Notwithstanding all this, 250,000 Irishmen though > it ' their duty to fight'under the Union Jack. Considering her four million population, this was equal to Canada's quota, and who would dare say that Canada did not do her .part ( in the Great War P Those that aid'not enlist knew that the British policy of fighting for ; small nations was not honest, as far as Ireland was concerned,^when/she refused the test of replacing the thousands of British troops in Ireland during the war by Irish Volunteers; and they firmly believed to fight and die in . the streets in Dublin was the same principle as dying on a foreign-'shore for small nations, th 6 cause .for / which the Allies were supposed to fight.” - “ The great uprising of the young men of Ireland to-day is explained by the fact that young Ireland has found her soul, and it is thie soul that England is seeking by every means in her power to destroy by tanks, militarism, and the other-infernal' machines. of war, but qhe oanpot crash the soul of a nation that has been redeemed and

uproot the- , ideals of these young - patriots, who believe that is bound to reach a wave of prosperity and wealth ip line with other nations, ' and it is for this principle that they are willing to live and willing to did; In conclusion, I Bay the Gospel of * service is the religion of Christ, and I know there is. ho one who would refuse that unhappy land the sympathy and help which is only asking '“'for the simple blessing of self-govern-ment.’l T , ' |The End] ; ,