IRISH FREE STATE

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 August 1933, Page 5

IRISH FREE STATE

SEARCH FOR ARMS HITLERESQUE SWOOP, f' 1 ■ • A)® -. -W. 1 ' Press Association Eloctric Telegraph— Copn LONDON, Monflajp Dublin reports state that Mr S Valera- made a Hitleresque swoop at week-end on General o’Duffy’s Nati al Guardsmen. Police throughout 1 country visited the homes of thousai of Blue Shirts and demanded possess! of firearms, which, in many cases, v refused. General O ’Duffy himself was not v ited, but Mr Blythe, Minister of F ance in Mr C-osgrave’s Cabinet, and j Gerald O’Sullivan, formerly Adjuta: General of the Free State Army,\/w< both visited, but declined to surrem their revolvers. Many Blue Shirts w< shown orders revoking the permissi to hold firearms, but members of t Republican Army, which is pledged establish a republic by force,, were n visited-. Mr Blythe described the Govei meat’s demand as a scandalous abu of authority. Its object, ' appaf&nt was to facilitate the assassination of 3 principal political opponents. The Go eminent encouraged crime by membe of the Republican Army, which was s illegal body and which had been guil of many cowardly murders/ .“I have intention of becoming a defenceless ti get,” said Mr Blythe. Mr O’.Sullivan said his revolver tv obtainable only by force-. (It was reported yesterday’ fchair, a cording to the “Weekly Dispatch’s Dublin correspondent, official circles r ga-rd General O’Duffy’s recent stat meat that the “Blue Shirts” organis tion declared itself independent of i political organisations as a “menace x Government could ignore.” Therefor Mr de Valera had decided to use for to prevent National Guards parading blue shirts or other uniform, or marc: ing in military formation at the demo stration in memory of Mr Michael Co litis and Mr Arthur -Griffiths on 131 August, because -lie believes this won lead- to a breach of the peace with t! Republican Army. The Government hi introduced a. Bill empowering the revcation and suspension of pensions. ,Th is regarded as a move against Gener O’Duffy, who at present is enjoying pension of £590 yearly. General O ’Dufl is ex J Ohief Commissioner of -the Civ: Guards, Dublin, and was recently apointed head of a new organisation cal -ed the National Guard, -or “Bk Shirts,” formed out of .the -Ajrmy Con fades’ Association. Street, fighting f-o lowed the convention- at which Gener. O ’Duffy was elected. Bodie-s of youn men and women attacked the Bit Shirts, and. Civic Guards usechfyatonsl disperse the crowds. Several were ii jured.) t.-