THE SINN FEINERS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVIII, Issue 6012, 9 September 1920, Page 2

THE SINN FEINERS

THE BELFAST MOTS. HUNGER-STRHvING MAYOR, '■ NOT TO BE RELEASED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable.) (Received September 9, 8 a.m.) LONDON. September 7. The compensation claimed ifcr property destroyed in the Belfast riots exceed/ £1,000.000. (AWttralk'n and N.Z. Cable.) (Received September 9, 10.30 .a.m.) LONDON, September 8. It is officially announced that tilic Oablmet has 'decided not to release McSweoney. (Received September 9, 12.45 p.m. LONDON, September 8. Some paper* arc publishing denials of Mr Lloyd-George's offer regarding AfoSweeney, while others repeat and amplify them. In the course of a nta.tcm.ont to British journalists the Premier stated that McSwecney was undoubtedly, concerned i!n a conspiracy against the Government which hid resulted in the murder of 85 brave men and the shooting of 178 others. He differentiated between the Sinn Fein, which was not a criminal organisation, and the so-callied republican army, which was striving to dismember the empire. Tfie Government either must protect its forces in Ireland or withdraw them. The poi'cy of leniency had alren'dy been tried twiicie, but the very men who had been released had immediately engaged in fresh conspiracies and recommenced the murders of police in Ireland. Mr Lloyd George strongly emphasised that th e republican army was engaged in a mean and murderous warfare upon British forces. .secki|ng by oai'efu!!ly-planned anarchy and murder to bring about the secession of Ireland from tho empire. The people throughout tho world must realise that the British Government was face to fnce with the mm? problem a s Lincoln had >to face before th e American civil war, although tho Southerners foiugV.* openly and csea,n;ly for secession, while the Irish sought it by murder. If the republican army conspiracy in wh'ch McSwecney <wa s involved had existed during wn,r time it would probably have been impossible to overcome the submarine menace, w'th the r -o,sulifc ifchat the empire would have been defalroyeu.