LATEST NEWS OUTRAGES IN IRELAND

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14258, 8 January 1920, Page 5

LATEST NEWS OUTRAGES IN IRELAND

LEWIS GUNS FOR POLICE. MAGISTRATE’S HOUSE ATTACKED. RAIDERS’ FIRE RETURNED. (The Times.) Received January 8, 12.25 p.m. DUBLIN, Jan. 6. Owing to the increased attacks on barracks, the Government has decided, to supply Lewis guns to the police in the South and West of Ireland, with two expert gunners for each barracks. James Hoey, a prominent Sinn Feiner, has been arrested. He recently organised an insurance company to prevent business going to England. An armed party raided the residence of Mr Hibbert, a magistrate at Scariff, in County Clare, and wounded the maid servant. Mr Hibbert returned the Are and wounded a raider.

LORD FRENCH SPEAKS OUT. SYSTEM OF INTIMIDATION. Ireland is, naturally, very much with Lord French just now, writes a London correspondent. He had some remarkable things to say about its state when he was made the first freeman of Wallasey. ‘‘Our great difficulty,” he said, “is tills —that a new element has arisen ;n the already-complicated vortex of Irish politics—a new parly which claims nothing more nor less than complete separation from the Empire. “The so-called, self-constituted, Illegal, insane Government possesses a secret army which they call Irish volunteers. Attached to their army are bodies of nothing more nor less than assassins, whose business it is to commit outrage and murder on police and •soldiers and on all the community who question their decrees or their orders or in any way oppose them. “A complete system of intimidation results throughout the whole population, who arc frightened and bullied into screening these men and refusing to give information against them. “And the consequence is that the courageous and devoted efforts made .oy the police throughout the whole country to bring them to justice are rendered absolutely abortive. “Those are the difficulties. We are anxious to give to all classes and denominations of Irishmen fulljustioe, and in so doing are just to all. Finally, he appealed to the people on this side of the Channel to try to view the Irish situation in what he considered a real, just manner. Much of this was confirmed by Bishop Dowse, who, speaking at Cork Diocesan Svnod, said the state of Ireland must fill right-thinking men w ! th dismay. Murder, robbery, and crime 1 strained the land, and called forth the sternest and most uncompromising condemnation. The spirit of unrest and revolution produced anxiety for the future of the Empire. But there was no reason for despair. A nation that counted life as nothing compared with the vanquishing of oppression and the establishment of freedom would assert her true self, and Would vindicate her common sense by refusing to allow anarchy or Bolshevism to rob her of the fruits of victory won at so great a cost. 'Mrs Brady, widow of Sergeant Brady, who was shot recently at Lorrha, has just pul in a claim for £lO,000. . ~ Constable Foley, who was seriously wounded at the same time, has claimed £3OOO.