THE SUPPRESSION OF THE "DAIL."

New Zealand Tablet, 22 January 1920, Page 28

THE SUPPRESSION OF THE "DAIL."

The suppression of Dail Eireann (the Sinn Fein Parliament) gives a Rood indication of that capacity in which England fears Ireland most. The Dail was primarily engaged on the economic reconstruction of the nation. It had already sent Consuls to half the important trade centres in Europe. It had arranged a direct trading with America, which has already begun, and a direct trading with France, which is about to begin. It had set up a scientific inquiry into the industrial resources of Ireland. It had begun the revival of the fisheries of the island, and had arranged for its reafforestation. It was on account of this economic activity that the English representatives in Ireland discovered that the Dail was "dangerous" and promptly suppressed it. It was "dangerous" to English material domination as well as to her moral overlordship, and as such could not be tolerated by the nation of shopkeepers, whose only Irish policy is to retain Ireland as a breeding-ground for its beef steaks and a dumping-ground! for its manufactures. England does not really care how many Hags are waved in Ireland, but she cares very much when Ireland turns her energies from flag-waving to the hard practical work of nation-building. And for that reason when the nation-building begins she strikes, and strikes hard.