IRISH NEWS

New Zealand Tablet, 8 April 1920, Page 31

IRISH NEWS

: - ' . GENERAL. ... ~ Dublin papers report that a big seizure of American newspapers transmitted by post from the United States to Ireland has taken place at Dublin Post Office, two carts being needed to convey the suppressed American prints to .Dublin Castle. The Evening Telegraph speculates as to the trend of -American opinion and comment when the news reaches America. It will possibly tend to widen and intensify the sentiment revealed by the American naval commander, Admiral Simms, who recently declared that when sent East with his fleet to take part in the war he “got a hint” that America would “as soon fight the British as the Germans. 55 Britons may well anathematise the blundering of Dublin Castle in thus excoriating American feeling. Against such stupidity even the gods would fight vainly. Eamon de Valera received recently the freedom of the City of New York, being officially welcomed by the Mayor and signing the roll of freemen, his name coming next after the signatures of the Prince of Wales and the King of the Belgians. The incident disposes of the suggestion pumped by propagandist press agencies in America into many British newspapers that America had ceased to regard Sinn Fein with sympathy. Addressing de Valera as President of the Irish Republic, the Mayor of New York said it was an honor to receive him in the metropolis of the "Western "World. The Mayor said also that sooner or later this question must he answered — 'Why should Ireland alone among the smaller nations bo excluded from a just and legitimate share in the triumph of the war? Yes, why? For the war was fought for the liberation of smaller nationalities. Why should Ireland be left out? Vo have pleasure in offering our warmest congratulations to the Catholics and Nationalists of Derry on the signal victory they have achieved in the recent elections (says an Irish exchange). For the first time in the history of the ancient borough they have a majority in the Corporation, which now consists of 10 Nationalists, 1.0 Sinn Feiners, 1 Independent Nationalist, and 11) Unionists the latter being thus in a minority of 2. The Nationalist victory is all the more gratifying in view of the fact that it has been achieved in spite of tho determined effort made by the Orangemen to retain their ascendency by resort to their familiar tactics of jerrymandering in the wards. In Belfast, also, it is highly satisfactory to find that Labor and Nationalist candidates scored some notable successes under the Proportional Representation system of voting. The general view of the working of that system is to tho effect that it has vindicated all the claims made by its advocates. Minorities everywhere have had justice done to their interests; while in the case of Derry “P.R.” has enabled the Catholic majority to obtain the proper share of representation, out of which it had hitherto been most shamelessly and unscrupulously cheated. We are confident that our co-religionists and fellow-Nationalists will, obeying the counsels of their priests, make no unworthy use of their victory. A majority of the newly-elected members of the Dublin City Corporation are Sinn Feiners, and 14 Labor members are certain to vote with them on matters affectum national and municipal welfare. According to the London Daily News, Alderman Thomas Kelly,. T.D., at present in the British prison at Wormwood *Scruhhs, has been unanimously chosen to be the new Lord Mayor of Dublin. Whv this estimable gentleman was spirited away to England and imprisoned there nobody outside Government circles knows. He is one of the most lovable characters Dublin has known in our day. No charge has been preferred against him, and no attempt has been made to justify his arrest and deportation. His selection for the exalte position of Lord Mayor of tho Irish capital has evident’ roused the ire of the British military authorities in Ireland, for several Sinn Fein members of the Corporation have been arrested, and British warships have carried the prisoners to England, where they were gaoled without trial. --Great is the might of the British in Ireland but greater is the spirit of Irish nationality. One of the incidental, if not, indeed, one of the main advantages of applying Proportional Representation to Local Government elections in Ireland is that it has demolished at a stroke the Carsonite contention that Ulster was solidly Unionist (says the Glasgow Observer) In Carson’s own division of Belfast— Duncairn Division—in spite of the utmost strength of Unionism, desperately exerted in response to frantic appeal, Unionist monopoly has perished; in Belfast the anti-Carsonite minority is

; 1 jl X fsf£ : 3 yV\v„' " . V: : increased from eight to 23 in Lisburn, hitherto a citadel of the most arrogant Orangeism, a Sinn Feiner topped the poll, with a Dominion Home Ruler next. In Lurgan the Carsonite majority has been made a minority; in Bally money four Liberals have been elected; in Dungannon the . Unionist dominance, formerly two to one, now rests on the slender majority of one. In Cookstown, • formerly an exclusively Unionist ' preserve, -five Nationalists’ are elected, against seven Unionists; in Limavady, a Unionist majority has become a minority. Even Portadown has returned two Labor Nationalists, and Derry, it is believed, a Nationalist majority. These towns are in the counties or Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, and Derry. So “P.R.” “has destroyed for ever the argument of a homogeneous Ulster.” • PR - has had a splendid triumph in Ireland. The Irish press acclaims the system as being practically “foolP r I °?|-” ;} 11 forebodings v as to spoiled votes have been falsified the percentage of theseeven including Orange Ulster—being only about 2 per cent. The Dublin Telegraph says the results of the Irish Local Government election, held for the first time under the “P.R.” system “will vindicate Proportional Representation in the eyes of ail lovers of justice and fair play. Wherever minorities applied their strength they have obtained a representation proportional to it. The balance of power remains as it should, in the hands of the majority.” Thus Irish intelligence in political affairs once again gives the British Empire a lead in political progress. After this result, full pressure should be exerted to have “P.R.” applied to all elections in Britain, whether local or imperial. And since Catholics are everywhere in a minority, they should strive most strenuously for such a boon.- Heckle' all candidates on it. “Are you in favor of ‘P.R. 5 for all electurns t Let that he the err. IRELAND OVERSUBSCRIBES LOAN QUOTA. A cable despatch from Dublin announcing the «reat success of the Irish Republic Loan in Ireland was printed in the New York Evening Journal of December 31. The despatch follows; P 9 non'non ’ i Dec ? niber 31—The Irish Republic Loan of ,Uuu,()uU has been oversubscribed, although the allotment will not close until February 1, it was announced to-day. the Sinn Fein officials labored under a disadvantage in getting subscribers, as the British Government lias out- ‘ , l |. subscriptions, and newspapers were suppressed for publishing the prospectus. Irishmen were imprisoned for having copies of the prospectus in their possession. In some districts the Loan was oversubcrib.ed three times. THE ARCHBISHOP OE CASHEL: LETTER TO DE VALERA. Eunion de Valera received the following letter from Archbishop Marty, of Cashel: “To you, the trusted representative of the Irish people, I send my enclosed cheque for £SO, as my contribution to the Irish National Loan. Here at home the British Government has continued to trample on the principles of democracy. “Ireland is in a state of political and industrial bondage. Our President is muzzled. Our fairs and markets arc stopped. Our exhibitions of industries are prohibited. Our national games are banned. Our literary and musical festivals are proclaimed. Even Princes of the Church are asked to guarantee that they are not criminals before they are allowed to use their motor cars. “The British Government proposes to place Irish education under the domination of foreign reactionaries who are out of sympathy with the religious and national ideals of tho Irish people. “Sinn Fein, the Gaelic League, and kindred societies are suppressed, and the lie is told that they are responsible for crimes. Our homes are raided* by * armed forces of the British. Crown. Our streets are paraded by a huge army of occupation. Our elected representatives are not allowed to meet in our Irish Parliament, and some of them have been deported in British gunboats. “These are some of the activities of the British Government, which has loudly proclaimed its respect for the liberties of small nations. “I wish you every blessing in your .noble efforts to right the wrongs of centuries, and to free Ireland from the blighting influences of foreign rule. “I am, my dear Mr. de Valera,— very faithfully, . " - ; ' “’i'J. M. Harty, . '- ’ • “Archbishop of Cashel.”