Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 13 May 1920, Page 14

Current Topics

Our Metroplitan Readers of the Tablet will he pleased to hear that we have just had a letter from Archbishop Redwood, written at Washington on March 24, At the time of writing, his Grace intended leaving the United States for Europe on April 10 in order to reach Rome in time for the canonisations in May. The Archbishop had a long chat with de Valera on March 23. He was greatly impressed by the bearing and courtesy of the Irish leader, and the latter was equally glad to meet our Archbishop and to hear from him a first-hand account of the Melbourne Convention, at which Archbishop Redwood made such a powerful speech on behalf of Ireland's rights that it was said among the Australian clergy that our English Archbishop is the best Irishman among our Hierarchy in New Zealand. The letter assures us that the cause we love is going on prosperously in the United States, and that de Valera is in excellent spirits and very confident. Not only do we ask our readers to join with us in praying for his Grace’s safe return amongst us, but we think it only right to say that in our opinion all friends of Ireland ought to mark their appreciation of Archbishop Redwood’s services for the cause in some tangible manner when he is once more with ns in New Zealand. No man knows better than the Editor of the Tablet what a friend in need his Grace was in the hour when not only our natural enemies, but even the seaiiini within our gates, were aiming at the silencing of the one paper in New Zealand that had the courage to speak an honest word for an oppressed small nation. News from Cork Readers will recall that when the Lord Mayor of Cork was cruelly murdered it was insinuated that the murder was done by some secret societies allied with Sinn Fein. That statement also appeared in the “Propaganda” rags in America, and received a curt contradiction from some of poor Tom McCurtin’s friends. There is little doubt now that the assassination was the work of British thugs, as was the murder of a policeman in Dublin, duly cabled out to us as a “Sinn Fein crime.” Ireland is infested by British criminals, and there is a strong opinion even in England that they are let loose on the people for the purpose of goading them to such reprisals as might give French an excuse to repeat in Dublin the murders of Amritsar or Egypt. Criminals who were released from gaol in order to fight are at large, and there are also thousands of British shirkers who hid in Ireland rather than fight for their own land during the war. Of such was composed the gang recently arrested by Sinn Fein for bank robberies. The same gangmany of them returned soldiers— been condemned by a judge as the cause of the “Sinn Fein crimes” we read about in our dear, dirty day-lies. Mrs. McCurtin, describing the murder, said that when her husband opened the door he had a baby in his arms. The masked thugs first dashed the baby to the ground and then shot and clubbed the father. It is significant that a few days previously four armed men broke into Cork Hospital and robbed the nurses, whom, before leaving, they compelled to sing “God Save the King.” London and American papers have now no doubt as to the origin of the “Sinn Fein outrages,” but it is too soon to expect that our awful rags will desist from publishing idiotic headings in their efforts to further the shameful British Propaganda against a small nation. British Breeding

Now and then when it is desirable to make a show of some sort for some patriotic purpose, the Government that calmly pockets Catholic cash and refuses to pay out a penny for the maintenance of Catholic schools has the cheek to invite Catholic children to take part with the children of the State monopoly,

and even to denounce them as unpatriotic if "they, will not. The other day, for some such purpose, Catholic school children were proceeding to "some place of meeting, when a cultured, pious,' Protestant Dunedin lady remarked audibly; “Here; come the scum of the earth.” The young man in charge of the children turned to the fine British lady and remarked that he quite understood that the only use the Protestants of New Zealand had for Catholics was to conscript them to fight for P.P.A. and other shirkers. It is a pity he said anything. Such people ought to be encouraged. We want many more such remarks made. If enough of them are forthcoming Catholics may one day awaken to the fact that it is time they made, a stand against being made doormats for all those of whom that culured and pious Protestant Dunedin lady is a type. Perhaps we will learn some day. We publish this week a letter in which Erskine Childers describes the Hunnish conduct of British officers ■who invaded his house. Can mothers like that cultured Dunedin lady be expected to give birth to gentlemen Let us make up our minds to close up our ranks and stand no insults from P.P.A. women, P.P.A. men, or P.P.A. politicians. We can do it if we will. More Propaganda Lord Northcliffe went to America some time ago for the purpose of conducting on a large scale proBritish propaganda. He bought newspapers and editors ; he selected agents and spies and various other tools; he spent the enormous sum of $150,000,000 on the campaign. The result was a total failure. The intelligent Americans saw through the British wiles, and England’s cause was, if anything, more hopeless than before. Then a select batch of Ulster bigots went forth to prove to America how wrong de Valera was. De Valera challenged them to an open debate on the subject, but the Ulster braves turned tail and lied, whipped by the scorn of the Protestant Churches of the United States. Now a new British Ambassador has been appointed. His name is Sir Auckland Geddes. Readers of the New Witness will recall that name. He has begun to try his hand at the propaganda stunt which has hitherto been a failure. His fate will be exactly that of his predecessors, for the simple reason that the Americans are not fools. We have a morning paper which is well qualified to speak editorially about simple facts such as the weather or the moon or the tides. It can tell you with much hedging that it is a fine day in Dunedin, but that it may rain before evening if it does not continue to be fine, and that on the whole it might not be safe to say it would not rain before night. It would go on to say that there are other places besides Dunedin, and that, although fine in Dunedin, it might or might not be raining in other places. This illuminating paper has ventured to give its blessing to the new fit of Sir Auckland Geddes, and it has done so in a manner quite amusing. It remarks on the ignorance of the Americans of to-day about Ireland. It assumes, of course, that Americans could learn much from its sapient editor. It opines ponderously that Americans have very wrong ideas about wrongs in Ireland, quite out-of-date ideas altogether, belonging to a period in which there was misrule in Ireland. It takes for granted that there is no reason at all for Irishmen to growl now ; that a bishop who is robbed by the Government has no grievance; that kidnapping of children is only a harmless amusement for British officers; that dropping fire-bombs on women and children is quite a right-minded way of ruling; that murdering boys and faking evidence and deporting innocent persons without a trial, is altogether what ought to be expected from a British Government in Ireland. In the name of common sense, why does not the scribe who writes such tosh go forth to America himself and join either the whipped Orange parsons or the foolish Sir Auckland Geddes, of whom we shall hear more later on. Still, we suppose it is a dispensation of Providence that gives us something to laugh about, even in an

editorial of the Otago Daily . Times. The fact that over eighty - members of the House : of Representatives have cabled to Lloyd George in protest against the Hunnish manner in which his satellites are oppressing the Irish people shows sufficiently that the staff of the Otago Daily Times ought to be in America just now. In the meantime the directors of that journal ought to provide them occasionally with copies of the New Witness, the Manchester Guardian , the Nation, the Sphere, the English Review, and many .other papers edited by able men who ■do not always wear red spectacles at their work. As matters stand, British propaganda has as much chance in America now as “a celluloid cat chased by an asbestos dog would have in hell.”. The reason is that, although the editor of the Otago Daily knows nothing about Ireland, the American people know everything about it. And to know Ireland at present is to know England.. That is precisely where the shoes pinch : the Americans know England and her wiles and tricks. Consequently, Sir Auckland’s salt will .catch no birds in the United States for some time to come.

The Truth about England So abyss calls to abyss. Sir Auckland says that America must be told the truth about England. The Otago Daily piously echoes “Quite right, Sir Auckland.” Now, Sir Auckland may know the truth, but if he does it is the last thing he would dream of telling the Americans, but we have not the least intention of accusing the Otago Times of having even the remotest suspicion of the truth, because so systematically has it propagated' error for the past four years, that to suspect it of knowing the truth would be also to suspect it of being dishonest. In matter of fact, the truth about England is so well known to the Americans that England thought fit to spend $150,000,000 in an effort to obfuscate facts to save her name. The truth about Ireland is the truth about England, and although the poor old Otago Daily imagines the Americans cannot know the truth about Ireland, it is unfortunate for England that every Prussianism, every Hunnish atrocity done to the Irish people, is blazoned from San Francisco to New York with such effect that the one and only way for England to save her name is by repentance and amendment : in other words, by doing so simple a thing as keeping her pledged word. Is that too much to expect from her? Now let us turn to the Irish Bishops and hear what they have to say. on the matter. They are honest men ; they are learned men; they are in a position to know the facts, and they have been trained to estimate the value of facts. Consequently, what they say stands, notwithstanding Sir Auckland and his echoing abyss in Dowling Street, Dunedin. . Cardinal Logue was never a friend to Sinn Fein, and he always had the mighty favor of English Tories. Yet he protests: “Not within living memory, I might say within the history of the recent past, could we find in Ireland such a calamitous position as exists at present. ... A MILITARY REGIME RIVALLING IN SEVERITY EVEN THAT OF COUNTRIES UNDER THE MOST PITILESS AUTOCRATIC GOVERNMENT; . VINDICTIVE SENTENCES OUT OF ALL PROPORTION TO THE ALLEGED TRANSGRESSIONS; LETT RES DE CACHET OR ARBITRARY ARRESTS, MORE FREQUENT THAN IN PRE-REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE: DEPORTATIONS SUCH AS RAISED A WORLDCRY AGAINST THE GERMANS WHEN IN MILITARY OCCUPATION OF BELGIUM: THESE SIMILAR ACTS OF POWER COULD NOT FAIL TO CREATE EXASPERATION RECKLESSNESS, AND GENERAL DISORDER.” The Bishop of Raphoe says: The gaols are full, liberty of speech and of the press is smothered, deportations are the order of the day, and the native feeling counts for nothing.”

The Bishop of Waterford says: “There is no class ip the c&mmunity that does not at present feel that private rights and liberty are being infringed upon and ■ violated -to -. a-: degree that tends to arouse a spirit of defiance and lawlessness, even in the more moderate. , The present drastic form of government can have only one - result-to foster a spirit of hate and retaliation.”; The Archbishop of Tuam says; “I feel called upon to protest in your name against the campaign of , calulnny carried on recently against this country in a section of the English press. I am aware myself that reports of bogus outrages have got into the Irish press.” ‘ ‘ . The Bishop of Down and Connor says The Government has for a considerable time" been acting in a manner SO UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND TYRANNICAL THAT EVEN* MOST PATIENT MEN ARE EXASPERATED. TO A LARGE EXTENT WE ARE NOT LIVING UNDER LAW AT ALL.” The Bishop of Killaloe says: “BECAUSE IRELAND HAS THE SPIRIT TO STAND UP AGAINST NATIONAL PLUNDER . . . WHAT WRONGS AND OUTRAGES , ARE HEAPED UPON HER?— PROPERTY SEIZED, HER HOMES BROKEN INTO, HER LIBERTIES TRAMPLED UNDER MILITARY RULE, HER TOWNS SACKED, HER YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN EITHER SHOT OR HAULED OFF IN MULTITUDES TO PRISON WITHOUT A TRIAL OR CHARGE.” There, we have from unimpeachable witnesses the truth about Ireland and England, which Sir Auckland Geddes would persuade the Americans is not the truth at all. Is it any wonder that even honest Englishmen have left the army in disgust and joined Sinn Fein ? Is it any wonder that English journalists have protested that the aim of the Government seems to be to drive the Irish people into rebellion in order that they may be exterminated as Dyer exterminated the helpless Indians?" We have often feared that the temper and patience of the people would not stand all this suffering and outrage, and that by an illadvised rebellion they would give the Huns the chance for which they are playing. But whenever we expressed that fear to our friends in Ireland we have had the reassuring answer that there was no danger, that Sinn Fein had the country well in hand, and that there would be no blow struck that would suit England. It only remains now to give, a few instances of the brutalities of which the Irish Hierarchy complain : Alderman William O’Brien was transported without charge or trial on March 4. He was tortured on the journey by having his hands lashed to a high beam, over his head. The London Hr raid says: “In the centre of this imposing escort Alderman O’Brien stood with his hands lashed at full stretch to a beam above -his head. He was thus held in a standing position. To a man with the full use of his limbs this might not be a great inconvenience for a short time, but O’Brien was a cripple and broken bones in one of his legs made the position one of cruel torture.” Master James Staines, a seventeen-year-old schoolboy, was sent to gaol for a month for residing in his mother’s house. A document said to be seditious was found in the house, and the boy was sentenced because he lived in the house. Thomas Connors, Greenaiie, was awarded £75 damages against Edward Pearson, Assistant-Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who KIDNAPPED CONNOR’S ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD SON AND KEPT HIM PRISONER FOR TWO MONTHS. THE POLICE TRIED TO TERRIFY THE BOY INTO MAKING INCRIMINATING STATEMENTS AGAINST HIS NEIGHBORS. Michael McLoughlin, Westport, was awarded

damages against Inspector Scott for the kidnapping of his twelve-year-old son, John McLoughlin. ' , St. Kevin’s Hospice, Dublin, a residence for Catholic” girls, .was forcibly entered and ransacked by armed soldiers and police. ' The “following is a description from the Irish Independent; of how the brave English soldiers carry out raids on private houses (or homes for young girds): “Not a picture remained unbroken nor a - chair or table. Five chairs were in front of the room, and these appear to have been swung against the table or floor. . . . Two tables were also broken, and the whole floor was strewn with broken glass. Pictures and property were damaged. A frame' hanging in the front room contained grass and leaves from the graves of Parnell and O Donovan Rossa, and this was torn down and the contents strewn about.” ' Verdicts ,of wilful murder against police and soldiers have been brought in again and again. The only icsult was that the murderers were often promoted. just as the Ulster rebels were.made Cabinet Ministers' And, lastly, everybody in Ireland now knows the sordid truth about the attack on French, who is described as “a beast” by the Irish people. Even a few cables that strayed out here will enable readers to draw their own conclusions on this head. Recall the incident of the cashiering of Barrett. Indeed, England needs a lot of whitewashing at present But if poor Sir Auckland Geddes ‘ knows as little about Ireland as the Times quill-drivers he will fare as ignominiously as the wretched Ulster parson* who are ridiculed out of America.