The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1922. IRELAND

New Zealand Tablet, 27 April 1922, Page 25

The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1922. IRELAND

II

E cannot congratulate ourselves on the present position of affairs in Ireland. To blind ourselves to the seriousness of the situation would be futile. Although lying cables are still published here, and never corrected by the hired pressmen of the Empire, the bad news conveyed to us by. the daily papers is unfortunately corroborated in many respects by letters and newspapers from Ireland. Before saying anything further we wish to call attention to one particularly malevolent lie circulated by the daylie men about de Valera. Not long ago they gave us a cable which reported him as urging the establishment of the Republic even though Ireland had to wade to it through blood. We had no hesitation in saying that the report was a clumsy fabrication, and an emphatic denial (which our papers did not publish) followed quickly on the lie. The moral of this incident is that while we admit that the position is grave we must be careful about receiving as truth the news supplied to us by papers which have a bad record where fair play or honorable dealing is concerned. The Irish situation is bad enough, but we hold that it is far from' being as bad as we are told it is. Allowance must be made for the fact that both parties are fighting for victory at the elections and that occasional outbreaks are inevitable, and at the same time we ought not to forget that several times when Republicans and Free Staters were to all appearances on the verge of a collision not a blow was struck. In Ulster the Catholics are murdered day by day by the Orange majority and lies are cabled over the world about the crimes committed there by Sir James Craig's subjects. Sir James himself has been convicted of glaring equivocation in his efforts to protect the Orange savages, and he is either unable or unwilling to save the Catholic women and children of Belfast. However, the economic boycott will again have its effect in Ulster, and we are told on rather good authority that the present massacres are the last kick of the expiring Orange monster. In the South a majority

stands firm for the Free State. We are nob at all certain that a majority is against the Republic in principle, but most Irishmen at home and abroad agree that under the existing circumstances the treaty ought to be accepted and worked for all it is worth. Not a few among us also hold that as things are that would be the shortest way towards securing absolute independence m the end. Sir Horace Plunkett, just back from America as the last mails left for New Zealand, told an interviewer that 95 per cent, of the Americans were for the treaty and that de Valera's followers were not as numerous as people thought. Mr. Croker, who is certainly a keen judge, also recently returned from the United States, puts the percentage even higher and says that he found about 98 per cent, for the treaty. That shrewd politician is convinced that Ireland .has all to gain by making the best of what she has won, and while expressing his admiration for de Valera he thinks it would be better if that distinguished leader faced the realities of the position squarely and realised the difficulties that strew the path he is following m his elevated idealism. Compared with the milions of our race in America, we in Australasia count but little, but there is no doubt that by far the greater number of Ireland's friends under the Southern Cross believe that—under the present circumstances—acceptance of the treaty is the right course. On principle we are bound to stand in with the majority of the people at home, and there is small room for doubt as to their views. If any doubt remained, the publication of the Pastorals of the Irish bishops early in March ought to remove it. They are unanimously for the -tree State, and not one of them is more emphatic than Bishop Fogarty who was the most fearless and consistent Sinn Feiner of them all. We may take it as certain that the bishops voice the general feeling of their flocks and that priests and people are with them. Notwithstanding the dark clouds we do not think the position is hopeless. The views of Mr. Desmond, which we quoted for our readers last week, express fairly closely our own opinions. We deplore disunion, and condemn it without hesitation, no matter who causes it or what his past record has been. At the same time, we take into account the natural disturbances which the approaching elections must inevitably cause, and we also remember.that on more than one occasion when all the reports sent out here would lead one to fear a conflict between Republican and Free State soldiers there was no conflict. It seems regrettable that the elections were put off for so many months but we do not believe that the results will be affected substantially by the delay. All things weighed, we are hopeful that when they have been held, and when the people have decided for the acceptance of the treaty, the country will settle down and violence will cease' Reason leads us to protest against the tactics of the 1.R.A., but at the same time we ought not be bitter about the matter. We cannot forget what the young men endured and what atrocities they saw perpetrated by the British forces during the past years. We cannot forget what Miss McSwiney and Mrs. O'Callaghan and Mrs. McCurtain suffered at the hands of England and if they are unyielding in their determination to be free for ever from the Empire that sent the "Black-and-Tans'' and the Specials to Ireland we can understand and sympathise even though we hold that their way is not the best way or the surest. By diverging paths they are all straining towards the same end, and we can but hope and pray that they will yet work together for the final good of Ireland.