The New Zealand TABLET THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1921. THE IRISH SITUATION

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 50, 28 December 1922, Page 25

The New Zealand TABLET THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1921. THE IRISH SITUATION

WING to the fact that the news of the meeting of Bail Eireann will not reach us bellilr/f/l f &r e the Tablet is on its way to its readers fWING to the fact that on the Irish the meeting of Dail Eireann will not reach us before the Tablet is on its way to its readers this week, comment on the Irish situation is too much like a leap in the dark for us to venture to make any prophecies. We can leave that task to our gentle contemt poraries whom no previous blunders prevent from plunging again and again. What we have to say at present is rather by way of comment on the comments that have been issued so widely during the past four days. From the first intimation that de Valera Had objected to, the terms of the agreement we felt that it was only common sense for us to wait for further information, as we had good reason to know that such news and opinions as were cabled to New Zealand could be improved by much salt in their consumption.

Readers will surely not have forgotten that a short time ago our press used to tell us that de Valera was a moderate man who was in the hands of extremists like Michael Collins, the head of the “murder gang” ! Since then we have had a complete turnover, leaving de Valera the extremist and Michael Collins the moderate man. But this was not all: last week we were told that Michael Collins was the dominating personality at the Conference, and -now we are told from the same source that Michael Collins is dominated by Arthur Griffith ! Taking these contradictory reports and dwelling on their absurdity, one ought to be extremely slow to give credence to any assertions that come to us from the same sources. Take, for instance, the report-that American opinion is against de Valera. Even the most obtuse reader will have remarked that the American papers quoted for this were the papers that were always quoted against Ireland , and in favor of England. That is enough to make their news very doubtful, even if we had nothing else to go upon. -But we have something else; we are also told that millions of dollars are being voted by the Friends of Irish Freedom to back de Valera in his attitude; and knowing something of the power of the Irish race in America we suspect that reports from papers like the New York-Times give us what such papers would like to be true rather than the truth. Remember also that when

de, Valera rejected the previous offer the same papers old us the same story, only to be exposed very speedily when it was learned that de- Valera's action on that . occasion actually cemented all the divisions among the lush in . the _ States -and- once more united them behind him. On the whole it is worthy, of note that those papers, in New Zealand and elsewhere, which never gave a helping hand to Ireland during her inhuman sufferings under British rule for the past' few -years,now oppose do Valera as they did then. Is that a sign s de 7 al ff 18 wr ° ng We wonder? It "is evident that England is very anxious that Ireland shall accept ei terms at present; and knowing that the settlement bv Euvlfsb 17 - ? farat lt , wen t, and that it was inspired by English interests and not by love for Ireland it aXe 7t 6 b tary PrUdenoe for an Ashman to wait and see at the present moment.

However much we may be in the dark concerning the mstWe ‘Ttw 1,0 r° room f “ doubt about avictorv N said that w e j ook n the “Element as a victory. No man can deny that d e Valera has won for Ireland terms which only a year ago Bonar Law MS re that. im n P o OSSI “ e for Eland to g™ a ‘ any W mark that Dominion status was declared impossible rtc “ d now Ireland 13 pressed to accept it. gain the many who accused Padraig Pearse and • James Connolly of folly ought surely set about doing what g r anCe at - pr f Sent - or I* i 3 certain that what has been won is directly due to the self-sacrifice and the heroism of the men of Easter Week. Very many people denounced them as fools and declared that they had no moral, justification for what they did d We if a baZe hW w f te Blsho P of Limericl/then asked battle was lost because the first skirmish was not successful t P f a / Se and Connolly did not hope to win They went out to arouse the soul- of the Nation and to give it the spirit that would enable it to fight on until the cause was won. They failed where they foresaw failure and they won where they hoped to win On ca e P °‘TL W fn may T? ote /P" who thus puts their case . The insurrection of Easter Week was based on intuition and -not on human reason. The men who made it believed, however surfaces contradicted that withthe 1 3 Emn land t^ a ! ** ? ldi inde P and not e Empire, that as at a crisis in a man’s beinp..when right and wrong are illumined by the torch' of luth he will choose the right; or, as on the last dav marsha? speak of, the hosts of good and evil must marshal themselves under the banner of light or the banner of darkness, so the soul of Ireland when roused rSi k “ OWSolf “I’!.- dedde b y ‘be “‘"" o' last trumr.Af P f 86 and 18 companions sounded the last trumpet for the Gael, and the dead were raised from the graves of fear, unbelief or despair, and but of adeepsenseofidentity of being or destiny they reeled aftei the shepherds who called.” To Pearse and his men, therefore, be the fairest laurels now.- To the gal lant men who took up the torch and carried it on /nee 1916 no words that human pen could write can mv sufficient tribute. In the great heart of the Gael the Willlive for ak w Grl “' S® 11 ™ 3 ' and S . ve tor ever. We cannot end on this note witkmif paying our own humble tribute 1 ’ to two gS Sm-ch S:urethev.V t th6ir ■£“ ha ™ Mped t the flav h® Archbishop of Melbourne kept among true 7 mL Australla , where his appreciation ~ g rue men was as great as was the. blind furv of Zealand® 0 !^ 8 “ “ at his In Hew Zealand, Irishmen, and men of Hi a Tr-ioi, ' —-r-iiS; si/z ficent support his Grace has aAll +• de f ° r the ma £ m " ; ' maieeann an chuis COIR go DEO.. "