IRISH NEWS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 1, 4 January 1923, Page 43

IRISH NEWS

■ IRISH REPUBLICANS AND THE VATICAN. It is a mournful admission to make, but none the less a fact (says Catholic News Service, London, for November 11), that the recent collective Pastoral of the Irish Bishops, which condemned the militarist tactics of the Republican Irregulars, has affected the general situation very little — at least so far as the revolt against the lawfully constituted Government is concerned. The same destruction of property, the raids and the ambushing of private individuals and soldiers of the National Army, go on as if the bishops had never recalled their people to their Christian duty as citizens. Indeed, it is rather worse than that, for on the day on which the Pastoral was read in the parish churches there was an ambush of National troops in Co. Wexford by a military patrol of the Republicans, when three of the Free State men were killed. The latest piece of audacity comes by way of the Daily Bulletin, the organ of Mr. de Valera’s supporters who recently proclaimed the Republic anew with Mr. de Valera, as its President. The Daily Bulletin informs its readers that; , “Dail Eireann has passed the following resolution; “That we ask the President to make representations to the Vatican, formally and emphatically protesting as Head of the State against the unwarrantable action of the Irish Hierarchy in presuming and pretending to pronounce an authoritative judgment upon the question of constitutional and political fact now ft issue in Ireland, Whether the so-called Provisional partition Parliament set up under threat of unjust war and by a coup d’etat was the rightful legislature and government. of the country or not, and in using the sanction of religion to enforce their own political views and compel acquiescence by Irish Republicans is an usurpation that entails no less consequence than the partition of the ancient territory of ,a nation, the loss of its sovereignty and declared independence, and the imposiion of a test oath that amounts to the disfranchisement of Republicans who have regard to the sacred bond of an oath, and will not take it without meaning to keep it.’ ” The Dail Eireann mentioned in this utterance is not, of course, the Dail of the Provisional Parliament, but the secretly-convoked Dail that met under Republican auspices ten days or so ago. As to the Republican oath, so-called, the Bishop of Cork as recently as September last instructed the Catholics of the Cork diocese in a Pastoral that “the oath was not an oath at all, but an irreverent use of the Divine Name.” FOUR COURTS: EVENTS LEADING TO THE RUPTURE. In s his Presidential address at the Dail, President Cosgrave related the events that immediately preceded and led up to the battle of the Four Courts. The Four Courts, he said, which had been handed over by the British and was then the property of the Irish Nation, was seized by x the Irregulars. Its use as a public building was very largely availed of. Offices of the institution administered the funds for the support of* orphans, widows, and the insane. Important documetns to the life of the nation were stored there. The contents of the Record Office were of inestimable value. V The only Brehan decree in existence was housed there. All these attacks were on the property of the people, and, notwithstanding,' the Government still continued ,a peace offensive, . always with .the' hope that a statesmanlike appreciation of the situation would eventually command the attention of those, who composed the people* who were against the Treaty. , , ; •- Reviewing the whole course of the events now, one was driven to the inevitable conclusion that the way was being fashioned for the return of the English' troops and of the English administration; as if after the disorganisation so deliberately planned, the nation could ' look to the same leaders with any degree of confidence. A Formula Found. " In making fruitless attempts* to secure accommodation a formula was eventually found, and only the great heart

that now no longer beats and lies in Glasnevin, with all its illimitable generosity, could : have made - such concessions' It. was well that those who talked now so lightly of peace, as if it were something they could put up as •onoilir oo snvJrm <£TVT„ J> „1 1J f~U vuwiij ii,o wi* j *“b •*- v-u Vi J.l VJ OUVUIU J. Ull j upux VVIiU VU the position. •; - 1 ■*, It was not the politicians or a barren peace that they had bargained for, and the anti-Treaty party in getting " the terms that they did get knew full well that they had yet to make peace with the armed .party who ere against the Treaty. .. . . , . . . On June 12, during the absence of General Collins, an advertisement appeared in the press wihch was not authorised.by Michael Collins. V .-1 '.'.t The advertisement appeared in the Dublin papers. It occupied a treble column space and stated : ‘‘The English are furious with the Collins-de Valera Pact because the English fear Irish unity. Will you play the enemy’s game and destroy the Pact, or will you stand that Pact and vote for the Sinn Fein candidates? You will not get it by voting for a Dail of warring sections and interests. “You will keep it by voting for the Sinn Fein panel, who will secure united effort for the purpose of Irish nationality. Peace, stability, order can only be secured by a strong, effective national unity under the Collinsde Valera Pact, and so only secured against the nation’s enemies, foreign and domestic.” ' On June 13, Mr. Collins was shown the advertisement, and on the following day he said he had not seen it before it was inserted, nor did he believe Mr. de Valera had seen it. The Pact agreed upon by him and Mr. do Valera, he said, clearly in Clause 4, stated that any and every interest was free to go forward and contest the election equally with the Sinn Fein panel. War on England. > On Juno 16 forces from the Four Courts destroyed munitions the property of the people of Ireland, They had positive evidence that on June 18, after the elections, Rory O’Connor, Ernest O’Malley, and Thomas Barry, with an armed Lancia car of forces of Irregulars from the Four Courts, held up members of the Civic Guard, disarmed them, and took possession of their arms at the Cross of Kildare. v The disarmed guards were informed by the party that they had declared war on England and issued an ultimatum that Monday, and if they did not want to be fighting for England they asked thp Civic Guard to come along and fight with them. On June 26, continued the President, motor cars to the value of £9OOO were seized under the pretext of the Belfast boycott at Ferguson’s garage. The Government being made aware of it, National troops were despatched to the premises, and they arrested an Irregular leader. It was the duty of the Government to prevent illegal seizures not authorised by any court functioning under the authority of Parliament. The following day one of the highest military officers of the State, General O’Connell, was kidnapped and taken prisoner to the Four Courts, Ihese actions were all a direct challenge to the authority of the people as expressed in the elections, and to the authority of the Government. It was now quite evident that neither peace nor security could possibly he maintained if the Government did not take strong and definite action. ’ , ■■ -• f't ■■■ An Ultimatum, - * ' .. An ultimatum was sent to the Four Courts and mili-. tary operations were ; begum by those who represented the 'authority; f; : :'v .;i| : These actions had only been taken when every possible attempt had been made to effect .a peaceful settlement. It; must, ,however,;. be -distinctly .-understood that in all these attempts to make a peaceful"settlement; the' Government, was bound to see that the Treaty position was maintained. * ; \ . , ■ .V-v'. A .—. At , that time the Irregular forces could have withdrawn from the Four Courts, bowing to superior.- forces, and still maintain, if they so desired, an attitude .of opposition on constitutional lines to .the policy of the Government. .. , :