SINN FEIN REVOLT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2770, 13 May 1916, Page 7

SINN FEIN REVOLT

DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT

REBELS FOUGHT . CLEANLY

SHOOTING OF SKEFFINGTON j By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright • ■ London, May 11. In the House, of Commons Mr. Asquith stated.that the .civilian casualties in Ireland were ISO killed and hl4 wounded. Mr. J. Dillon (.Nationalist member for iluyo) moved that the Uovernment make a lull.statement of its intentions concerning the coiilinuanco oi executions und martial law in Ireland. Inferring to the shooting .of Skeffington, Jlr. Dillon lasted how could the populace bo blamed lor believing: thatUo2Ciis of peoplo had been secretly shot it the barracks. 'J.'ne stories of executions were embittering the. country, and the action of tho military se-urcliers ill making - arrests was transferring loyal people into-disloyal-, and loosing Wriver of blood between the races-when 'they had been almost brought together.". Ireland was largely in the hands of clubs in Dublin, anu these iuiluontod the military authorities. Tho clubs talked of the rebellion as the best thing that had ever, happened, bringing martial law and end-' mg forever tho..rotten-Nationalist Party. If that' programme was to be enforced. It would require a hundred thousand troops /to. garrison the country. (Irish clicer-s.) The rebels were foolish, but ho was proud of them.'

A member cried: "Now you have shown your. hand."

Mr. Dillon, proceeding,, said; "The rebels aro the victims of misdirected enthusiasm. They had fought cleanly and superbly." There was further interruption, and Mr. Dillon"cried: "It would be a damn good -thine if -your soldiers-.were nblo'.to tight similarly. Three thousand against twenty thousand, and .artillery!" , He appealed -to tho Government to abolIsh martini law and' executions.

MR. ASQIiITH EXPLAINS

VICTIMS REBELLION (Eec. Miij; 12,.'6.35 ; -p.m:) •'■'. • ; London, May' 11. Jlt. Asquith .emphasised the Uoverument's desire'to allay the.bitterness. Ho appealed for a greater approximation of a greater feeling of' sympathy between all parties. Infinite miscuief would bo done by a word calculated' to obstruct or, impair the uhauco of this happy and desirable- consummation. If was quite true that niuo out-of ten Irishmen were on tho sidfc of tho law, but when it was remembered that the casualties amongst the military and civil population were 1315, including :)01 killed, their sympathies ought to be entirely monopolised by those unfortunate and misguided victims of the unhappy and criminal insurrec tion..

Mr. Asquith ,explained the 'principal death sentences, and said that five out of seven shot had signed the proclamation, seven'nthers had commanded rebels a 'third class consisted of murderers, of whom only one had been shot. Tho. deathsentences of the-two other signatories to the proclamation had been confirmed. Of these one took a most acitive part in the rebellion. It wan unfair to accord these men preferential treatment, as fivo ! <jf-' their comrades had properly been executed, thcreforo lie did not see why the' Government should interfere with Sir John Maxwell's decision.

. As far as lio knew there was no rea-' son to resort to the extreme penalty. in • other cases, -unless for murder, when there would be- a trial in open court. MR. ASCiUITH TO VISIT IRELAND, , r , ... . London, May 11. ...%,A s OT™.is .goin.tr-.to, Ireland iinmwluuely to 'jonsult ..the civil and military authorities , . ... EXCITEMENT IN THE HOUSE AN IMPORTANT SPEECH ,(R«c. May 12, 8.5. p.m.) . ,'" , '■" London/ May 11. there was ninth, excitement in the House of Commons; (he Nationalists and Ustermen wore; iir.fuUforce, particular,ly as reports that negotiations wire afoot in.,which Sir Edward Carson and Mr. John-ltedmoml ' were ' participating, to •settle the whole Irish questiou. The rumour may have been premature, but many think that the temper of the moderate Connnonors was suitable for a settlement for the first time in a century. l '■'■' Mr. Asquitli wan sharply questioned regarding the -'executions, particularly that of Skeffington, .whom a section of the newspapers are magnifying into a. hero .worldng.desperately to-stop,'tlto nghtiw Mr. H..J. Tennant said that 170G had hem deported, and there were fourteen executions.

Mr. John Dillon immediately accused the Government of not .keeping, its promise of permitting no further cxocutions pending the debate. , , .

'Mr. Asquitli later explained that there were .only .thirteen executions. ' In it telling passage in Mr. Dillon's impassioned speech, he stated that a. number of rebels had been' asked to give evidtneo' against their comrades. A boy of fifteen- refused. An officer said, "You will ),e shot." The boy replied, "Shoot away." ' (Nationalist ' cheers.) '-'The. bov was blindfolded, placed against a wall, anil .made to hear "the click.of tho revolvers, atid was finally asked to answer. He replied, "Now shoot." The troops were relieved when they took off the bandage. Mr. Dillon added, "This -damnable House ought to be ashamed." Mr. Dillon further added, "My son, who is seventeen, asked' permission to enlist in the Army, I consented, but I will never do so now."

11 iv Asquith's dramatic'innouncement that he. was- going to Ireland took • the Mins out of .'the attack on the Government. The_. incident recalled his sensational decision .to toko over the TVar (ijlico.'at th? .time of the Ulstor trouble".

. Air. . Afquith .agreed thii't the. great body of- iii-iii'gcnts fought bravely, and eon{•i,c!'.'d themselves with. humanity, eon-. Um-Hujc ivoit favourably" with our'' civili.«"'l enemies in the field,; an<l said: "Tho R-ilkm. in Ireland, is I satisfactory. AVe ■i'lv 'tlip greatest confidence in Sir John iiasw-fll's .discretion'in tho conduct of .his delicate and difficult'jurisdiction.' Ireland could . not . remain under ...martial law." ilr. Asquith cflinc.to tlie'conclusion that it was his duty to go 'to Ireland without .delay, not to supersede the executive, but to consult with the civil and military authorities in order to arrive at arrangements for tho futuro which '• woukl s com - mend themselves to'the. general sense of the Irish and other parties in the House.

Mr:' Dillon's motion was negatived'without a division.

Sir. Healy congratulated Mr. Asouith on his decision to visit Ireland. Those governing Ireland had been grossly misled, and by sonM of his own countrymen. Others besides the Sinn Feiners might well be called to account. The rising had lieen (frossly- exaggerated;. and • was suppressed without military slcill-and'judg-ment) anil with wholesale aiul colossal loss of life and property.- ' MARTIAL LAW TO CONTINUE UNTIL 'THERE IS -.PERFECT • SECURITY.(Rec. May 12, 8.5 p.m.) London, May 11.! -.In-the House of Lords, Lord Lansdoivne sl.nt.ed. that. tho Sinn. Feiners in Government'employ had been discharged, and that it was not intended to allow arms into Ireland without a license. Martial law' would continue until there was perfect security.

Lord Lorebiirn's motion of censure on. IheNCniveniincnt's pi'e.rebellion policy in Ireland was agreed to without division. Lord Lansdoivne said the rebellion was one of the most discreditable and mosthumiliating episodes in the recent history of Ireland. .It was a stab in tho back, instigated by foreign intrigue and to somo extent paid for by the money of our enemies.' Had'not tho rebellion miscarried at the outset he was convinced the rebels would . have flocked to tho standard, Regarding' the. blame, he maintained it was unfair, to .say .that, the Government Teas, making a scapegoat of Mr. Birreli.

'.•Lord;Halsl)iiry wished to know what information the Government acted upon. iaril Cromer said thnt while he thought the best chance of winning the war was to support the Government, yet before he could accept Mr. Birrell's regrets he felt inclined to say: "Give us back- the priceless lives of the officers and men sacrificed ]>y your neglect, want of foresight and culpable optimism." GENERAL MAXWELL'S REPORT SEVERITY IMPERATIVE (Rec. May 12, G. 45 p.m.) London, May It. Sir John Maxwell, in command in Ireland,..reports on the Dublin couvt-iuar-tialori the active participants. He states that in view of the gravity of the rebellion, and of German support, and the loss of life and property, it hud been imperative to indict the severest sentences on itho organisers and active fighters in the detestable rising. He hoped to deter 'tho intriguers. The murder of tho King's subjects could- not b» tolerated. . ...IRISH MEMBERS MEET ANNULMENT OF MARTIAL LAW URGED London, May It': At a meeting of Irish members of the House of Commons, Mr. John Redmond presiding, a resolution was passed "ex-' pressing grief and horror at tho destruction of property in Dublin. Knowing the inability of the sufferers or ratepayers to make good tho damage, the meeting emphatically, declared that the Government ought to leai the cost. Tho meeting also expressed' itself as being convinced that continued executions' would increase bitterness and exasperation, and it was not to the interests of the Empire of Ireland that there should J» further executions. The members urge the immediate annulment n{ martial law. NATIONALIST MANIFESTO ■■'; AN APPEAL TO IRISHMEN London, May 11.' ' The Nationalist manifesto refers to the mad and unsuccessful attempt of the revolution: It "solemnly appeals to Irishmen to choose iwtween anarchy or '.he full support of the constitutional movement; no moan is possible. It recalls that two-thirds of. the land is now in' the, hands' of the people, and the' remainder is becoming sc. Irish' labourers are now the l>cst housed and most' comfortable and most independent' in tho world. Most of the poverty-stricken'-'dis-tricts would become happy and prosperous if the ■ constitutional movement was triumphantly vindicated. Therefore '.here is .every : . fight to demand that the people would uphold it till its mission was accomplished. On their answer depends the. fate of' the country.

SKEFFINGTON'S LETTER

POINTED OUT THE DANGERS

.j London, May 11. Skeffinglon," in a lettvr to tho editor of the "Daily Chronicle," dated April 7,' warned him that the situation in Ireland was extremely grave. The ■ military, were pursuing 'Prussian plans unobserved -by the: British' public. When: the..explosion occurred, '-the militarists- would endeavourto delude the public as to f where responsibility lay. Ho wrote in the hope that enough sanity and common' sense were left to restrain the militarist*.' -whjlo there Was yet time. He' poinled. out:the two' distiuct danger points: First-'| ly, the Irish Volunteers, who were pre-, pared'to'resist'forcible disarmament; sfic-, ondly,. the Citizen Army, which wo'lild similarly , resist disarmament, and also, any. attempt to-suppress the "Journal,'of the Workers'- Kepiit lie," tho successor 1o thß suppressed'"lrish Worker." Tlie British military officials in Ireland- knowperfectly that toJth organisations comprised determined men. If Genera] I'rieud disarmed the volunteers or raided, the labour ,I'ress, it would only be because he,wanted bloodshed; because ho wanted to provoke another 1795, to. get excuse for a machine-gun niassaore. Tho "Chronicle-'• did. not publish' Skefiingkm's letter'on lvceipt, but forwarded it to the responsible authorities. ■ [Tho Irish rebellion which commenced on May i, 1898, cost 150,000 Irish lives ■and 20,000 English."] -

v DIED WITH A SMILE. ' ; (Kec,Ma.v,.l2, 6.45 p.m.) •• ! :;;'''':■;'.:' London, May li. ,'; Skeffingtoh' refused to bo blind-folded, (uul remarked to ( the officers, "You--will find you afe'making a mistake," and put liis hand before his eyes, which'a bullet perforated;' He died with a smile. ; ■ .TWO, JOURNALISTS SHOT; London, May 11. Henry. Dixon and J. Macintyrc, who' wore, shot under similar circumstances toSkeißngtou, • 'were, journalists. Thoy conducted obscure nowspapers, • which from time to time were suppressed by the Castle .authorities. Thomas King was court-martiidled and shot at JTcrinoy i>n Tuesday morning.; CORPSES FOUND 'IN THE RUINS. (fee. May. 12, (j.45 p.m.) . '.'■/''■ London, May 11. i Two hundred corpses were found"in the ruins of rooms, roofs, and chimneys, and in-, the yards and lanes of Dublin. TRIAL OF LOOTERS. •■■''■' ."--v ■■'■' London, May 11 ; - Many prisoners aro being tried in Dublin for looting. So. anxious were, the looters; to get. rid ,of their plunder .that, they surreptitiously deposited hundreds of pounds' worth in the Catholic churches. LORD DERBY MENTIONED AS VICEROY. (Rcc. May 12, 8.5 p.m.)' —-•■ London, May 11. ; 'Lord Derby is. mentioned as Lord Wimborne's successor as Viceroy of Ireland..