IRISH FARMERS AND SINN FEIN.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 May 1920, Page 4

IRISH FARMERS AND SINN FEIN.

(By One of Them)

To-day, with all these stories of mur_ der and counter-murder in Ireland, it is worth remembering that the Irish farmer is at heart no more a Ropublican than the English landlord is a Bolshevist.

Since the disappearance of landlordism by the operation of the Baud Acts there is no worker more independent, prosperous and contented than ho, whose grievances were formerly the centre of Irish politcal agitation and unrest.

It is an outrageous misconception which figures him as a lean and lassy idealist, dreaming of Cuchulain, grey geese, and Brian Boru; longing lor the return of tlie Brelion Law, and expressing his sense of nationality by taking 'an occasional pot-shot at a policeman. From dawn to dusk lie and all his house are' engaged in tilling the soil which formerly it was not worth liis w hile to cultivate, but which now, by the grace of God and the A\ yndham Act, is his own. He may have bought the big house evacuated by his landlord predecessor, and as often as not is the proud possession of a Ford car. What is liis attitude to Sinn Fein? It must be remembered that he is in ;» minority and having no grievance is no longer of political importance. To-day, as in the rebellion of 1910, Sinn Fein depends not on the i armors hut on the landless men, poorly paid workers, the clerks, poets shop assistants, barbers and labourers in the towns.

' The farmer embraced ginn Fein during the war because it was the most effective method of opposing conscription iind avoided military service by every means in liis power. It is notorious that, when the tear of conscription was removed, the young farmer became less punctual in his attendance at volunteer parades and was very loth to lend liis horses and ears as aforetime for Sunday marchings and political excursions. But for obvious reasons he must keep in with Sinn Fein. Ho knows just as well as the Sinn Fein leaders themselves that the demand for an independent Republic is a crying ior the moon, that the dream will never be realised, and that it would be a bad day for him if it were. Yet lie has a very natural, dislike of taxation, and lie knows that the present agitation lias weakened the Executive and made the tax-collector more timid and less officious than of yore.

At a wedding in Bantry recently a farmer from East Cork told me that lie had been making,more than £2OOO a year on bis farm of about 000 acres. In. reply to my question as to whether lie- bad to pay a heavy income tax. “Divil a penny,” quoth lie. ‘‘None of us do. The Sinn Feiners would be mad if we paid taxes to the English Government, and we don’t want to, anyway.” He knows very well that the Independent Republic would not spare him. —London ‘/Daily Mail.” ' ,