HUNGER-STRIKE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1920, Page 1

HUNGER-STRIKE

THE PASSING OF MR McSWEENEY AMAZING LONDON SCENE. LONDON, Nov. 3. It is just within the bounds of possibility that such a scene .as that witnessed When the funeral cortege of Terence McSwceney, Lord Mayor of Cork, made its slow progress through London's streets last Thursday could

. have been presented ip any other of the ~ j world’s capitals; but one doubts it. I Terence MeSweenev was an open and ■ implacable enemy of England, who had done.everything it was possible for him to do to make matters unpleasant for “the dominant partner” in her dealings with Ireland, and had gone to •''ilie limits” in traducing tier to the foreigner. Surrounding and following : the hearse that contained the mortal | remains of the self-martyred Mayor were all the outward and visible signs I and tokens possible of Irish rebellion—uniformed officers and men of the Irish I'epublican Army, with garish colours 1 of Sinn Fein floating above them and bound round their arms. There was indeed, everything in the funeral procession calculated to make for "an unj holy row”—as many sober-minded citij zens felt positive there would be—but 1 not once along the miles of crowd-lined streets from Southwark Cathedral to Euijton was there the slightest sign of even incipient disorder. Thousands of heads were bared as the hearse passed along, but not a hand or voice was raised in protest against rebel soldiery being permitted to flaunt their uniforms and colours in the faces of London’s loyal millions.

It was a wonderful exhibition of the mighty tolerance of English people in general and Londoners in particular—an extraordinary revelation of reverence for the dead and respect for an ideal, however mistaken. Thousands of honest citizens had voiced grievous doubts as to the wisdom of the authorities in permitting Che passage of Ter.ence McSweeney’s corpse to he made the opportunity for a procession of any kind in London’s streets, and prophesied most confidently that it would cause serious trouble, and most probably bloodshed. That, indeed, was the view of five-sixths of the men with whom one had speech oil the matter, hut the Government judged Londoners better than Londoners judged themselves. No doubt the powers that be “took precautions.” There was certainly an ample array of police in evidence everywhere along the line of route, and maybe there were soldiers in waiting, though there were none in sight anywhere. The police, however, had nothing to do except to preserve a clear pathway for the funeral cortege, and this they did by thinly lining the roadways. The crowds marshalled themselves, and remained still and dumb from the moment the procession came, in view until it had passed from sight, and then just “melted away.” So far as we know from the police records in our newspapers, not a soul was “handled” by policemen intronscquence of the great gathering of humanity attracted by Alderman MeSweeney’s passing. Keep the pickpockets seem to have “respected the occasion,” London certainly set an example, in tolerance which will lie har.d to bent, and which some of jus dared to hope, would produce good results on “the other side.” That it did not is no faujt of ours. It .would lie very interesting indeed to know what the thoughts of those avowed Sinn Feiners who accompanied the' hearse were as they marched through massed thousands standing in respectful'silence. Some of them undoubtedly looked apprehensive, as well they might. Here thew were openly avowing their allegiance to ' forces which had fouled their hands with the murder of scores of the King’s loyal subjects and servants, and which showed no mercy to those who opposed them. Everything was done that could be done to remind Englishmen of the evil deeds of Sinn Fein. They must have expected at least some vocal signs of execration, some clenched hands shaken threateningly at them, for among the ranks of the mourners were men known to have identified themselves very closely with the murderous section of Sinn Fein, and in all probability theie were among the scores of marching men wearing the Republican colours some whose advocacy of “extreme measures” had gone beyond mere words. Yet they marched through some of London’s busiest thoroughfares without let or hindrance of any kind whatever. Not a hand or a voice was raised against them during a march which lasted nearer two hours than one tkrough streets lined with humanity of every conceivable class, and which in tle aggregate must have numbered well over half a million.