THE IRISH REBELLION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 38, 19 May 1916, Page 5

THE IRISH REBELLION.

MR ASQUITH'S VISJT. United Press Association London .May 17. The Exchange Telegrapn sa.\s that Mr Asquith lias been s.vorn m as an Irish Privy Councillor t ihereiiy joining the Irish Executive. This jtep j gives weight to the suggestion that Mr JBivroll's successor has not been ap .pointed, and at present Mr Asquith is responsible to the Commons, and the Irish executive for the administration of Ireland. j\!r Tennant, in the Commons, announced that Mr Asquith returns at the end of the week. Mr Samuel has promised to submit to the Premier Mr O'Brien's suggestion that he should visit Cork to inquire into the situation there. THE ROYAL GGMMJSSIQN. London, May 18. The Royal Commission to inquire into the Irish rebellion holds its first sitting at Westminster to-morrow. UL&TER AND HOME RULE. Loudon, Way 17. The Belfast Newsletter says that if Mr Asquith has come'to Ireland on a fishing expedition in the hope of landing Irish Unionism in the Home Rule net, he had better have remained in London. The Ulster Unionists will have no surrender on the Home Rule question. OPENING OF THE COMMISSION.

EVIDENCE OF THE AUTHOR!' ' ES. i (Received 9 a.m.) London, May "8. Lord Hardinge < presiding ;'t the. Commission on the Irish Rebellion, said it was proposed to inquire (1) what system existed to acquaint the ori'u i;ils of the movements culminating in tl;,' outbreak; (2) what information each responsible official obtained, and to whom it was communicated; and (3) what steps had been-taken. , . Sir Matthew Nathan gave, evidence that the National Volunteers, were, .a formal answer to Ulster's organisation. He next read a manifesto of a majority of the Provisional Committee opposing Ireland's participation in the war. ' Of 18,000 members prior to the manifesto, only eleven • thousand, adhered to the disloyal section. The vast bulk declared their loyalty to Mr Redmond and the Parliamentary Party. Sir Matthew Nathan also read a manifesto wherein the disloyal section declared that henceforth Ireland should provide her own defences by means of a permanent army and trained volunteer forces, and should also forcibly resist any attempt to place Irishmen* in the military service until a free national Government was established. ;

Continuing, he said impetus had been given to the National Volunteers owing to the fear that the Service Bill would apply to Ireland, ar,d this brought numbers into the Sinn Fein movement, who, at the beginning of the disturbance, were estimated at 15;200, including 12,000 in the provinces. Considerable sums of money from Ame- ! rica' were used to purchase arms 'and in printing seditious newspapers and leaflets, and paid organisers' were sent to the provinces. The police estimated that before the outbreak these volunteers had 18S6 rifles, pistols, and popguns, about 825 of the rifles being in Dublin alone. Explosives were found in different places. Steps were taken to prevent civil servants joining the volunteers, but the action taken against seditious literature was less strict. The Irish Government considered that it was important that the Irish Volunteers should not become a military organisation, and steps were taken to prevent members securing arms and ammunition. Until three days prior to the outbreak, there was no definite proof that they had any connection with a foreign enemy.

J A memorandum which wr-s r-ported to have been found upon a p/u-U rman [leader, stated that the Germans intended a combined offensive on land, lair, and sea to secure victory before May, and requesting the Irish Volunteers to be ready to render the promised assistance. Some of the Young Irish Volunteers on March 1.6 were 'anxious to commence business immediiately, but the leaders were against a rising, MacDonagh stating that it would be sheer madness to attempt one unless help was forthcoming. The authorities received a report on March 27 that a rising of the Volunteers was not feaied, as, standing I alone, they were unprepared for a long ' campaign ( and the majority were untrained to encounter trained troops. The Volunteers gradually endeavored to secure rifles and ammunition, to -lore in as large a quantity as possible. This pointed to real danger, but it was •considered by the Government that 'raids for arms or attempted disarmament would cause bloodshed. The Casitle received information that German 'submarines would attempt to land j Here, Sir Matthew Nathan stopped, land said: "I had better not read the 'remainder of the statement." But he added that the police and military on the coasts were ordered to watch, aud learning that the Castle would be attacked the same night, special precautions were taken.