THE IRISH SITUATION

Taihape Daily Times, 20 May 1918, Page 5

THE IRISH SITUATION

A VAST IRISH CONSPIRACY. LEADEES AEEESTED. LONDON", May 18. Documents revealing a vast Irish. conspiracy have reached the War Cabinet. De Valeria, Griffith and Marciewitz have been arrested. It is believed the arrests have prevented another outbreak of rebellion in Ireland . Irish arrests include William Cosgrove, Arthur Griffith, Thomas Dillon, and Barrell Giggis, members of the Sinn Fein executive, and eight others. A Dublin proclamation announces that a, German plot has been discovered and summons all loyal people to stamp it out. Drastic measures are being taken forthwith.

Mr Dillon presided at"a meeting of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Dublin, after which a statement was issued declaring that the Government never really intended introducing and passing a Home Eule Bill containing the slightest hope of a settlement. AN IRISH PROCLAMATION. THE CONSPIRACY .WITH GERMANY. DEFILING IRELAND'S GOOD NAME APPEAL FOR VOLUNTARY ENLISTMENT. Received 8 a.m. LONDON, May 18. The Irish proclamation states: "It has come to our knowledge that certain subjects in Ireland have entered into treasonale communication with the Germans. Such treachery menaces Ireland's fair name and military record, which is a source of intense pride to a country whose sons always distinguished themselves and fought with heroic valour, as thousands of them are now fighting in this war. . Drastic measures must be taken to put down this plot,, vand. it is the duty of all .loyal subjects-.to assist the Government to suppress this treasonable conspiracy,, andr.defeat the Germans' treacherous -attempt to defile Irishmen's honour for German ends. We call on all. loyal subjects to - assist in crushing the conspiracy and assist in securing the effective prosecution of the war. We shall take further steps to encourage vol-i untary enlistment in the hope that Ireland's contribution will correspond to the contribution of other parts of ithe- Empire without compulsion. A SURPRISE FOR THE SINN . ,-. FEINERS. =.,'•--■ TREATY WITH GERMANY ! ALLEGED.,'~~'"... " NINE ARRESTS "MArJE. NO EXCITEMENT NORTH AND SOUTH. Received 11.5 a.m. LONDON, May 19. The Government's sudden 'display of firmness caused a sensation in IreI land, where loyalists had been alarmj ed by Sinn Fein raids on houses for I arms and seizure of farms without ; n.olestation. The Sinn Feiners have | 1.-'-ng boasted that the Government is \ agraid to interfere with them. The ! story of the arrests shows the ari rangements were skilfully planned • afraid to interfere with them. The 1 pi oplamation was issued at midnight en Friday, and arrests began immediately. Most were effected before dawn. Arrests were made in Dublin, Belfast, Killarney, Drogheda, Dundalk and many other places. Over one hundred have been arrested up to the piesent, most of whom were arrested during the Easter rebellion in 1916. Military motor lorries conveyed those arrested to Kingston, where they were embarked on a Government transport, which remained in the harbour. The Sinn Feiners' standing committee met in Dublin on Friday night, and most of the members subsequently were arrested. The police raided organisations at the headquarters in Dublin, and seized books and documents. When they departed the re-1 maining Sinn Feiners hung out a placard inscribed: "Business as usual " De Valera was arrested at his home at Greystones, and Countess Marckievitz at Rathmines, at one o'clock in the morning. The only resistance was en Skibbereen, where Ted O'Driscoll and five others in his house fought the police. O'Driscoll received a receiver bullet wound in his arm. 'Patrick Hogan, head of the Irish Volunteers in Cashel, evade!? arrest by escaping through the window, running across the adjoining Convent grounds to the open country. Lloyds' News' Cork correspondent says it is stated there that prominent S'nn Feiners had declared the Reprfbl'cans had a good treaty with Germany, but the general public did not believe the statement. Latest reports show there was no

excitement either in the North or South, of Ireland. The arrested persons include Peter Hughes ( Chairmaii of the Dundalk Urban George Nicols (Coroner for Galway)j George Geraghty (Chairman Roscbm-i mon Town Commissioers), Dr. Richard Hayes Seam, Milloy Seam, Mo* entee, (members of the Sinn Fein Executive), and a number of captains of the Irish Volunteers in provincial centres.