THE IRISH SITUATION

Taihape Daily Times, 22 May 1918, Page 5

THE IRISH SITUATION

CHURCH AND THE PLOT. NEW POLICY LIKELY. OVER A HUNDRED ARRESTS, LONDON, May 20. The arrests number over a hundred including seventy-three Sinn Peiners, who sailed from Kingstown to Holyhead on Saturday. A huge crowd at Kingstown cheered the prisoners, the crowd shouting "Up with the rebels and smash the Nationalists,” The po-' lice later dispersed the crowd commencing to sing the soldier’s song. Arrests continue in Athlone, Galway, Cavan, Cashel, Sligo, Dundalk, Kilkenny, Clonmel, Roscommon, and 6 Cork but principally in Dublin. Four Sinn Fein members of the House of Commons have thus been arrested, apart fro Mr Laurence Ginnell, who is serving six months in Mount joy prison. Practically the whole governing body of the Sinn Fein movement is in custody.

The general belief is that the Catholic clergy will now abandon their original attitude of stern resistance. A wmllkown Dublin priest said on Sunday that if it wrnrc true that a German plot existed in Ireland the great majority of the Nationalists would withdraw sympathy from the Sinn Fein movement and centre their hopes for Irish settlement in constitutional methods under Mr. Dillon’s party. It is believed in Dublin that Mr. Dilion may decide to bring back his followers to Westminister and interrogate the Government regarding the German plot, especially as Lrod French’s proclamation virtually admits the conscription policy ,has failed. For months the knowledge that a new conspiracy was maturing wmighed on Ireland as nightmarc.Taugiblc evidences thereof were numerous, including lootings of arms and explosives, a-nd boasting by orators. All Irish loyalists were convinced that Germany was at the bottom of the trouble. They believed another rebellion possible should the Allies iruo'et serious revldrses in France. The authenticity of the evidence is unquestioned.., ■: A ,-u > 1 ; ~, A "Times!’ leader says, that it-, is most necessary to publish the evidence, immediately, and so dispel the cloud of sensational :ruin©ur3"afk)at. The Daily Mail’s Dublin correspondent says that it is believed that the Sinn Peiners were prepared to decentralise the control of the organisation in the event of the Central Committee being put out of action, and the most important documents destroyed or removed, The anti-eonsciption fund, totalling £200,000, remains in the hands of the local trustees.

IRISH-GERMAN NEGOTIATIONS ! J LONDON/May: 21'.; It -is understood that evidence : of complicity between, the Sinn Fein leaders and the.enemy is being prepared, and will be published shortly. The Sinn Fein Emergency Executive which was nominated before the arrests, has assumed control. It is expected that the Government will prohibit, the Sinn Fein agitation. The official members of the Central Executive of the Sinn Fein totalled thirty. Only seven have been arrested They include two women and three priests, Ireland was still outwardly calm this morning. Arrests continue quietly throughout the country. The latest arrests include Mrs. Maud Gonne, widow of Major Mcßride, who was executed in 1916. LONDON, PRESS VIEWS. LONDON, May 21. Newspapers urge the necessity for t|he. Gov,<jrnm(ont immediately formulating charges against the arrested Irish and expeditiug the publicatiou of the material facts, to give the accused full and fair opportunity of making a defence. . The Daily Telegraph says: The supreme mistake of successive British Governments during the past decade has been to allow British authority and law to fall into contempt. The Daily Teograph congratuates the Government on having at length determined to end open treason in Ireland. “They have cast their net and we hope there will be no more pitiful surrender to clamour for the release of conspirators as political prisoners. The Morning Post says; The arrests are an excellent step towards the reestablishment of firm Government in Ireland. If complains that the Nationf alist leaders were left to carry on a seditious agitation against conscription.

The Daily Express says: The crazy Sinn Fein plot must be crushed, but we hope and believe the British people will maintain the attitude of friendship and sanity so forciby expounded by General Smuts. Pledges to the Irish people must be fulfilled_ Tho Ministry of. Information is inviting leading editors and newspapers

proprietors tnroughout the Empire to assemble in London, to spend a month in intimate, inspection of British war efforts, visiting the front, the navy, and workshops, and meeting statesmen and army and navy leaders. AMERICA’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS IRISH SITUATION. WILL SOON BE MADE CLEAR. Received 8.45 a.m. WASHINGTON, May 21. It is authoritatively understood that the United States Government will soon make it clear what its attitude is towards the Irish situation with due regard to American troops fighting with the British. IRISH AND GERMAN CONSPIRATORS. WORKING IN AMERICA. Received 8.50 a.m. NEW YORK, May 21. The Now York Times’ Dublin message states there is a strong impression that Washington officials supplied the information upon which many Irish arrests were made. Reports from Washington indicate the ramifications of the Sinn Fein plot extended to the United States, where the Germans have been acting as agents between the Irish rebels and Germany