IRELAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1916, Page 5

IRELAND.

THE SINN FEINERS. \ FURTHER EVIDENCE. ' London, May 2ti ' General Friend gave evidence that anxiety increased during IIIIU, when the Sinn Kernels adopted a bolder antimilitary and anti-recruiting campaign. Be considered that lie ought to have been empowered to take stronger measures than he was allowed. Sir M. Nathan once or twice demurred on the ground of public policy against taking the proceedings which witness suggested. Major-General Cowal gave evidence that the officers present at the races were Autralian and others on leave. ■Lord Wimborne, on April 23, suggested a raid on the gelignite store at Liberty Hall. Witness considered the raid would not succeed without serious fighting. Moreover, Easter Monday was an unsuitable day. He considered the Curragh troops could be more successfully used if they rushed to seize the leaders and the whole Sinn Keiners and volunteers at some later day. Karly military action would have been taken had not the outbreak occurred. POSITION HOPEFUL London, May 26. Prominent Belfast Unionists maintain that in the event of a settlement being agreed on Ulster should continue under the Imperial Parliament, but they will leave the question in the hands of Sir E Carson. Mr T. IP. O'Connor, writing in Reynold's newspaper, expects a settlement of the Irish question. All sane men of both political parties are overwhelmed with a, sense of the importance of a settlement. INTERESTING EVIDENCE. IRISH GOVERNMENT'S LASSITUDE. Received May 27, 5.5 p.m. London, May 2(S. . vMr. Campbell, Attorney-General, deposed that during his nine days of office prior to the outbreak lie did not 'receive official information of any kind. j He was not present at the conference at the Vice-regal Lodge on Easter Sun- ! day, and was not informed of it. He I did not sec Sir M. Nathan during those 'nine days, though they were only sepai rated by a partition at Dublin Castle. I Mr. Maurice Dockrell quoted a speech ■ that Skeflington had delivered, declaring that the weakening of Britain was an advantage to Ireland, and describing Germany as Ireland's friend. Mr. Booth, president of the Dublin' Chamber of Commerce, deposed that defects in administration were mainly responsible for the industrial troubles and the rebellion. The Irish Government's inactivity during years of industrial .injrest had encouraged the growth of most of the dangerous elements participating ' in the rebellion. I Mr. Shearman, K.C.: Armed volunteers and unarmed police mean anarchy? Witness: Yes; in Ireland. j MARTIAL LAW STILL IN FORCE.

i f i Received Slav 28, 5.5 p.m. } i ' r I London, May 27. r A proclamation, signed by Justice t ' Wylie and Lord Chief Justice Cherry, t - "Whereas disaffection and unrest t : still prevail in certain parts of Ireland, >. ; causing anxiety and alarm among his I Majesty's peaceful and law-abiding subjects, martial law will continue until further notice," , , '•' ■. r ; ■ PRIESTS OPPOSED TO. REBELLION. ■Received May 28, 5.5 p.m. i London, May 27. i In evidence before the Commission it was said that although some of the i yoiinger priests sided with the Sinn i Feiners, the great bulk of them were i opposed to the movement. Monteith : was still unarrested, QUESTION OF CONSTITUTION MR. ASQUITH DEFENDED. ' i Received May 28, 5.5 p.m. '' London, May 27. An interesting constitutional question ' was raised in passing te Hill in Hie • House of Commons to enable the Ciuiadi- ' an Parliament to be prolonged until > October, 1917, for which the Imperial ; Parliament's consent was necessary. » In a speech Mr. R. V. llnrconrt said that Ministers bitterly resented the out- ■ ragcous and scurrilous abuse of Mr. Asir quith, who commanded 'his colleagues' • affection and confidence. It was useless k to discuss peace terms, and the Allies' X armies must endure much more before 1 pacific .discussion would be possible, un--1 less there was an early and complete. 1 collapse of our enemies, which he did not prophesy. He could not imagine ; that he could ever have communion with a German again, and he desired to ■ indict as much attributive justice on our 1 foes as they deserved. Mr. P.irrellhad ' paid what was probably an ill-deserved B penalty for thinking things were better ! than they were. Retribution for the rising had been stern, sharp, and short, but not malignant. An extensive proportion of the number of soldiers had been killed and maimed. SINN FEIN DISLOYALTY. 2 WOMAN'S VIOLENT SPEECH. 1 , i Countess Markievicz addressed a pun- ;, lie meeting in the City Hall, Cork, on 1 March 0, under the auspices of the . women's branch of the Sinn Fein party. s She said she was proud that there was to-day an Irishman in another country who was making treaties for Ireland with England's enemies. (Cheers). Today the men of Ireland were alive, and realised that the only way to speak to 3 England was with guns in their hands. y They ihad not dared to have conscripe tion" in Ireland because the volunteers i had guns in Ireland to-day. The authe oritiea knew they were disloyal, wd they were fcfraid of them. (A voice 11

''Down with Redmond!" and cheers). They had seen the letter in the papers from Mr. Slfelliiigton saying the reason no Zeppelins had dropped bombs in Irekind was because they had an ambassador, at the Court in Berlin. Robert Emmet's epitaph could only be written iu the blood ot England' with swords in the hands of Irishmen. At an Emmet Commemoration in St. .Mary's Hall on May 2—all the doors being guarded by men armed with rifles and bayonets, and the platform similarly protested—Commandant Pearse, HA., 8.L., of the Irish Volunteers, said in every generation except the generation that was growing old they renewed their light against Kngland, and when England thought she had trampled them down in blood or had purchased them with bribes some strong man arose and redeemed them by liis sacrifice. Ireland's demand all through the centuries had been freedom, and there was only one sort of freedom, which was not to be found on the Statute Book of a nation's enemies, hut on the books of a nation's fathers. „ Irish freedom had been defined to them by their fathersfirst of all by Tone, who said, "To break the connection with England—the neverfailing; source of our political evils—and to assert the independence of my country: that is my object," That definition was accepted and amplified by Davis, Lawlor and Mitchell, the last.of whom looked through apocalyptic flame to the day when Ireland would take its stand Doneath her own immortal queen and strike for sovereignty. JAMES CONNOLLY, ■¥ " An Auckland resident with some knowledge of the notorious James Connolly, leader of the Irish revolt, who is reported to have 'been shot, is Mr. J. P. Sf.ullen. In conversation with a reporter ot the Auckland Star, Mr. Scullen said he was in Belfast when James Larkin launched his first real bldw at law and order in the shape of the big transport strike of 1 !)08. Even so long ago as that his lieutenant, Connolly, was regarded as a coming leader. Connolly, a well-built man of more than average height, was an adept at handling a crowd. Under the sound of his persuasive voice his hearers were at« ouce interested and soon carried away hy the torrent of his argument, his thought became the motive power in their subsequent violent actions, Connolly was; an avowed atheist. His religion was the religion of Labor, and he the appointed disciple and disseminator of the tenets of its gospel. In the Belfast strike, Mr. Scullen said, something happened which had not 'been thought possible before. Catholic and Protestant were united in the cause of Labor, and the brass bands that • ordinarily headed opposing processions were amalgamated to lead one. Mr. Scullen is of (opinion that there is no more of the religious element in the Irish revolt in and around Dublin to4ay than there was in the strike conducted under practically the same leadership in Belfast. Mr. Scullen states that he thinks that Connolly seized this opportunity to take revenge upon Britain for his defeat (with ' Larkin) at Belfast, at Dublin, in 1013, and at the other centres in Ireland where the military were called upon to quell the riots that were a result of his agi- ; tution. Questioned as to the part played by ; the Sinn Fein organisation, Mr. Scullen ; said that he thought that they had foolishly allowed themselves to he led. i At first they were frankly suspicious of the promises of the Kaiser, when he offered them all the' reforms they had been striking after for years. Connolly, caring nothing for the aims and objects of- the Sinn Fein doctrine, was nevertheless sufficient of an opportunist to use his nnWRi-g n> nyfltnr nnfl nvosnisor in

ins powers as orator ana organiser to further the German propaganda, merely, Mr Seullen thinks, because it was opposed to Britain. The money for the revolt apparently came from Germany through Irish-American bodies controlled by James Larkin, who for some time has been resident in the United States.