A STIMULUS TO LOYALTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1922, Page 8

A STIMULUS TO LOYALTY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —It would be just as well for Mr. J. Diggins to keep quiet, as writing in the strain he does acts as a stimulant to loyalists, and when it comes to casting the flame of sectarian bitterness on to the Protestan and accusing the British troops of murder, facts count, ! J.D. The following is from the Daily Mail of February 11, 1922: “A memi orial service for the late Mrs. Lindsay, who, with her butler, was executed by the Irish Republican Army twelve months ago in County Cork has been held in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick.” Now what did this old defenceless widow do, a loyalist, a Protestant, that she should be cruelly put to death. She had the courage to warn a party of i soldiers of a body of Sinn Feiners wait- : ing in ambush for them. Mrs. Lindsay saved the troops from this gang of murderers, and for doing so she was court-martialled by the Sinn Feiners and executed along with her butler. Something to be proud of isn’t it, Mr. Diggins? Sir Arthur Vicars, a Protestant, was dragged from his bed and shot in cold blood. And so one could go on mentioning hundreds of cases where loyalist men and women have been butchered in cold blood. Yes. J.D., we have facts on our side, and we welcome publicity. Here is Archbishop Redwood’s opinion of De Valera. ‘•A scholar, a statesman, and a practical Catholic.” Ye, Gods, a practical Catholic, and he is surely living up to it, this practical Catholic. The Archbishop no doubt was proud to call him a Catholic; so long as he does not call him a Christian it’s alright. Again there is. Bishop Whyte, of Dunedin, making a deliberate false statement before an audience of his co-religionists. He told his audience that the Government refused to let Roman Catholic children take a scholarship in the State schools, which is an absolute mis-state-ment. It is no use saying the good

bishop was not raking up a feeling of hatred amongst his audience against the Government. I don’t suppose J.D can see any harm in these false statements, but others can. Thank God we have a strong Government in power which will stand no disloyalty, whether the disloyal ones be bishops or Bolsheviks. I have yet to hear the National Anthem at aii Irish R.C. function. I say Irish, as I refuse to believe English Catholics are disloyal. Until the R.C.’s have priests who are loyal instead of a Sinn Fein priest, whose object is the destruction of England and the Empire, we must regard them with suspicion. Let them preach loyalty, instead of disloyalty, then this sectarian bitterness will die a natural death, but so long as we have Liston and Co. insulting 90 per cent, of the people there is sure to be bitterness. Common sense

demands we stick to our Mother country, and she to her daughter nations. Who is going to buy* our produce if England’s prosperity is destroyed? Not Sinn Fein Ireland, J.D. If England goes down its good-bye to our prosperity, but what does it matter to these Sinn Fein priests? Thanks to the tolerance of the Protestants, J.D. and Co. are free to air their views in the papers, and no harm will come to them or to their property, however offensive their views may be. Let a loyalist, a Protestant, write his opinions, say to the Cork Examiner, and his life and property would be in danger, thanks to practical Catholics like De Valera. In conclusion, J.D., before accusing our soldiers of murder, state facts and you will come out a bad second.-»-I am. etc., RETURNED SOLDIER.