FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>  
r our houses, quarter troops upon us, take possession of our horses, motor-cars, cows, pigs, and pigeons. They may commandeer schools, factories, warehouses, farms, or any other kinds of public or private property. Strikes may be declared acts of treason, Trade Union officials arrested and tried by courts martial, and soldiers used as blacklegs--and no knowledge whatever of these happenings, not even of the existence of strikes or trade disputes, may reach the general public at all if the authorities so determine...." A phrase that seems to have done great harm, and was specially singled out by the men of Liberty Hall, was "Shoot him!"--as a form of argument employed by every Tom, Dick, and Harry orator, on every conceivable subject without the slightest constitutional authority; but it must be said it was one used by all parties. During the Home Rule controversy, for example, the Nationalists were just as fond of employing the phrase towards Carson as during the Welsh coal strikes Conservatives were of using it towards the miners. The danger of such doctrines in Ireland is this, that whereas in England it is the upper class principally that is militarist, in Ireland it is principally the lower class, and whereas it is the Castle authorities who are always preaching the iniquity of physical force, it is the lower classes who mainly admire it. Realizing this, as any student of Irish history would, there should not have been the slightest doubt about the danger of employing force to men who not only had the principle of active resistance but the arms necessary to make it effective, and it has always appeared to me as the most marvellous thing the Liberals ever did that they were able to allow Ulster the full possession of arms without once provoking an occasion on which to actually put them to use. The result of this fatal misuse of the words "Shoot him!" as a form of argument--which unauthoritative should be made a penal offence--was that the workers really feared that such irresponsible individuals if given the power would really carry out the threat, and determined to anticipate the danger by a protest in arms. Another contributory cause was undoubtedly Castle rule, and the fear that with the holding up of Home Rule it might continue for ever, unless some effective protest were made. The Chief Secretary was himself the foremost in admitting this to be one of the contributory causes of the rebellion. "T
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>  



Top keywords:

danger

 

Castle

 

effective

 
strikes
 
authorities
 

contributory

 
possession
 

public

 

argument

 

Ireland


protest
 

employing

 

principally

 

phrase

 

slightest

 
appeared
 

Realizing

 

student

 

admire

 
iniquity

physical

 
classes
 

history

 

principle

 

active

 

resistance

 

Ulster

 
undoubtedly
 

Another

 

anticipate


threat

 

determined

 

holding

 

admitting

 

foremost

 

rebellion

 

Secretary

 

continue

 

individuals

 

irresponsible


provoking

 

occasion

 

preaching

 

Liberals

 

unauthoritative

 

offence

 
workers
 

feared

 

misuse

 

result