iris| Jrwdom N o . 13 JANUARY, 1940 O N E P E N N Y

LONDON-IRISH CONSCRIPTION PROTEST

TRIBUTES TO HELLOWES LARGE and enthusiast ic audience attended the meeting organised by the Connolly Club.

London, on the occasion of th§. anniversary of Liam Mellowes, and an op 'trinity was taken at the meeting to speak on ill" question of I reland and the War, and the po»i i if Irish Nationals in Britain.

Af t e r paying a t r ibu te to Liam Mellowes, Councillor Hugh Delargy said that England could show her sincerity by withdrawing her a rmed forces f rom Ire land and by granting the Irish people their fu l l independence. Then Ire-land, as a free nation will de te rmine its a t t i tude to the present war. Until I re land was recognised as an independent nation, Mr. Delargy continued, there could be no t rue f r i endsh ip between the Irish and the English peoples—since true fr iend-ship is based an equali ty.

The conscription of Irishmen resident in Bri-tain was a violation of Ireland's neut ra l i ty . The policy of Britain had forced thousands of Irish-men to emigrate to Britain for a l iv ing. With the advent of war they were being coerced into the British army. Hundreds of Irish men had determined to refuse to fight and if necessary they would suffer impi^onment rather than be used to buttress up Imjrerialism. They were not pacifists, said Mr. Delargy, for they believed that there were some things worth fighting for . They were opposed as much to Nazi Ge rmany as to British Imperialism—but they should re fuse to fight at the dictatorship cf another na t ion which was itself guilty of the same crime of oppres-sion.

Mr. Sean Murray, who was a companion of Liam Mellowes, said tha t if that grea t leader were alive to-day he would certainly resist the present Imperialist war . Lord Craigavon, the

Northern I re land Premier, represented a system of government which, in the opinion of enligh-tened Englishmen contained the worst fea tures of Hitlerism. To-day upwards of a hundred Irish-men were in te rned without charge or tr ial in Northern I re land and the right of f r e e speech is denied even to Englishmen who oppose Craig-avon's policy; ye t Craigavon now posed as a cru-sader for democracy. Concluding, Mr. Mur ray called for the un i ty between the working people of England and Ireland to defeat their common enemy.

Mr. R. L. Shelvenkar conveyed fraternal greetings f r o m the Indian people and said tha t if Britain persisted in her present a t t i tude there would be a widespread campaign of civil diso-bedience all over India.

A collection of £10 5s. 6d. w a s realised, Miss Shovelton, a cousin of Padraig Pearse, heading the collection w i th £1.

Support from Leading Figures

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D E S M O N D RYAN B e s t wishes for t h e C o n n o l l y C l u b C o m m e m o r a t i o n

of L i a m Mellowes, m o s t f a r - s e e i n g of t h e 1916 fighters, a n d t r u e apost le of C o n n o l l y ' s f u l l n a t i o n a l a n d social c r e e d .

I r e l a n d ' s p r e s e n t n e u t r a l i t y , d e s p i t e pa r t i t i on , a n d t h e g r i m posi t ion of I r i s h ex i les in G r e a t B r i t a i n , is a l i g h t over the d a r k n e s s of E u r o p e , r a c k e d for t h e s e c o n d t ime in less t h a n a q u a r t e r of a c e n t u r y by a b loody, d i sa s t rous a n d f u t i l e w a r . I r e l a n d ' s n e u t r a l i t y is o n e jus t i f i ca t ion , if t h a t is a s k e d fo r , of t h e l o n g a n d h a r d s t rugg le of L i a m Me l lowes a n d h i s c o m r a d e s a g a i n s t t h e o v e r w h e l m i n g f o r c e s of B r i t i s h I m p e r i a l -i sm. a n d a n i n s p i r a t i o n to all n a t i o n s a n d c lasses w h o w a g e t h e same fight a g a i n s t I m p e r i a l i s m t h e wor ld over .

D U B L I N LORD MAYOR W I S H E S SUCCESS A u ire was rece ived f r o m M r s . K a t h l e e n Clarke, t h e

Lord M a y o r of Dub l in , w i s h i n g t h e m e e t i n g eve ry success .

P. MAXWELL, M.P. (Londonderry) M r . Maxwell s e n t a w i re w h i c h r e a d as fo l lows:

" W i s h m e e t i n g every success . F r e e d o m for I r e l a n d is c a u s e fo r which we al l s t r i v e a n d is o n l y possible by s e v e r a n c e of all c o n n e c t i o n w i t h E n g l a n d — I r e l a n d ' s on ly e n e m y .

D. N. PRITT, M.P., K.C.

" I r e g r e t I c a n n o t be p r e s e n t b u t I wish your c a u s e every success ."

J O H N DE COURCY (Ice land) "Mellowes' m e s s a g e is sti l l appl icable to-day. You

h a v e m y support In your o p p o s i t i o n to conscription."

G. B E R N A R D SHAW'S " 8 U P P O R T " "Eire is right to be neutra l so far ; but if Germany

a t t e m p t e d or threatened a n a t t a c k through Eire a Br i t i sh defensive mil i tary re -occupat ion might become necessary , and should no t be res is ted."

GALLACHER M y heartiest gree t ings to the Connol ly Club meet-

ing a n d to my old comradc P e a d a r O'Donnell . I support wholeheartedly the fight that is being

m a d e against the conscr ipt ion of Ir ish people. I l a m e n t with you the tragic loss suffered by the

advanced forces of Ire land t h r o u g h the murdering of L iam Mellowes.

One of the bravest a n d the best , h e h a s left a poli-t ical f a i t h to those w h o k n e w h i m t h a t will one day real ise Connol ly ' s horolo e n d e a v o u r s a n d set Ireland truly f r e e .

SEAN O CASEY'S MESSAGE

I R E L A N D S H O U L D B E A G A I N S T T H E W A R

| HOPE your Commemoration will be a great success. Mellowes was a great

loss to us all. I send my affectionate greet-ings to all who will gather together there to think for Ireland, to speak for Ireland, and to act for Ireland. To think, speak, and act so as to bring Ireland into full step with all men and women who are discontented with the present mean mass life of the peoples, and to insure that the earth and the fullness thereof shall be, not for the few, but for all. T o think, speak, and act for this, and for no less.

I am against Ireland's neutrality in the war. I think it would be wise for Ireland to go out definitely against it. F o r the many, it is a stupid war ; for the few it is a profitable war. I th ink that all those whose profit out of it will be a rich endowment of penury and want should go all out to bring it to an end. Those who shout for it are no more out for l iber ty and justice than God is out to make a bit on the Stock Ex-change. To think of their freedom and their justice, we have only to think of Ireland and India. Apart f r o m India and Ireland, if countries far less than they in origin and achievement, can't produce a better govern-ment than the scuts of minds that form one here, the world is in a bad way indeed. In the higher qualities of art and literature and science, England has often been great and noble; in the quality of her government

of subject peoples, from my o w n experi-ence in I re land, England is the lowest of the low. Bu t it is sickening to hear that

English government has the ha l lmark of heaven; it hasn ' t , and never had.

Anthony Eden, speaking a t Bi rmingham the other day, said: "The rule of the rubber truncheon, tor ture , and the lash will never hold sway here as long as an Englishman lives and breathes."

Well, these things held sway in Ireland for a hell of a long time, and Eden is old enough to know it. This is the talk of a sentimental, ignorant kid. I, myself, helped to organise the funerals of Dubl in working-men whose skul ls were battered and scat-tered to bits by truncheons. I t is t rue they weren ' t r u b b e r ones; they were made of s terner stuff, mercifully made by an Eng-lish Government to bring dea th sharp and sudden to whomsoever happened to come under them. And that was only the kind, kid glove; the iron fist came later .

So, with Mitchel, to hell with all this hypocrisy and sham; and on with the fight for Ireland's freedom, for India's freedom, for the freedom of all men til l the earth and the fullness thereof Is wholly ours.

- S E A N O'CASEY.

GREETING FROM P. AGNEW (Northern Labour M.P.)

In the n a m e of m y const i tuents of S o u t h Armagh, I procla im m y f a i t h in t h d t r e e d o m of I re land w h e n c e jus t i ce and social emancipat ion will prevai l . W h i l s t t h i s artificial b o u n d a r y remains s e p a r a t i n g us f r o m our comrades in t h e south no real e c o n o m i c security c a n be obtained u n t i l an all-Ireland P a r l i a m e n t Is con-s t i tuted .

I believe in t h e teachings of J a m e s Connol ly t o ach ieve that e n d a n d hope that the d a y la n o t far d i s -t a n t w h e n our h o p e s shall be rea l i sed . A s t o war I a m opposed to t h e Imperialist e x p l o i t a t i o n of the workers and a g r e e t h a t neutrality Is Ire land' s on ly h o p e in these d a y s of difficulty.

I s incerely h o p e t h a t the m e e t i n g will be a h u g e s u c c e s s In the s a c r e d cause of Liberty a n d Freedom for

our land.

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2 IRISH FREEDOM

3aisb jfrecfiont .5 PERCY STREET, LONDON. W.l

A.; communicat ions to be addressed to J. Prendereast . Do You Mind the Time

B y S E A N O ' C E A R N A I G H HATES: Twelve months, } 6 including postage. Six months . 9d.

EDITORIAL

IRELAND UNFREE SHALL NEVER BE AT PEACE

' I \ E R R Y P R I S O N E R S M U T I N Y " ; "I.R.A. R A I D U M A G A Z I N E F O R T " ; " T H R E A T E N E D RAIL-

WAY S T R I K E " ; " W O R K L E S S D E M O N S T R A T E . " S u c h h e a d i n g s in recen t newspapers give a n idea of t h e unres t p reva i l ing in I re land a n d is evidence t h a t t h e words of P a d r a i g Pearse . spoken at t h e graveside of O ' D o n o v a n Rossa, apply equally to-day. For despi te t h e m o u t h i n g s of Lord Hal i fax , I r e l and still r e m a i n s u n f r e e and t h u s c a n never be at peace w i th t h e Br i t i sh E m p i r e orK those who act for Empire.

Whi le t he " N o r t h e r n I r e l and" l eade r s r a n t about des t roy ing "Hi t l e r i sm" abroad, upwards of a h u n d r e d m e n in b e r r y Ja i l wi thout charge or t r ia l s tage a m u t i n y as a p ro t e s t aga ins t the b ru t a l i t y of the i r jai l-e rs : papers s u c h a s " I r i sh F reedom" w h i c h endeavour to win the uni ty of I r e l and , are banned a n d Cra igavon a p p e a r s to be e m b a r k i n g on new oppress ive m e a s u r e s a s a m e a n s of p rovoking a conflict in N o r t h e r n I r e l and for his own mot ives a n d t he mot ives of Imper ia l i sm. C a n t he I r i sh people be b lamed t h e r e f o r e when they dec la re tha t Cra igavon is not a fit m a n to fight for democracy , or fo r t h e f r eedom of smal l na t i ons .

T h e feel ing of .discontent is also showing itself in t h e Twenty-s ix Count ies , s t r ikes a r e f r e q u e n t a n d workless d e m o n s t r a t i o n s a p p e a r in every province whi le m i l i t a n t R e p u b l i c a n s protest in no unce r t a in f a s h i o n a t de Va le ra ' s milk and w a t e r policy. T h e answer to all t h i s u n r e s t is to in t roduce f u r t h e r legis-l a t ion a n d to m a k e of t h e Twenty-six Coun t i e s a re-plica of N o r t h e r n I r e l and .

But t he I r i s h people a r e in no mood to to lera te the weapon of I m p e r i a l i s m in I r i sh h a n d s a n d no amount of coercion will s t i f le t h e people's desi re to be truly f ree . T o c e m e n t t h i s growing d i sconten t it is now m o r e t h a n ever necessa ry tha t t he t rue Repub l i cans a n d mi l i t an t L a b o u r go fo rward t o g e t h e r for the i r jo in t demands . Let t h e un i ty of 1916 a g a i n become a living, dr iving, force, for t he final vic tory over Br i t i sh Imper i a l i sm and over na t ive Land lo rd i sm a n d Capi ta l -ism.

T h e movemen t a g a i n s t t he w a r m o n g e r s is growing in every coun t ry a n d h e r e in Br i t a in exiles can play t h e i r p a r t by s u p p o r t i n g those forces w h o a re aga ins t t h e war for t he people 's victory in t he i ndus t r i a l and poli t ical fields.

T h e growing opposi t ion among exiles t o t he con-scr ip t ion p lans of C h a m b e r l a i n and the d e t e r m i n a t i o n of I r i sh n a t i o n a l s to accept gaol r a t h e r t h a n fight, will a lso h a v e t r e m e n d o u s impor t ance in t h e common s t rugg le aga ins t war a n d oppression.

COVENTRY DEATH SENTENCE: APPEAL LODGED

I.R.A. POLICY NOT TO ENDANGER LIFE'

Notice of appea l h a s been lodged on behal f of Rich-a r d s a n d B a r n e s who were sentenced to d e a t h on t h e 14th December .

At t h e t r ia l B a r n e s declared t h a t h e was not a m e m b e r of t he I.R.A. a n d when R i c h a r d s was a sked : "Would you be willing to take the bomb to Broadgate, Coventry?" he replied: "No. I would not. The instruc-tions of the I.R.A. are that no lives should be en-dangered."

J u s t as R i c h a r d s was being sen tenced h e sa id : "I a m not a f r a i d to die as I a m dying in a jus t cause ."

T h e appea l will be h e a r d about t h e middle of J a n u a r y .

FREEDOM FUND ' " P H I S m o n t h we ce l eb ra t e our f irst a n n i v e r s a r y and -I C ra igavon gives us a New Year 's g i f t by b a n n i n g

o u r p a p e r for the second timew We aga in appea l to our readers to enab le us to

m a r c h t h r o u g h 1940 as in 1939 and to he lp us in t he c o m m o n s t rugg le fo r f r eedom.

T h e response last m o n t h was poor, d u e p e r h a p s to t h e C h r i s t m a s expenses , but we ask our r e a d e r s to m a k e up for th is lapse in t he coming m o n t h . Pos ta l o r d e r s should be s en t to the Secretary , " I r i s h Free-d o m , " 15 Percy S t ree t . London, W.l .

Subsc r ip t ions received las t m o n t h were a s follows: D. Ha r t l ey 1 S. Dowling 2 -. M.M. 1 -. P. Ear ly 5 -, M. Weaver 2 6. F o u r C o m r a d e s 5 C. T.A. 2 - N.M' 1 6: t o t a l £ 1 0s. 6d. M a n y t h a n k s .

DERRY PRISONERS MUTINY T T is now revealed that the reason for the demon-l stration in Derry Jail by the Republican prisoners,

was to protest against the brutal treatment meted out to them by the warders. The prisoners made no at tempt to attack the warders but succeeded in staging the demonstration and to draw world attent ion to the brutality of Craigavon's regime.

The mutiny as it is called was put down with dread-ful violence on the part of the "B" Specials, Craiga-von's storm troopers. These men were told to'hit hard with their batons on the back of the heads. This in-format ion was supplied by Protestant remand crimi-nals in another part of the Jail. The internees' beds were hosed after the scrap was over and 42 were very seriously injured.

A prominent National ist M P . has taken state-m e n t s on the incident and Craigavon will find it hard to jus t i fy the brutality of his "loyal" subjects.

^ y i l E N Mr. Cosgrave was in power they had a corporat ion in Dublin that was • pro-

Republican, so Mr. Cosgrave disbanded it and appointed commissioners to run the city. The idea tha t t h e Irish could not govern themselves was a Bri t ish slander. Oh. the mass meet ings, the demonst ra t ions , the resolutions. Guinness and Beamishs working over t ime quench ing the thirst of the orators. Think of it, I r ish could not govern themselves. And Willie Cosgrave saying the same thing to the people of Dublin . What was t h e country coming to, a n y h o w ?

We could not, - let Cosgrave get a w a y with that. We let Mrrt get away wi th 77 of t h e best of Irish lives, btat-take our City Council a w a y f rom us. Man alive, give us something if you don't give us bread. So we decided t h e r e was only one th ing to be done about. We would elect Mr. De Valera and his par ty. That ' l l l a i n Cos-grave not to in terfere with our city gove rnmen t . We worked hard, but we did not win t h e first * time, and Cosgrave sacked a few more U r b a n Councils. The tiling was get t ing t e r r ib le and something had to be done about it. So w e held more meet ings and passed more resolut ions.

There came a General Election and this t ime we showed Cosgrave a thing or two. We t a u g h t him not to in terfere w' th our r ights as ra te -payers. Can you beat it ? He took our city gov-ernment and Urban Councils away f rom us. Then Mr. De Valera became president . Mr. Sean T. O'Kelly became Minister for Local Govern-ment. Now w e were to get our city g o v e r n m e n t s and Urban Councils back.

" W E have held, and do hold, that war is a relic of barbar ism only possible because

we are governed by a ruling class with ba rba r i c ideas; we have held, and do hold, that the work -ing class of all countries cannot hope to escape the horrors of w a r until that barbaric r u l i ng class is t h r o w n f r o m power, and we have held, and do hold tha t the lust for power on the p a r t of that ru l ing class is so deeply rooted in the na tu re and inst inct of its members, tha t it is probable tha t noth ing less than superior fo rce will ever induce them to abandon their th ro t t -ling grasp on the lives and liberties of mank ind . "

—"The Worker," Jan . 30, 1915. * * *

"We bel ieve that in times of peace, we should work along the lines of peace, and we bel ieve that w h a t e v e r s t rengthens and elevates the working class s t rengthens the nation. But we also believe t ha t in times of w a r we should act as in war ."

—"Workers' Republic," Jan . 22, 1916.

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T H E C H U R C H A N D S O C I A L I S M | We would refer t he following extract to a certain pr ies t

in the Willesden area who has endeavoured to pre-vent the sale of "Irish Freedom." Connolly held tha t religion and politics should be kept apa r t ] .

"It is abou t t ime in their own interests t h a t the clergy began to study what Socialism rea l ly is. I have read a good many scare f u l m i n a t i o n s against Social ism f ro m His Holiness down and I have never seen but one f rom such a source t ha t showed any rea l knowledge of what Social ism really was."

—"The Harp," Nov., 1908.

* * *

"The Irish Cathol ic Socialist of ten rises up, goes out of the Church and wipes its dust off his feet forever . T h e n we are told Socialism took him away f r o m the Church. But did it ? W a s it not r a the r t h e horr id spectacle of a priest of God s tanding u p in the Holy Presence, ly ing about and s l ande r ing honest men and w o m e n and helping to suppor t political par t ies whose campaign f u n d in every large city r ep resen t s

Of course, you could not expec t Mr. de Vul to do eve ry th ing the first day. T h e r e weiv cept ions to be a t tended and resolu t ions and ' g rams to acknowledge. But give the man t: He m e a n t well, even if we h a r d l y k n e w wha: meant .

Well , we wai ted. We got impa t i en t , but •how w e unders tood. There were so m a n y Anv can visi tors coming over t h a t Pres ident Valera ha rd ly had a moment to himself . A:,,, then t h e r e was the League of Nat ions . God hc-h the poor man. as if he had not enough to do tha the fo re igne r s had to be taking u p his time. Ar. -how, be t t e r late t han never. We would have out city g o v e r n m e n t s and Urban Councils ; i(--k again. W h a t f o r ? God only knows , but i were ours and it was little we had .

Then the Dail woke up one m o r n i n g i:: N -v e m b e r and found the Bill on the tab le de. with Coun ty Councils, etc. I'll bet the re v,v-sick look on Cosgrave's face w h e n he read t Bill. That ' l l larn him not to m e d d l e with : rights.

G lo ry be. Did yer read the Bil l ? Don't k idding me. W e l t read it yourse l f . Can you '•: •.;• it ? As Captain f ' oyle said, w h e n he missed •.;•> bott le of stout J u n o and the Pavcock ," F God !"

The Bill, which is now law, e x t e n d s the v system tha t Mr. de Valera and his pa r ty sp r-and voted against . And the Cosgrave par ty u.v • the s ame a r g u m e n t s against th is Bill as the D< Valera pa r ty used against the Cosg rave Bill

W h e r e is Mr. de Valera t ak ing I re land " ! this the first s tep towards Nazi ru l e in I r c h t r '

WAR Edited by T. AHEARN

more bes t ia l i ty t han Sodom and Gommowan ever k n e w . These a r e the th ings t h a t drive So-cialists f r o m the Church , and the responsibility for eve ry soul so lost lies upon those sland •:-and not upon the Socialist m o v e m e n t .

—"Socialism Made Easy." 1J0J * * *

"The Capi ta l i s t Class rose upon the ruins ' Feudal Cathol ic ism; in the coun t r i e s where gained p o w e r its first act was to dec ree the ccn-fiscation of the es ta tes of the Church . Yet to-day that robbe r class, conceived in sin a n d begott n in iniqui ty, asks the Church to d e f e n d it, and from the Va t ican d o w n w a r d s the c l e rgy respond to the call. J u s t as the British G o v e r n m e n t :n Ireland on J a n u a r y 21st, 1623, pub l i shed a Royal Proc lamat ion banish ing all pr ies ts f r o m Ireland, and in 1795 establ ished a college a t MaynoV.h for the educa t ion of priests, and f o u n d the lat! " course sa fe r for Bri t ish rule than t h e former, -• the capi tal is t class has also l ea rned its L -and in the hour of danger enlists as its lieut •:.-ants and champions the priesthood it persecu ' and despised in the hour of its s t r e n g t h . "

— "Labour, Nationality a n d Religion 1 •

DEPORTEE WHO RETURNED

VICTOR BARR SENTENCED

Y ' l C T O R BARR was sentenced to one month' , ) > ' prisonment at Birmingham on the 28th Decern,)'

for ignoring the expulsion order served on him . on-months ago.

Barr, who was a prisoner of General F r a n c o "i> to March last, had joined the army in the misi ik<' belief that h e would be taking part In a war for detiv cracy, and securing a month's leave visited h i s broths in Birmingham. He was arrested and twice remand' <! in custody, and now l ias to serve a m o n t h for visit" ' . Birmingham in the uni form of a Brit ish soldier.

This m a n has a lways been in the vanguard for the f ight for freedom: he was imprisoned also b; Craigavon before aping to Spain, h a s no doubts as to who arc the true democrats now, and t h e treatment he has received will act a s a spur to o thers whose only desire is the freedom of Ireland and all the peoples

CONNOLLY ON EXCERPTS FROM CONNOLLY'S WRITINGS

3

CALL FOR GREATNESS BY PADRAIG STAUNTON

{' 'HE Labour l e a d e r s of S o u t h e r n I r e l a n d h a v e aban-doned t h e goal of a W o r k e r s ' Repub l i c and they

w a n : the m e n a n d women of t h e L a b o u r P a r t y and T r a d e Union b r a n c h e s to a b a n d o n it too.

Hiding b e h i n d t h e man t l e of J a m e s Connolly, they ,.re asking t h e rank-and- f i le to blot f r o m the i r ban-ners the words w h i c h enshr ine Conno l ly ' s ideal. The Republ ic for w h i c h they wan t t h e m to s t r ive in f u t u r e is to have n o i h i n g to do wi th Soc ia l i sm. I t is to be jus t a C a p i t a l i s t Republ ic such a s F i a n n a Fai l want— ; ,ne where E i r e ' s d e Valera—given C o n s t i t u t i o n could be p u t in fo rce w i thou t , as i ts a u t h o r says, c h a n g i n g a f o m m a . T h e o ld system, which, i n i t s m o r i b u n d decay, h a s b r o u g h t p o v e r t y and mise ry to t h e people is to con t inue u n c h a l l e n g e d .

T h e move t o a b a n d o n the Conno l ly ideal is one of ilie most s h a m e f u l events in t h e h i s t o r y of t he I r ish Labour M o v e m e n t . I n th is h o u r of peril , when Im-per ia l i s t "war t h r e a t e n s the lives a n d we l fa re of the workers of t h e world, the I r i sh L a b o u r leadersh ip , in-s tead of l e ad ing a n advance, conducts a retreat and it does so, not at the request of its own followers, but be-cause of the blackmail of people entirely outside Labour's ranks, people who are hoping before long to be able to spit on the grave of Labour and of Demo-cracy.

T h e l eade r s a r e very humble abou t it, to be sure. T h e Connol ly s l o g a n they say, w a s c a u s i n g "misun-d e r s t a n d i n g . " T h e y regret t he p a s s i n g of t he Work-ers ' Republic, b u t t hey ask w h a t c a n we do a n d they Hike out the i r h a n d k e r c h i e f s a n d cry .

WEAK LEADERSHIP

Now when p a r t y leaders s t a r t to cry you are f inished. W h e n t h e y , the big l eaders , begin to cry and say how u n j u s t a n d terrible it is. you know where you s t and . They c r y f o r history. B u t t h e y act for ex-pediency. T h e c r y i n g probably re l ieves t h e m , makes t h e m feel t h e y h a v e done thei r d u t y . T h e y know how r i g h t they were , h o w good the i r h e a r t s were, a n d for a m o m e n t t h e y see themselves a s h i s to r i c f igures ; not a s t he f e a r - s t r u c k people they r e a l l y a re .

I do not l ike cr i t ic i s ing the L a b o u r leaders . I know I rom l i s ten ing t o d e b a t e s in t he Da i l t h e va luab le work t he P a r t y does in t he I r ish P a r l i a m e n t — w o r k for wh ich suff ic ient c r e d i t is not g iven but t h e effective-ness of wh ich is s h o w n by t h e s n e e r s a n d abuse of MacEntee , L e m a s s a n d lately of S e a n T. O'Kelly all of w h o m l i s ten res igned ly e n o u g h to c r i t i c i sm f r o m ihe Cosgrave g a n g .

I r i s h L a b o u r , however, needs l e a d e r s t h a t really-lead, needs t h e m urgen t ly .

If only the Labour Party were not bent on culti-vating the good graces of those whose hearts are filled with a seething hatred of all that Labour means to the stricken masses of present-day Ire land! They fail to see. or do not w a n t to see, that whenever they cham-

pion the rights of the workers, no mutter-how "reason-ab le" the i r d e m a n d s are . t h e y will be denounced . Pr ivi lege a n d in jus t ice , a s one of themselves h a s re-m a r k e d . will a lways d e n o u n c e t h e c h a m p i o n s of t h e oppressed and t he d o w n t r o d d e n . They will a lways " m i s u n d e r s t a n d " them.

W h a t t h e Labour leaders h o p e to gain by d r o p p i n g the i r working-c lass pr inciples , is not easy lo see. T h e y m a y t empora r i l y swell t he i r r a n k s by a t t r a c t i n g to t he P a r t y people who will s t r e n g t h e n t he g roup of un-doub ted r eac t iona r i e s w i th in t h e m o v e m e n t a t t h e m o m e n t , bu t those a r e t h e people who would deser t a n d be t ray t h e workers in a cr is is . They will loose t h e c h a n c e of d r a w i n g in to t h e L a b o u r Movemen t t h e f r a g m e n t s , now hopelessly a t sea . of the body of Re-pub l i can i sm. which h a s never accepted de Valera , s o m e t h i n g they mus t do if t h e y a r e to "un i t e t h e fo rces of social a n d poli t ical d i s con t en t . " as Connol ly advised.

Maybe even yet the l eade r s of official I r i sh Labour will d e t e r m i n e to become real ly g rea t a n d ignore what t h e Cap i t a l i s t s t h i n k abou t t n e m ? I r i s h m e n h a v e such a glor ious t r a d i t i o n in L a b o u r ' s cause : m suffer-ing a n d in pr i son a n d u n d e r con tumely they have a l w a y s believed in t he c o m m o n people a n d they have not confined their struggle to their own country either. They have helped, as exiled wage-earners, the people of other countries to build up powerful Labour movements, test i fying in their unshakable belief in the right of the peopie to rule.

Will I r i sh Labour l eaders p rove themse lves wor thy of t he m o v e m e n t of which t h e v a re t h e heads'?

(Continued from Next Column) T H E B O R D E R

A special c h a p t e r is given o t he p a r t i t i o n of Uls te r , t he most a p p a r e n t i n jus t i ce ot ail a n d t he first i t em on t h e a g e n d a of any c o n f e r e n c e between t he two count r ies . T h e book e n d s wi th m e n t i o n of recent, bombing c a m p a i g n . T h e r e a s o n s which p r o m p t e d a ser ies of explosions are set d o w n for the cons idered j u d g m e n t of Eng l i sh readers . I n d e e d a p a r t i c u l a r fea-t u r e of t he book, a f e a t u r e t h a t cha rac t e r i s ed t h e a u t h o r ' s va luable p r o p a g a n d a work d u r i n g his yea r s in London , is a n ins i s t en t appea l to t h e good sense of h o n e s t E n g l i s h m e n , a n appea l w h i c h follows t he t r ad i -t ions of t he g r ea t e s t I r i sh w r i t e r s f r o m Lalor a n d Mitchel l to J a m e s Connolly.

T o exp la in wi th in sixty p a g e s t he origin a n d ex-t e n t of t he I r i s h quarrel , to p r e p a r e a compac t m a n u a l of in te l l igent p r o p a g a n d a a t t h e disposal of everyone, is a t ask t h a t few a u t h o r s would da re to a t t e m p t . D e s m o n d R y a n h a s accompl i shed it magn i f i cen t ly .

O b t a i n a b l e f r o m all p rogress ive bookshops or f r o m Connol ly Club, 15 Percy S t ree t , W . l .

An sweri n ̂ (he Irish Question

I R E L A N D W H O S E I R ^ a N D ? " by D E S M O N D R Y A N ( F o - a t ions 3d.»)

A R E V I E W BY H U G H DEI.ARGY

I'O many an E n g l i s h m a n I r e l a n d appears i n s c r u t a b l e as a mystery . He c a n n o t unde r s t and t he p l a i n t s

of his Ir ish f r i end w h o n u r s e a fierce r e s e n t m e n t aga ins t Oliver Cromwel l , a s though tha t P u r i t a n wor thy died only last week; w h o speaks of Robe r t E m -m e f a n d J o h n Mitchel l a n d T o m Clarke as t h o u g h they were all pe r sona l f r i e n d s of his and who r e g a r d s t h e par t i t ion of I r e l a n d as a more savage i n j u s t i c e t h a n the invas ion of P o l a n d . He can never f a t h o m t h e d e p t h s of I r i sh c o n t e m p t w h e n e v e r mention is m a d e of Br i t i sh fa i r p lay a n d he is a n n o y e d tha t his o w n p r o -fess ions of d e m o c r a t i c f a i t h a r e received with a n open sneer .

All this is t he n e m e s ' s of ignorance. Most Eng l i sh -m e n and especially m o s t respectable E n g l i s h m e n , h a v e never u n d e r s t o o d t h e e n o r m i t y and s impl ic i ty of E n g l a n d ' s g r ea t e s t c r ime. ( I t may be m e n t i o n e d in pass ing , tha t t h i s i g n o r a n c e is par t ly s h a r e d by a n u m b e r of I r i s h m e n w h o a r e more concerned w i t h m o u r n i n g the n a m e s of d e a d m e n t h a n wi th l e a r n i n g t h e reasons for w h i c h t h e y diedK

It is for all t he se people ( and for you a l so d e a r reader , who of course know all about it but w h o will not d isdain a r e f r e s h e r ) t h a t Desmond R y a n h a s wr i t -t e n his little book " I r e l a n d , whose I r e l a n d ? " c o m -pr i s ing 62 pages. It is a book to be read slowly a n d methodica l ly bu t t h e in te res t of it and the m a n n e r of i ts wri t ing will t e m p t you t o r e a d it at one s i t t ing . If you succumb to th i s t e m p t a t i o n , as I did, you m u s t go back to the beg inn ing a n d r e a d all over aga in .

BACKGROUND OF IRELAND'S STRUGGLE Af te r a word of i n t r o d u c t i o n io the "Good B r i t o n . '

Desmond R y a n ske tches wi th a few bold s t rokes t h e h is tor ic background . In a m a n n e r condensed b u t p r e -serv ing the essent ia ls , h e tel ls t he story t ha t e x p l a i n s t h e quest ion: a n d a s t r a n g e a n d terrible s tory it is, a s to ry without para l le l in t h e a n n a l s of m a n k i n d , a s to ry of pa in a n d fire a n d p e n u r y and famine , a s t o r y of a na t ion f i gh t i ng a g a i n s t all odds not mere ly fo r f r e e d o m but for t h e very r i g h t to live.

As the s tory is c o n t i n u e d f r o m Parnell to de V a l e r a cons iderab ly m o r e deta i l is given. No au thor h a s wr i t -t e n of th is period m o r e fu l ly t h a n Desmond R y a n . His volumes on t he pe r iod—"Unique Dicta tor ," " T h e Invis ible Army" a n d all t h e l a t e r chap te r s of " T h e P h o e n i x F l a m e " a n d " T h e Sword of Light" s h o u l d be f a m i l i a r to every young I r i s h m a n who p r e t e n d s t o t a k e an interes t in h i s c o u n t r y . I t is to be expec ted , of course, t h a t R y a n shou ld speak with a u t h o r i t y s ince, besides being a n a c c u r a t e s tudent , h e took a n ac t ive sha re in m a n y of t h e events tha t wen t to fill t h i s t empes tuous per iod . t

(Continued in Preceding Column) _

The Book of the Year

'IRELAND — WHOSE IRELAND?'

By DESMOND RYAN

Keybook - Number Nine out now - Threepence

i L

J

FORE PUBLICATIONS LTD., 2 PARTON STREET, W.C.I

4 IRISH FREEDOV

THE MONTH IN IRELAND By

' J ' H E Fianna Fail Ard-Fheis I'aik'd to give any lead to the people. It demonstra ted beyond

doubt two things: that '.he masses are impatient fo r the end of par t i t ion. I hat the masses are im-patient for a p rogramme of social progress in t h e Twen ty -S ix Counties: and a third: that the headers of F ianna Fai! arc clean out of sympathy with these demands of the ma?ses.

Mr. de Valera told the Ard-Fheis delegates s t r a igh t that his Government refused to car ry out the terms of one resolution, on pensions. So much for democracy. S much for the chances of the m a n y progressive resolutions passed. And now w e can undei'siand also w hy resolutions on Republ ican prisoners and on tile illegality of a Republ ican organisation never appeared on the agenda. And why the delegate of one Cumann was instructed, to \vi :bdraw as a protest. The leaders of Fianna F»ii and the leaders of the Irish a n d British i r d French Labour Par t ies have much in coran on - t imid men and place-hunters misleading g v c r n e democrats.

I M M E D I A T E A I M S The rank and file of Fianna Fail now have a

chance to ponder. Their a ms and those of other Republ ican organisat ions and of mili tant Labour are much the Same—expendi ture of money on nat ional development schemes to cure unemploy-ment. financial reconstruct ion on the New Zea-land model , all I re land detestat ion of the war and the wi thd rawa l of the Six Counties from the conflict.

Local Fianna Fail. Republican and Labour organisat ions must get together and demand these things. The unemployed have marched m Dublin, Longford and elsewhere: the organ-ised worker s employed by the Athlone and Dundalk Councils, the Irish Railways, the Wex-ford docks and elsewhere, have demanded wage increases. The T.U.C. has told the workers to demand wage increases and be hanged to the Gove rnmen t . As a result workers in industries and on municipal services throughout the Twen ty -S ix Counties have secured wage in-creases in the past month and relief schemes for unemployed have been started by local authori-ties la rge enough to absorb over 50,000 who would otherwise be out of work.

How much more could be secured, and above all, how much more quickly would the immedi-ate and essential aims of Irish democracy— native development , financial reconstruction, all Ireland neu t ra l i ty and the ending of the border —be secured , if Republicans, Labour and the T.U.C. w e r e together in a common movement ?

" FENIAN "

R E P U B L I C A N A N D L A B O U R U N I T Y The growing s y m p a t h y between Republ ican-

ism and Labour has been shown by severa l events. "Workers ' Week ly" and "Torch," in the name of the working-class movement , took u p the case of the h u n g e r strikers, of the in te rnees and applauded Mr. Jus t i ce Gavan Duffy ' s deci-sion. the great t r i u m p h of liberty achieved in Ireland since the war , tha t de Valera had b roken his own model const i tu t ion by th rowing men into gaol uncharged and untried on a genera l warrant , a decision upheld bv the S u p r e m e Court.

The Irish Labour P a r t y has taken up the t ragic case of Seosamh Mac Grianna. Republ ican Gaelic author, left to s tarve by the Capital is t system and Dev's mos t Christian Const i tut ion. In return Republ icans h a v e taken to read ing and supporting the Labou r press. They will pe rhaps see that th" Labour movement is, as Connol ly knew, the dr iving force of the national s t ruggle, and help to give it t h e virility and numer ica l strength which on the political side it lacks.

Non-political Republ icanism is a dangerous delusion. Coll ins was a non-political Republ ican, and ended up a Br i t i sh agent. Mellowes was a political Republican in the only practical sense, a Socialist; he left us a programme which we could follow now and get liberty as a result, a Socialist political programme.

The Derry Labour P a r t y passed a resolut ion condemning the i n t e r n m e n t of Republ icans un-der the Special P o w e r s Act and took a collec-tion for the in ternees ' dependents . And Belfast Republican publ icat ions have contained a t t acks on the capitalist sys tem and appeals to the Pro-testant workers . These a re heal thy signs. La-bour and the Republ ican movement must real ise that they a re essential to each other, both sides of the Border. Let t h e m get together at once on practical issues, the deve lopment of local unem-ployment relief schemes at Trade Union rates , the restriction of r en t increases, the p reven t ion of profiteering, the g u a r a n t e e of a reasonable price for f a r m produce, t he end of annu i ty pay-ments an*! the w i t h d r a w a l of the Six Count ies from the Imperial ist war .

These are the d e m a n d s of the plain people. Neither Labour nor Republ icans can afford not to take them up at once—and why not un i ted ? For the British Imper ia l i s t and the nat ive gom-been man are on the march , united, agains t the Irish people. They wou ld involve the whole country in war . agains t Germany, then agains t Soviet Russia. And the ant ics of the rich mid-land fa rmers holding t h e poor of Dublin to r an -som showed how d e t e r m i n e d they are.

NOTES FROM THE NORTH By " R E D H A N D "

R E P U B L I C A N S RELEASE

JO S E P H CULLEN. one ol t h e m e n in te rned since Chr i s tmas ' 1938 , will be shor t ly re leased. Joe h a s

recently g o n e t h r o u g h a ser ious ope ra t ion and his hea l th is very weak. Appeal ing for t he internees. Paddy A g n e w . Labour M P. for A r m a g h , used Craiga-von'.s o w n words t ha t th i s was a f r ee coun t ry and h e asked in t h e n a m e of Chr i s t i an i ty t ha t the men in D e n y G a o l should be f reed.

But P a d d y hit the nai l on t he h e a d when he sa id : "Will t h e successfu l conclus ion of t h i s war gua ran t ee us civil a n d rel igious l iberty in N o r t h e r n I r e l and?"

ANTI-WAR AGITATION Bel fas t workers led the way for a n an t i -war move-

mem at a m e e t i n g held on December 20th a! the La-bour Hal l . Bill MrCti l lough, N.U.R. m a d e a t r enchan t attack o n t h e imper ia l i s t policy of t h e Chamber la in G o v e r n m e n t a n d its lackeys in S t c r m o n t . He showed clearly t h a t t h e I r ish people h a d suf fe red terrible hard-ships in t h e last war a n d t ha t if was t he r e fo r e up to the c o m m o n people to end t he war a n d to t ake steps to ensure f r e e d o m in our o w n count ry .

PROPAGANDA WITH PEP C i r c u l a t i n g over t he Six Count ies a r e the regular

bullet ins of t h e I R A T h e ti t le " W a r News" may not convey n iu«h but the c o n t e n t s h a v e punch in every p a g e ; a punch in t he r ight d i rec t ion , a t Craiga-von. C h a m b e r l a i n and Co. T h e suppres s ion of minor-ity r i g h t s a n d exposures of Imper i a l i s t p ropaganda are (he m a i n fea tu res . A special appea l is made to P r o t e s t a n t a n d Unionis t workers in giving ins tances of the P r e s b y t e r i a n Uni ted I r i s h m e n who founded Re-publicanism in I re land .

It's a s i g n of the t imes and of the need for greater unity a m o n g all anti-Imperialists.

BEATTIE B A N G 8 HARD Jack Beat t l e , Labour M P., again hit the headlines

with a t r e n c h a n t attack on Cralgavon s smug policy of

suppor t ing Br i t i sh I m p e r i a l i s m s war. S p e a k i n g a t S tormout he sa id : "No m a t t e r wha t way t he war goes the posi t ion of t h e w o r k i n g classes h e r e would be the same if Hie peop le ' s r ep resen ta t ives a l lowed t h i n g s to go in to t he s h a p e a n d make up of a s u p e r dic ta tor , worse t h a n if H i t l e r were allowed to come to Nor the rn I r e l and . "

Jack ' s the boy a g a i n all r i g h t . As long as h e keeps h i t t i ng them up the t e e t h w i th the t r u t h he'll c a r r y ou r money.

NATIONALISTS ISSUE SLOGAN The local Na t i ona l i s t P a r t y , relic of t he d a y s of

J o h n R edmond a n d J o e Dev l in , issued a m a n i f e s t o th i s month . Keyno t e of t h e s t a t e m e n t was t h a t if t h e r e was to be a n y s i n c e r i t y o r t r u t h in t h e B r i t i s h Gove rnme n t ' s t r u m p e t i n g f o r f reedom, jus t i ce a n d democracy, then it was log ica l t h a t these p r inc ip le s apply to I re land . T h e N a t i o n a l i s t P a r t y a n d t h e i r mouthp iece t he " I r i sh N e w s " h a v e missed t h e b o a t t h i s t ime. A clarion call w a s s o u n d e d but n o m e n t i o n was m a d e of the need for d e t e r m i n e d opposit ion to B r i t i s h Imper ia l i sm a n d its w a r s of p l u n d e r as t he m a i n s p r i n g of the f ight for i n d e p e n d e n c e .

For too long these d e c a y i n g symbols of H i b e r n i a n -ism have fooled a sec t ion of t h e people. B u t o u t of the i r own m o u t h s t hey s t a n d condemned . As Con-nolly said: "We wan t m o r e t h a n a change of m a s t e r s . "

NORTHERN ECONOMIES Tota l of unemployed , 71,000. T h e p u r c h a s i n g power of t h e £ reduced by 3/4, due". ?»•

t o Increased cos t of l iving. Pigs and livestock destroyed for lack of fodder,

while 7,000 tons lie at B e l f a s t docks, unloading held up by local bureaucrats.

Training of school t eachers stopped for duration off war. Stoppage of building schemes.

And Cralgavon still m a i n t a i n s Ulster Is a "Garden of Eden."

Connolly Club Activities

LONDON By M. MclNERNEY

\LL m e m b e r s were ac t ive in t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n o:

Lian Mellowes m e e t i n g , t h e success of which due to t h e u n t i r i n g e f fo r t s of all a s soc ia t ed with Club. Some t h i r t y n e w m e m b e r s were enrol led at m e e t i n g a n d we hope they will soon become ac' -, • the p r o p a g a t i o n of Conno l ly ' s t e a c h i n g s a n d ii. e f for t s to e s t ab l i sh Conno l ly ' s Republ ic .

T h e co r r ec tne s s of t h e Club ' s policy was pr. a t the Mellowcs m e e t i n g by t he w h o l e h e a r t e d app". > which gree ted Mr . M u r r a y w h e n h e sa id " T h e 1 will not be slow to l end a h a n d w h e n t h e En»' workers mobi l ise aga ins t t he i r G o v e r n m e n t which i, for so long oppressed t h e c o m m o n people of E n d . : and I r e l a n d al ike."

T h e L o n d o n C lub h a s s t a r t e d a ser ies of lectin on t he h i s to r i e s of t h e work ing c lasses in the p; cipal countr ies , a n d on J a n u a r y 14th Mr . J a c k C; . will lecture on " T h e I r i s h W o r k i n g Class . " a t 6.30 p. at 15 Percy S t r e e t ( n e a r G o o d g e S t ree t S t a t i o n T lecture will be fol lowed by a social.

T h e Club 's s p e a k e r s h a v e been ac t ive dur: : ! m o n t h m lec tures to E n g l i s h societ ies a n d Mr. K Delargy was well rece ived by t h e Un ive r s i t y L Club o'.i December 10th. T h e r e w a s u n a n i m o u s a-.: men! a m o n g h i s a u d i e n c e o n t he necess i ty for I f reedom a n d un i ty .

Members a g a i n did well w i th sa les of " I r i sh ! . dorr,." and t he c i r cu l a t i on ol t he p a p e r w a s well n: * tained.

* * * BIRMINGHAM—Meeting & Film Shov.

By J. GRIFFIN T h e B i r m i n g h a m Club a r e going a h e a d with a.

r a n g e m e n t s for a m o n s t e r m e e t i n g of B i r n n n c h a n Irish. Mr. H u g h D e l a r g y will speak o n t h e quest io: of Conscr ip t ion for Exi les a n d Mr . W. B a r r . a brotliK of Victor Bar r , will devo te h i s a t t e n t i o n to the pio -lems c o n f r o n t i n g t h e I r i s h in B i r m i n g h a m .

T h e g rea t film " D a w n " will a lso be shown, r price of admis s ion will be 6d. a n d it is expec ted ':. a record crowd will a t t e n d .

* * *

LIVERPOOL By M. CARR

Our c o m r a d e s give m o s t of t treir t i m e to the sal. of " I r i sh F r e e d o m " a n d d u r i n g D e c e m b e r ful ly main-ta ined t he sales, de sp i t e t h e "b l ack -ou t " a n d t he othc: difficulties c r ea t ed by t h e W a r .

In Liverpool, p e r h a p s m o r e t h a n a n y w h e r e els. is t he re a need for a n ac t ive a n d l a r g e membcrshi ; In th i s city t he r u l i n g c lass m a k e fu l l use of the de-fe rences exis t ing be tween t h e workers , p a r t i c u l a r l y th-rel igious di f ferences , a n d it is e s sen t i a l t h a t we shov, all workers t h e necess i ty fo r u n i t y in t h e common struggle.

Ear ly in t h e New Y e a r t h e Club will be holding meet ing a n d showing t h e f i lm " D a w n " a n d so continue their e f for t s for n a t i o n a l social f r e e d o m .

We a re g lad to l e a r n t h a t a n I r i s h Socie ty is short to be f o r m e d by Liverpool Un ive r s i ty a n d will be gUw; to repor t the i r ac t iv i t ies .

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MANCHESTER Mr. H u g h De la rgy h a s now got a smal l group '••-

g e t h e r ' a n d will be g lad to h e a r f r o m a n y o n e in Man-ches ter in t e res t ed in t h e t e a c h i n g s of J a m e s Connolly

M a n c h e s t e r h a s a l w a y s been t he h o m e of the m o s self-sacrif icing of t h e I r i s h exiles in E n g l a n d and i-> too the h o m e of t h e C h a r t i s t M o v e m e n t , t h e first mas-workers ' o r g a n i s a t i o n in E n g l a n d , a m o v e m e n t which also a t t r a c t e d t h o u s a n d s - o f I r i s h work ing exiles. Mr Delargy is no t a lone a n I r i s h Na t iona l i s t , but lik Michael Davi t t , h e r ecogn i s e s t h a t in t h e common people of E n g l a n d a r e t h e t r u e al l ies of t h e I r i sh 1: the effor t to e s t ab l i sh a d e c e n t l i fe for all.

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WELLINBORO & PORTSMOUTH Reade r s l iving in e i t he r of t h e above towns will b>-

glad to l e a r n t h a t g r o u p s h a v e been f o r m e d in bo'.i. p laces a n d h a v e a l r eady been r e spons ib le for increa-eu sa les of t he p a p e r . T h e g r o u p s a r e a n x i o u s to foni: clubs a s ear ly a s possible a n d will be glad to lira:' f r o m r e a d e r s in t h e i r d i s t r i c t s .

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WEALDSTONE T h e W e a l d s t o n e Conno l ly Club a r c ho ld ing :h e : : '

first public m e e t i n g o n S a t u r d a y , J a n u a r y 2Uh Mr. H u g h De la rgy will a g a i n speak on the I>',M; case a g a i n s t C o n s c r i p t i o n a n d dea l w i th I re land ane t he War . Lead ing m e m b e r s of t h e local Lab" movement will a lso speak a n d t he f i lm " D a w n wil. 1,1

shown. Pr ice of a d m i s s i o n will be 1/-.

I WISH TO JOIN T H E CONNOLLY CLUB. t

Name V

f »

Address

Post to M. Mclnerney , 15 Percy St., London, W.I

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