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Show SENSELESS REVOLT. Tha bcnsoloR Irish revolution ia at an en I and all that the rebels hae ac-ronipl ac-ronipl is injury to freland's irus:. At n meeting in New York held by " sever; 1 thousand men and wornn of Msh birth or sympathies" Germany was thanked for extending to Ireland, "as far as tho present military situation situa-tion will permit," the same kind of aid an was " rendered the infant American republic by France.' How correct this comparison is will .be recognized when it is pt a ted that Germany seut Sir infrfr t,anmonL with twenty Germans :nid 20fil'O rifles to the aid of the Irish rebels, whereas Franco sent 20,000 men under I.nl'ayett.0 and expended, if our memory serves us well, something more than 000, 000 in the cause of American Ameri-can freedom. It is perfectly true that the military situation prevented Germany Ger-many from sending genuine assistance, but sensible insurgents would have understood un-derstood that in tho first place.' Undoubtedly Germany is to be thanked for all that the revolt 'has brought to the Irish people hundreds i uf lives lost, several million dollars 'i damage to property" and an incalculable amount of harm to the cause of home I . rule. The revolution has demonstrated I absolutely the one truth whiih the ! Irih rebel leaders and their American i backers were blind to. Vuthout ontrol ' of the sea Germany can do nothing to help Ireland to a separate nat ionality or to anything else, even if she so desires. , . With the sure instinct of a great leader, John Redmond aligned the Irish people on the side of the allies at the very beginning of the war. That move was politically the correct move even j though Redmond sympathized with Ger-I many. Redmond won the gratitude and : a Vf o-t ion of the English, people and their universal friendship for homo rule when, in the house of commons, he declared de-clared that England might send all her soldiers abroad with the knowlodgo that the Irish people would defend the shores of the green isle against German invasion. What Redmond achieved on that occasion the Sinn Eeiners and I .a rkiuites. encouraged but not helped bv Genua uy and a few m isguided 1 risk m en in this country, have done ikeir bo?t to render nugatory. Redmond, it is true, adopted his v nurse, not merely because it was the nnly practical and sensible course, but 'e.-nuse the history and ideals of his race recom mended it as the noblest ;iiu! truest course. The Irish people li:td fought for freedom, for the rights ii t" the smaller nations, for humanity and justice, and thev could not, in view el' what their "Mead generations" had .ioi'O, connive at the invasion of Bel--iimi, the subjection of Serbia or the -tenia tic en fee Moment of German I Viand even before the war. l.iut had Vleduiond ignored Irish ideals a ud considered the question solely from 'ho piacltcal standpoint, he could have adopted no better policy. He knew .hat without con: rol of t lie sea Ger-ttany Ger-ttany foubi not aid uu Irish rev-dt; he riew thai a rebellion-would be crushed with eao. as ii has been, unless outside a.-.-:st a uce could be obtained, and he kc-a that German aid was the least of ;.,pes because control of tb soa was ; '.io last thing Germany was likely to win. It is quite possible for Germany to achieve victory on the iand and yet 'e compelled to remain subordinate on t ho sea . To be a rebel is ot'tou respectable, o be rhc liui't of follv no1, or. The :-) in I -o!-iid are now paying I lie ..unity of fol'ies they were led into :. brainless professional tairiots on t-iis si !; i if tb.' ocean, life irre-'oncil- ! :bU. (f the olden da'.'s wh.i could uot j thai times chance and that' we' -dm;: Id c'nango with 1 ;:en;. j I u (:er'nanv ike Iri-h rebellion must! a huge joe. The German p'ilitary ! lead er- w ere 1 on keen and able to ex-; ex-; oct an v other result. They were ;.-p, how e X ii.: i w kat ever n ::e'-e lhi'it be :m'ii the revolt would be lieiman ai". That Irish lo-s would ; :'-d.i was a mere matter ol indiffer-j erice or of amtiseiiiout to t ivm, Tlmt j :;b' not their buMiiei-s. r!'iv ero , dniii thei- ihilv wl'C-i the;. nl.tained' i",.':v M'-si Me a-1 an: h ce inr ('i-T'tia ny. : |
