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Show BLIND POLICY BRINGS REVOLT Irish Rebellion Another Colossal Colos-sal Blunder Which Surpasses All Others of Present War. London, ApriL 26. "The revolt in Ireland-is the natural Tesult of" the government's policy in Ireland," says the Daily Mail. "Augustine Birrell, chief secretary for Ireland, and Pre-jnier Pre-jnier Asquith, sat still and allowed a rebel force to be enrolled and armed. They did not move hand or foot against it. On March 17, sixteen hundred hun-dred Irish volunteers paraded, most-lj most-lj armed with rifles, and nobody stop-pepd stop-pepd or challenged them. "Mr. Birrell never asked why the volunteers existed. He knew it was not to serve against the enemy, but rather to obstruct the imperial forces. On December 10 he declared "evidence of their disloyalty is voluminous,' yet he did nothing. Blind to Treason. "If he had any policy other than merely drifting, It was to turn a blind eye to the disloyal movement. The government persunded itself that the treason could be overcome by resolutely reso-lutely looking the other way. The jjovernment's wait-and-see policy was complicated by a hide-the-truth policy. "If the newspapers had been permitted per-mitted to publish Information in their hands Sunday night these things could not have happened. The Irish authorities authori-ties would have been aroused from their sleeping sickness by the publication publica-tion of news that something very exceptional ex-ceptional was occurring. They might have taken ordinary precautions, but the press was muzzled. It is proof of the grossest negligence and obtuse-ness obtuse-ness when four or five parts of a great city can be seized by comparatively compara-tively a small number of armed men. "This colossal blundor follows upon and surpasses all other blunders of the war. How much longer Is the nation na-tion prepared to drift under the domination dom-ination of leaders who refuse to lead." Tho Times says, the uprising in Ireland Ire-land would Influence certain kinds of American opinion in their favor at a time when relations with the United States aro critical. German societies and Irish societies In America have been working hand in glove to prejudice pre-judice opinion against Great Britain. They doubtless will exert themselves now about 'Ireland's Btruggle for freedom.' free-dom.' If the cabinet tries to hush up any part of the truth or confine tho Intelligence reaching America to official communications doled out by themselves, the Gorman and Irish agencies ag-encies in the United States will have a free field for their malign activities; but, if the government allows responsible, respon-sible, competent American correspondents correspond-ents to Investigate matters freely and unfettered, we are confident tho Germans Ger-mans will find they have mlsundor-stood mlsundor-stood real American opinion." oo |