Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
I
‘R
CLAN-NA-GAEL JOURNAL, PHILADELPHIA, OCTOBER 22, I916
The Clan-na-liaal lunnial '
Office
IRISH-AMERICAN CLUB
726 Spruce t.reet
BRITISH IIIIPERIALISM
By Sir Roger Casement
While a million Irishmen died of
hunger on the most fertile plains of
Europe, English Imperialism drew
over one thousand million pounds
sterling for investment in a world
policy from an island that was rep-
resented to that world as too poor
to even bury its dead. The profit to
England from Irish peonage can- is
not be assessed in terms of'trade,
- or finance, or taxation. It far tran-
cends Lord MacDonnell’s recent es-
tirciate at Belfast of $a20,oog,puo-
“an empire‘s ransom," as he bluntly
put it.-
Not an empire’: ransom, but the
x ‘sum of an empire's achievement, the
‘ cost of an empire’s founding, and
today the chief bond of an empite’s
existence. Detach Ireland from the
map of the British Empire and re-
store it to the map of Europe, and
that day England resumes her na-
tive proportions and Europe as-
sumes its rightful stature in the em-
-pire of the world. Ireland can only
be restored to the current of Euro-
peau life, from which she has for
' so long been purposely withheld,
by the act of Europe. What Napo-
leon perceived too late may yet
be the purpose and achievement of
a congress of nations. Ireland, I
submit-, is necessary to Europe; is
essential to Europe; today she ‘is
retained against Europe by a com.
’bination of elements hostile to Eu-
I0Pe and opposed to European in-
fluence in the world.’ Her strategic
Importance is a factor of supreme
weight to Europe and is today used
in the scales’ against Europe. Ire.
land is appropriated and used, not
to the service of European interests,
but to the extension of anti-Euro.
pen interests. The "arbitriiim rriiin.
i” claimed and most certainly exer-
cised by England is maintained by
fIle.Bl'lClSI'] fleet, and until that pow-
er is effectively challenged and hcld
in check it is idle to talk of Euro-
Peln lnduence outside of certain nar-
row continental limits
The power of the British fleet can
l‘<-CV6!’ be permanently restrained un-
til Ireland is restored to Europe.
(-;""mIH! ‘as of necessity become
t e champion of European interests
Hf '-"0l>osed to the world dominion
0 England and Emzlisli-speaking
, elements. She is toda am, 3
great reservoir rapidly filling with
.uman life that must some day f-ind
England. instead of wise.
Anglo-Saxnndom. Germ,-m 13w
Germ“ languaxzc. German civiliza.
MOI]-If‘! to 5nd no ground for re.
irlerushgniz. no soil to fertilize and
make rich. ‘
-
IRELAND AND THE WAR
That Ireland must be involved in
any war that Great B ' un e -
takcs goes without saying; but that
we should willingly throw ourselves
into the fray on the wrong side to
avert a British defeat is the counsel
of traitors offered to fools. Our
3
cut off, that day shall be the hrst
day of Irish freedom and the first
day‘ of freedom on the seas for
Europe. . . r
We must see to it that the day
Germany strikes, Ireland shall be
We must see to it that what
by a er
al StaR‘ shall not be falsified by any
act of recreancy of ours: “ he
Second Army Corps (of the British
army). two divisions and one brigade
of cavalry are quartered in Ireland,
of which at any rate the larger part
will remain there in order to prevent
a rising of the Irish, to whom the
Ge man invasion would bring the
liberty they long for." (Van Edels-
heim,’in his pamphlet, “Operationen
ueber See").-Sir R. Casement.
GERMANY AND IRELAND
‘ From “The Fatherland”
. did not discove
England until 1914. Germany dl
not sympathize with Ireland, because
she did not know Ireland. Germany
advocated understanding wit
ngland, because she di not know
ermany knows
in.
:-
mies. The advocate of an Anglo-
German alliance would be swept off
his feet in Germany today by a wave
of popular indignation. .We do not
to
until the fate of Ireland is settled.
Germany will not give up Belgium
Engl liberates
If<England indemifies Ireland, Ger-
many will indemify Belgium. Eng-
land cannot be safe while Belgium
in German han s.
not have ess to the hig
roads of the ocean while Ireland is
enslave
:-
little longer, Germany could have
recognized Ireland as a belligerent.
I the Irish revolution should break
out afresh; if the Irish should again
hold their own capital and esta-
a government, Germany would be
able, under international law, to rec-
ognize the independence of lrelanti.
She has already prepared the
She has sent arms to Irelanil.
is willing to send men. The
port of Roger Casement read:
lze'r Casement, Irishman."
itself was a recognition of Ireland
as a na ion. '
I-Iow greatly Germany treasures
the Irish may be judged from the
fact that among the few documents
41
iermnny can- pres on
li theilrish Republic had lasted a 0
This in ca
fellows of Irish extraction. To
Americans of German descent, how-
ever, Ireland's struggle against the
yoke of Great Britain is of special
significance. an)’ were
crushed, the hopes of Ireland would
be crushed.lik:wise.
one wit us.‘ ’ ‘
feat the insidious conspiracy against
American independence an th
spirit of 1776 fostered by Great Brit-
in our very mi st.
our Irish friends need not be
t up because some distin-
guished Germans have not yet over-
come their old prejudice in favor o
. Sliakespeart-,’s England; if these Ger-
mans have failed to learn in two
years what many Irishmen have not
grasped after four centuries of op-
‘ ave again and again
declared that England has excom-
municated herself from the family
civilized nations; for one German
We know of no Germans today who
are fighting for England (with the
exception o England's royal fami-
y we shall add to our creed: Fair
Play for Germany and Austria-I-Iun-
garv. the insistent
, deman :
FREEDOM FOR IRELAND.
ROBERT EMMET
Martyr of 1803
sent by U-boat to the United States
was Chatterton-I-Iill's book, ‘Ire-
land and Its Importance for u-
" Roger Casement had hardly
been captured whey a German pub-
lisher gave to the world his ccllected
essays in German. Ve not
aware that even his own eople in
the United States have collected
these essays in oak form. The
hook has reached Casemenfs sister
in the United States by mysterious
channels. it will br
published before long by the “Irish
VVorld" or by’ the "Gaelic Ameri-
ari "
Roger Casement had the vision of
a statesman. e clearly enunciated
that the freedom of the seas and
the freedom of Ireland are brie and
inseparable. Professor Muenster-
recommends future co-operation on
the part of Germany with the United
States eat Britain for the
He prefers
an alliance of the Germanic races
a combination dominated by Rus-
sia and Japan. IV: have no doubt
v
=
a.
C)
-
3
overlook, even i he d d not state.
the fact that the problem of Ireland
must be
be peace in Europe. Neither can
there be an alliance between the
United States and England until the
wrongs of Ireland are righted.
The Irish problem concerns all
Americans; it involves the freedom
of the seas, and it deeply affects our
berg, in a much-discussed article]
that so far-seein a scholar didgnot I
settled before there can -
How Molly McLaughlin Was
Treated by British Officers
By Nora Connolly
Molly McL'oughlin is fifteen years
old. She is as sma child of
twelve; u ever meet her
you will be struck by the strength
and determination 5 Own ,in
mouth, which seems to be mocked
at by the childishness of her soft‘
gray eyes.
On Easter Monday morning
Molly McLaughlin and some friends
we on a PICNIC to the Dublin
Mountains. Molly d duct belong to
any of e regular organizations, al1(.
so had no knowledge of what was to
take place. Qn her way there she
met a boy f end who said to her,
"You shouldn't leave the city, Molly.
You may he wanted” e
would say nothing more definite.
she went.on with her friends. They
were up ‘in the hills, about six miles
from Dublin, when the little party
was startled to hear a fusillade of
shots. VMolly turned to her friends
ii sai . “ .at's ii
I C
cral Post Ofhce, Molly went there
and o ered her services. She was
scnt on some messages at hrst-such
as carrying ammunition from on
Port to another. and on Tuesday she
a
-o-r'H"'. ,.‘''..'''m
was detailed as a dispatch-carrier to
Thomas MacDonagh. k
If Ireland re-.
Together we can de- 9‘
‘quarters and as
She took her work most seriously,
and when she decided that a mili-
l B0
to go to the English Military Head-
pass that
would permit her to go through the
niained in etters, our pes for E“E“5h ““‘5- .
- . w She was very successful until
S:"".:.".l.‘:::‘i:::.r"%::“.....=:::lm-a-y. o in an as
‘ . ‘ ‘ ven a dispatch from Commandant
. t time it was
verbal one and in a code. Com-
,mandant ,MacDonagh told her to put
ain, and her hydra-headed agencies on 3 Wm“, smock
I ), but ten thousand Irishmen are 3
shedding their blood in defense of 0
r get another where that came
; was marched bac
to her cell.
r uni orm
might betray her. She was on her
way to Commandant Plunkett, when
she was ordered to halt by an
lish sentry: he did so and pro-
duced her military pass. The Cor-
poral said: '
"That is no good for you-you are
a spy."
“Indeed, I’m
“I'm going hom .
‘We know better; it's the women
and girls who are doing it all. ou
are under arrest and will have to go
to the Castle."
He called up the guard. Molly
was marched of? in the middle of
our soldiers with fixed bayonets.
When‘ she arrived at the Castle she
was brought into a room.
not," said Molly.
e n
signed her pass. She
was placed facing them, the soldiers
standing behind her. he ofhcers
immediately began to question her.
“ ere is your dispatch?"
ave none.”
“You must have; we know who
you are. l.Vhere were you oin ?”
“I haven't any dispatch, and I was
going home.”,
“If you don’t give up the disp tch
we must get you searched. It w‘
be better for you to give it up."
“I ‘t give up What I haven't
got.
“How many Volunteers are there
in Jacob’: Factory?‘ .
“I don’t know any Volunteers."
“You must know; you have just
come from Jacob‘s; we have
you watchei."
“I have no dispatch, and I want
to go ome."
They then sent for a woman at-
tendant and had her searched. The
search revealed nothing save her
uniform. She was brought in again,
uniform in the attendant’s hand.
“Well, can you say that you don't
know Volunteers when you were
wearing the uniform?‘
“That is a girl scout's uniform.”
“Do you still refuse to answer our
questions?"
"I know nothing, so how can I
tell you anything.”
Then one officer became very ex-
asperated, and in a loud, angry voice
sai "There's nothing else for it.
She must be shot.”
The little girl was marched away
n a cell without any win-
f
morning a fatherly old officer came
to her. He told her to be advised
by him: that it would be better to
tell all she kiieiv than to be kept a
prisoner.
‘‘It will not
one will now. ,
Still Molly protested she knew
nothing.
The fhcer said, "Your mother is
ver sick.” Moll knew this. “She
is really dying. If you tell us what
you know you wi e set ree. If
not. think what a terrible thing it
would be if your mother died, and
only your own obstinacy kept you
from seeing her. Answer our ques-
tions" and you can go to her at
‘do any harm, and no
Molly protested that she
knew nothing.
0 torment the little girl the
brought in her uniform and burnt
before Iier. This pettiness
caused Molly to remark, “she could
.3’
it
Then the officer said. “l.Ve will see
if we can’ ma e you al "
It was matched out into the
Castle yard. a hiring-party marching
after her. She was placed against a
wall. One of the men came up
blindfold hcr.
id, “No; I am not afraid
God.”
The firing-party faced her. The
First order was given. "Ready!" The
soldiers got ready. Still Molly did
not Hinch. ie second order was
' “Prese
s as br
ever. VVas it the heroism of the girl
or fear,of the consequences that for-
bade the officer to g've the order
“Fire?" It was not given, and Molly
by the soldiers
<
1
-<
av
She was imprisoned until after the
surrender. VVhen she was released
saw her and spoke with her and
praised hcr courage.
“You must not think me brave."
the agony of an execution.
d bye.
PATRICK HENRY PEARSE
Ireland's Martyred President
.l.lcDlRll0ll’S LAST lfllfll
Following is a‘copy of a letter
from Scan MacDermott to John
Daly, of Limerick, written the night
before he was shot by a British Erin-g
squad:
Kilmainham Prison,-
Diiblin, 11th May, 1916.
My Dear John:
just a wee note to bid you good-
I expect in a few hours to join
Tom in a better world. I have been
sentenced to a soldier’s death, to be
shot tomorrow morning. I have
nothing to say about this. only that
I look on it as a pan of the day's
workvto die that the Irish Nation
may live. Our blood will rebaptize
and reinvigorate the “Old Land."
Knowing this, it is superfluous to say
how happy I feel. I know now what
1 always felt, that the Irish Nation
can never die. Let present day
place-hunters condemn our action as
they will, posterity will judge us all
right from the effects of our ac-
tion.
I know I will meet you soon. Un-
til then good-bye. God guard and
protect you all in No. 15. You have
3 had a sure trial, but I know that you '
and Mrs. Daly and all the girls feel
proud in spite of a little temporary,
and natural grief that her son, and
the girls, their brother, as well asg
' om, are included in the list of hon-
ors.
Kindly remember me especially to
Mrs. Clarke, and tell her I am the
same Sean she always knew. God
bless you all. I
As ever,
Sincerely yours.
SEAN MacDlAR.MADA.
To Mr. John Daly, 15 Barrington
Street, Limerick.
.-
THE O'RAllILLY
Killed in the Battle of Dublin