In its recent memorial to President Wilson the Sinn Fein party said that it was fighting "not against bad government by England but" against government by England." Every act that we read of it proves that this is indeed its aim and it is unfortunately beyond dispute that in considerable parts of Ireland it is not English law which prevails but the law of Sinn Fein, which sets up its own tribunals, issues its own edicts and by the most formidable and ruthless terrorism gets them obeyed. Do the English Trade Unionists who have been interviewing Mr. Lloyd George reatly imagine that their' Irish coffeagues can dictate to or cajole or otherwise bring into the path of decency and civilization the rabid and murderous associates of De Valera? Further, can they not see what would be the effect of giving Ireland a Dominion form of Home Rule? It is we believe, a fact that if any of the Dominions suddenly decided to cut adrift from the Empire there is no force short of arms which could stop its doing so. Are the English Trade Unionists anxious to give the Sinn Feiners this liberty?' One would be much surprised to hear that English working men, for whom the Trade Union Congress professes to speak, would wish it so. One cannot but feel satisfaction at the unequivocal snub which Mr. Lloyd George administrated to Mr. Thomas and his fellows. Sympathy with the aims of Labour as regards betterment of the worker's condition is one thing. To admit the unsolicited advice, in matter of such delicacy as Ireland, of a body which has proved itself by repeated actions to be the most parochially minded; the least open to any interest but its own, of any organization existing,.is quite another. It is time that strong stand was taken against the tyranny of the Labour caucus.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.