Life — April 27, 1922 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

W Pay APRIL 27, 1922 London Offic ATTERS in Ireland go on in a troubled fashion, but they go on. Frederick Palmer was there in March and searched out the factors in the situation with all his ability as a faithful man and a trained reporter. He found three-fourths of Ireland for the treaty, but not fully aware of it because the control of propaganda was still in the hands of the De Valera faction and each county in Southern Ireland, though aware that it wanted peace and the agreement, believed that it was the only county that did. Colonel Palmer, writing in the mid- dle of March, said that the real brains and punch of De Valera’s Irish Re- public Party was in Erskine Childers, lately Secretary to the Ir that negotiated the Free State Treaty, and not an Irishman at all, but a Prot- estant, of English birth, with an Amer- ican wife who is a descendant of John Hancock. Childers, a graduate of Cam- bridge University, is a convert to the independent Ireland idea, and full of fanatical ardor about it, a good part of which, Colonel Palmer reports, is sup- plied by his wife. The elements of disorder in Ireland work with this fac- tion, with De Valera as its figurehead, and with Childers and Mrs. Childers behind him. They propose apparently to control the majority in Ireland by force and terrorism. Collins is under the disadvantage of not having a con- venient organized military or police force with which to keep them in order. Such a force must be provided and doubtless will be in time, for Collins and Griffith are able men, and if, as Colonel Palmer says, the people in Ire- land are three to one in favor of a Free State agreement, that agreement seems bound to win in the end. “While there is Life there’s Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY , Rolls House, Breams Bldgs., 598 Madison Avenue, New York So if we hear of fighting in Ireland we must not be dismayed or think the Free State is not going to win out. Probably there will have to be fighting. Colonel Palmer speaks of an institution now existing and active there which is known as the Corner Boys. The Corner Boys seem to be gangsters or Hooligans. They are against the Free State gov- ernment, and will queer the elections if they can and raise such hob as is prac- ticable. The orderly Irish, who want peace and have a natural appetite for the prosperity that will come with it, have got to take care of the Corner Boys. No one else could do it to advantage. W political toilet, cleaned up and hed its face, and produced a police force competent to keep order, it ought to be one of the most attractive places on earth for Americans to visit. All the prosperity it can hold is waiting for it. Meanwhile a vast goodwill goes out from this country to the Free State and its champions who are trying to win for Irishmen the greatest chance in a thousand years to show what Irishmen can do. There is no encouragement here for croakers who -say that the Irish are not capable of self-govern- ment. They must be capable of it and must show their capacity. It may take time, but Ireland has got as much time as the rest of the world. If worst came to worst, Great Britain might do for her what the United States did for Cuba, send troops to put down insur- rection and presently withdraw them. But things must be very bad before that remedy in Ireland would be either ac- ceptable or useful. Vol. 79. No. 2060 London, E. C. E have goings-on in this country that are quite awful—hold-ups quite extraordinary, murders a great many, highly remarkable and_ sensa- tional preaching by some ministers, ex- traordinary breaches of the Volstead Law, countless activities of bootleggers and illicit whisky makers, a vociferous scrap over Darwinism between Mr. Bryan and a lot of professors—but those of us who happen not to have been shot or put in jail take it all fairly easy and do not think our social order is going to smash. Even the coal strike fails to listurb us very much. We believe that that will work out, and that in duc time somebody will dig up some more coal, and we hope the final adjustment will secure to the miners better liv con- ditions and more satisfaction with life. Being accustomed to go about un- harmed, and have due sleep and suffici- ent food, we think things. will adjust themselves presently to the way we are used to, so we are philosophic about everything and in a good position to be philosophic about Ireland, which to be sure, has not as yet a strong traiition of peaceful life induced and maintained by Irishmen, but is in a wonderfully fine position to get such a tradition started. For us, that the banks and post office are sending out armored cars for the transportation of funds in the city streets is just an interesting sign of how disturbed the times are. We too have Corner Boys, quite a lot of them, and can sympathize with Ireland in the troubles they make. One can't ex- pect a new era to get started anywhere in the world without some jolts. E. S. M. comicbooks.com