s, and I
maintain that the evidence is undeniable.

The attitude of "conscientious objectors" to militarism in England is
England's own affair. Yet I cannot, in my own mind, separate the
personality of Sir John Simon from that of John Hampden. No doubt
ship-money was necessary, and it was the patriotic thing to give it up,
and no doubt the same applies to men for the Army: but when it came to
the principle of the King taking money without the consent of
Parliament, John Hampden thought it his duty to the traditions of his
country to resist, just as Sir John Simon thought it his duty to the
traditions of the British conscience to passively protest--but that
again, I say, is a matter for Englishmen.

The attitude of the Irish conscientious objector, however, has always
been of a more militant form, and this began to assert itself among the
labour leaders in Ireland through the medium of the more outspoken of
the English labour leaders. Whereas in England the masses of workers are
naturally loyal, in Ireland loyalty is a sustained effort against the
grain of tradition. Hence, while in England the right to rebel fell on
unsympathetic soil, in Ireland it merely relit the smouldering embers of
past grievances into flame.

For there had been a growing epidemic of the phrase "Shoot them,"
applied almost indiscriminately, like a quack panacea, by political
orators to every opponent on every conceivable subject since the war,
and this was producing the most evil results.

Two quotations may suffice from the work by J. Bruce Glasier on
"Militarism," which was freely circulated in Dublin by means of Liberty
Hall, to illustrate the strength of the feeling on this subject:--

"Although Great Britain is suffering neither from invasion from without
nor insurrection from within, the military authorities are not only in
command of the defences of our shores but of the civil authorities, and
the whole population of the realm. The birthrights of British
citizenship embodied in the Magna Charta, Habeas Corpus, and Bill of
Rights are no longer inviolable. Martial Law--that is to say, military
despotism--may be put in operation at will by the military commanders.
Civilians may be seized and tried by Army officers, and even sentenced
to any penalty short of death without appeal to trial by jury. Our War
Lord is made virtual dictator. A military censorship has been
established over the Press and public meetings. Military officers may
ente