Copy of a letter to William St John Brodrick, 15 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923

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Letter to William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, (1856-1942). St John Broderick was a British Conservative Party and Irish Unionist Alliance politician.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Carson Papers, D1507/A/17/19 https://letters1916.ie/item/4325 English 1916-06-15 William St John Broderick Politics Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Politics World War I (1914-1918)

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 PRIVATE> 15th June 1916. Dear Lord Midleton, I am very glad to hear that there is a prospect of vigorous opposition to the impudent efforts of our so—called Coalition Government to instal a Sinn Fein administration in Dublin as the aftermath of the landing of Casement and the horrible outrages in the Irish capital in which many British officers and men perished. No-one has dared to advance any serious argument for the monstrous proposal, but for one reason or another unintelligible to the onlooker, we are exhorted to acquiesce in this cowardly capitulation. It is surely one of the most pitiable events of our time, which is saying a great deal, and all of a piece with the record of the Coalition. After the many painful experiences we have had in recent years Unionists have no right to be surprised at any betrayal of principle by their leaders, or rather misleaders. However it is not from the party point of view that one regards this or anything else as such a crisis, but from the national point of view. It is not a question con— fined to the Irish factions, whether in the North, the South, the East or the West of the country. It vitally affects the whole United Kingdom and the British Empire, to say nothing of our Allies. If the War has taught us anything it is surely obvious that we cannot afford to allow a hostile Government to be established on our flank, either from the military or the naval point of view, as with the probable development of arrangements in the future, aviation and sub— marines, etc., the position will become ten times more dangerous than in the past. As you well know, the Sinn Fein movement is very formidable and very widespread in many parts of Ireland and we are, in the old familiar phrase, asked to provide a revolution with its "armed plant". Dillon's "indiscreet" and infamous speech in the House of Commons gave us a glimpse of the spirit by which the new Irish Government would be animated. It would be superfluous to mention the inevitable effect on Egypt and India of the premium which Asquith and Co. propose to place on treason. In the present state of Parliament with its pain— ful lack of independence in both Houses, especially in the Commons, it may be difficult to arouse opposition, but I would most strongly urge that every effort should be made and that it should not be confined to Irishmen alone, because Englishmen have an immense stake in this question. It is too long to discuss in a letter but there is one point which I would particularly urge, namely, that in past years the House of Lords was the cock—shy of Demagogues for its supposed subservience to the Unionist leaders, and was wont to be described on Radical platforms as "a branch of the Carlton Club". Now it has an opportunity of showing its real independence by throwing out a measure as danger— ous to Great Britain as the Declaration of London is now seen to have been, and one which is recommended to the House of Lords by the Unionist leaders or rather misleaders no less than by the Radical confederates with whom they are now hand in glove. Yours sincerely, Please forgive typewriting, which is due to writers' cramp.