Letter from Herbert Pim to John Sweetman, 21 October 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from Herbert Pim to John Sweetman, 21 October 1916

1 65, University Road, Belfast 21st October 1916 My dear Mr. Sweetman, I am extremely obliged for your valuable
letter which I shall publish in the issue of 29th inst. You must forgive me for not replying to your first letter;
but really the amount of correspondence which has poured into
this house would frighten any white man. We have taken the
public fancy with a vengeance. The Nation League went down at the
first blow; Judge in this week's Irish Nation , says he must
stand aside, although doing so means a great sacrifice. Seen
we shall have all the 'safe' men and all the advanced men crowding
into the Sinn Fein movement; but by that time the right people
will be in command in each district. I am issuing five little
tracts at once, price ; and instructions for the formation of
clubs will be published in the next issue. Belfast is at work,
& has conrad secured suitable premises. I see you refer to
Mr. John W. Griffith in your letter for publication, and to Sir
John Griffith in your letter to me. Is this a case of father &
son? Where does Sir John Griffith reside? & could you
communicate with him on my behalf? He might be inclined to
write me at your suggestion. I see in this Sinn Fein revival
a safety valve for national aspiration, which will prevent internal
disturbance and dissention, & will avoid invincible methods. I think the Coal question, the Harbour Board question
& the coming potato famine in Connacht are the most important at the
moment. Blight has set in all over Connacht. The Harbour boards
can 2 can be compelled to reduce the expert of foodstuffs, & public
opinion must send those foodstuffs to the West. We have our hands
full. Wait until the time of the bag meetings comes, & you
will see the largest gathering in Phoenix Park that ever was known
or ever will be known. And the fine thing will be that the meeting
will represent a dynamic force, not a mere gathering of listeners;
but a body of men whose activity for Ireland's welfare will become
evident in each action of their future life in Ireland

Yours very sincerely,
Herbert Pim

The letter is from Herbert Moore Pim (1883-1950) to John Sweetman (1844-1936). Pim was a political activist and writer. He had joined the Irish Volunteers in 1914, published a pamphlet series entitled 'Tracts of our times', including writing by Patrick Pearse, and in early 1916 founded the literary and political monthly, 'The Irishman'. Sweetman was a member of Sinn Féin and patron to Arthur Griffith. In 1915 he spoke out against conscription and was arrested in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising. This letter refers to politics and the Sinn Fein movement with Pim mentioned that the Sinn Fein revival would prevent internal dissent and 'Invincible methods', i.e. violence. It also refers Sir John Griffith and his son, former and current chief engineers at Dublin Port and to potato blight which had set in in Connacht, suggesting reducing the export of foodstuffs and sending them to the West of Ireland instead.

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__5605.html)