The next step is to establish an Irish mercantile marine similar to that
of Scotland and Norway. Ireland has no steamers; Scotland has many and,
according to the Sinn Feiners, there is no reason why there should not
be as large a fleet sailing from that country.
It is proposed to establish an independent consular service of Irishmen
in the principal capitals and commercial centers of the world where a
market may be found for Irish produce. These consuls are to act
independently of the regular representatives of Great Britain and devote
themselves entirely to Irish interests.
The proposed parliament shall take immediate steps to plant trees all
over the island, which, it is asserted, will result in raising the mean
temperature at least four degrees and thus render the soil doubly
fruitful. The tree planting is to be done under the direction of the
poor-law boards, which are to employ the inmates of the poor-houses so
far as their physical condition will permit, in planting, watering, and
looking after the young trees.
The parliament is to establish national courts of law entirely
independent of the present courts which are to be entirely boycotted by
the people. It is declared to be the duty of every Irishman to submit
all disputes to the arbitration of his neighbors who are to serve
without pay. The national courts are to be composed of the justices of
the peace already elected by the people, who shall sit outside the
regular legal hours and terms of court, so as to avoid complications.
A national stock exchange is to be established which shall deal only in
Irish securities, and a system of banks which shall limit their dealings
to natives of Ireland and encourage the transfer of the $250,000,000 of
Irish money alleged to be now deposited in the English banks and
invested in English securities, to Irish banks and Irish securities, and
to encourage its investments in active industries and public works, to
develop the resources of Ireland and to give employment to Irish labor.
One of the principal planks in the Sinn Fein platform is to boycott the
British army and navy. It is asserted that Ireland supplies more
fighting men for the British empire than England; that 354 Irishmen out
of every 10,000 of its population are British soldiers, while only 276
out of every 10,000 in England go into the army. If the Irish would
refuse to enlist it would paralyze the military service of the empire,
and deal a serious blow to British prosperity by drawing a large number
of the employees of the shops and factories into the army and navy.
Another form of boycott recommended is for all Irishmen to refuse
appointments in the British civil service and the constabulary on the
theory that every Irishman who accepts employment from the British
government takes up arms against Ireland and becomes the active enemy of
his country, "being employed to keep a hostile country up, and to keep
his own country down."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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