aging wholesale sabotage by its troops and police, to endeavor to crush the National movement for Irish independence. No effort has been made by the British Military Government in Ireland either to prevent these sackings or to punish its armed forces engaged in them. These towns have completely or partially fallen to rifle fire, bombs, and incendiary torches. The term "shot-up" used in the list indicates that in the place named British troops, without warning, fired along the streets and into residences of prominent Republicans. 1919 Fermoy, Co. Cork, sacked by troops. 1920 Thurles, Co. Tipperary, sacked by troops. Many shop windows in Dublin wrecked by troops. Apr. 26. Kilcommon, Co. Tipperary, partially wrecked by police. Several houses in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, wrecked by troops. 1. Houses at Thurles, Co. Tipperary, fired and bombed by police. Kilcommon, Co. Tipperary, "shot-up" by police. Limerick City again "shot-up" by police. June 23. June 23. Bantry, Co. Cork, partially sacked by police. Many houses at Bantry, Co. Cork, wrecked and fired by police. Lismore, Co. Waterford, sacked by troops. Many houses at Newcastle-West, Co. Limerick, wrecked and fired by police. Limerick City partially sacked by police. Kilcommon, Co. Tipperary, "shot-up" by police. Newspaper offices at Limerick City wrecked and fired by police. Midleton, Co. Cork, "shot-up" by troops. Residence at Ballylanders, Co. Limerick, bombed and wrecked by police. July 5. July 6. July 15. Tralee, Co. Kerry, partially sacked by police. July 16. July 16. Houses at Arklow, Co. Wicklow, bombed and wrecked by police. July 17. Cork City "shot-up" by police. July 18. Cork City "shot-up" by police. July 16. Ballagh, Co. Roscommon, partially sacked by police. July 21. July 22. July 19. Emly, Co. Limerick, "shot-up" by police. Creamery and houses wrecked. July 20. Houses at Limerick City wrecked and burned by police. July 20. National Foresters Hall at Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, wrecked by police. Houses at Limerick City bombed and wrecked by police. July 22. Leap, Co. Cork, sacked by police. July 23. Caltra, Co. Galway, partially sacked by police. July 30. July 31. Upperchurch, Co. Tipperary, partially sacked by police. July 31. Business premises at Cork City sacked by troops. Aug. 2. Aug. 5. Many houses at Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, partially wrecked by police. Doon, Co. Limerick, sacked by troops. Aug. 6. Rosegreen, Co. Tipperary, "shot-up" by police. Tralee, Co. Kerry, "shot-up" by police. 8. Houses at Kildorrery, Co. Cork, wrecked and looted by police. Aug. 13. Limerick City "shot-up" by police. Aug. 14. Aug. 15. Tralee, Co. Kerry, "shot-up" by troops and police. Aug. 16. Templemore, Co. Tipperary, partially sacked by police. Aug. 17. Creameries at Castleiny, Loughmore and Killea, Co. Tipperary, destroyed by police. Several houses at Dundalk, Co. Lotuh, wrecked by troops. Creamery at Knocklong, Co. Limerick, destroyed by police. Queenstown, Co. Cork, sacked by troops. Several houses wrecked and fired by police in Co. Limerick. Several houses at Salthill, Co. Galway, wrecked and fired by police. Sept. 20. Sept. 20. Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim, partially sacked by police. Sept. 20. Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, sacked by police. Sept. 21. Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, "shot-up" by police. Sept. 22. Drumshambo, Co. Leitrim, partially sacked by police. Sept. 22. Houses at Tuam, Co. Galway, and Galway City wrecked by police. Sept. 22. Ennistymon, Co. Clare, sacked by police. Sept. 22. Lahinch, Co. Clare, sacked by police. Sept. 22. Sept. 24. Sept. 24. Sept. 25. Sept. 25. Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, sacked by police. Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, "shot-up" by police. Sept. 27. Trim, Co. Meath, sacked by police. [VI] (b) A CENTURY OF COERCION The Coercion Act of 1920, which follows, marks the climax of England's coercive legislation against Irish liberties. ENGLAND'S COERCION ACT OF 1920 A BILL ENTITLED AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE BE IT ENACTED by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same, as follows: 1. (1) Where it appears to His Majesty in Council that, owing to the existence of a state of disorder in Ireland the ordinary law is inadequate for the prevention and punishment of crime or the maintenance of order, His Majesty in Council may issue regulations under the Defense of the Realm Consolidation Act, 1914, (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act) for securing the restoration and maintenance of order in Ireland, and as to the powers and duties for that purpose of the Lord Lieutenant and the Chief Secretary and of members of his Majesty's forces and other persons acting on his Majesty's behalf and in particular regulations for the special purposes hereinafter mentioned: It is provided that all regulations so made shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament as soon as may be after they are made, and if an address is presented to His Majesty by either House within the next fourteen days during the session of Parliament, after any such regulation is laid before it, praying that the regulation may be annulled, his Majesty may annul the regulation and it shall thenceforth be void, without prejudice to the validity of anything done thereunder, or to the power of making a new regulation, and the regulations shall not be deemed to be statutory rules within the meaning of Section One of the Rules Publication Act, 1893. (2). The provisions of the principal Act with respect to the trial by courtmartial or courts of summary jurisdiction and punishment of persons committing offenses against the Defense of the Realm Regulations, shall extend to the trial of persons alleged to have committed, and the punishment on conviction of persons who have committed crimes in Ireland, whether before or after the passing of this Act, including persons committed for trial or against whom indictment have been found so, however, that (a) Any crime when so tried shall be punishable with the punishment assigned to the crime by statute or common law; (b) A court-martial when trying a person charged with a crime punishable by death shall include as a member of the court one person (who need not be an officer, or, if an officer, need not possess such qualifications as is mentioned in subsection [3] of section 48 of the Army Act) nominated by the Lord Lieutenant, being a person certified by the Lord Chancellor of Ireland or the Lord Chief Justice of England to be a person of legal knowledge and experience; and regulations under the Principal Act may be made accordingly. (3) Regulations so made may also (a) Provide that a court of summary jurisdiction, when trying a per son charged with a crime or with an offense against the regulations or when hearing and determining any application with respect to a recognizance, shall, except in the Dublin Metropolitan police district, be constituted of two or more resident magistrates, and that a court of quarter sessions, when hearing and determining an appeal against a conviction of a court of summary jurisdiction for any such crime or offense, or against an order made on any such application shall be constituted of the recorder or county court judge sitting alone; (b) Confer on a court-martial the powers and jurisdiction exercizable by justices or any other civil court for binding persons to keep the peace or be of good behavior, for estreating and enforcing recognizances, and for compelling persons to give evidence and to produce documents before the court; (c) Confer on persons authorized to summon witnesses before a courtmartial the power of issuing warrants for compelling persons to attend as witnesses, and any warrant so issued shall have the like effect and be executed in a like manner as if issued by a justice or court of summary jurisdiction having jurisdiction in the place in which it is executed; (d) Authorize the imposition by courts-martial of fines in addition to or in substitution for any other punishments for offenses against the regulations as well as for crimes, and provide for the manner in which such fines are to be enforced; (e) Authorize the conveyance to and detention in any of His Majesty's prisons in any part of the United Kingdom of any persons upon whom a sentence of imprisonment has been passed in Ireland, whether before or after the passing of this Act; (f) Provide for any of the duties of coroner and coroner's jury being performed by a court of inquiry constituted under the Army Act instead of by the coroner and jury; (g) Provide that where the Court house or other building in which any court is usually held, has been destroyed or rendered unfit or is otherwise unavailable for the purpose, the court may be held in such other court house or building as may be directed by the Lord Lieutenant; (h) Authorize the trial without a jury of any action, counter claim, civil bill issue, cause or matter in the High Court or a county Court in Ireland which, apart from this provision, would be triable with a jury; (i) Provide for the retention of sums payable to any local authority from the Local Taxation (Ireland) Account, or from any Parliamentary grant, or from any fund administered by any Government department or public body where the local authority has in any respect refused or failed to perform its duties, or for the purpose of discharging amounts awarded against the local authority in respect of compensation for criminal injuries or other liabilities of the local authority and for the application of the sums so retained in or towards the purpose aforesaid. (4) Any such regulations may apply either generally to the whole of Ireland or to any part thereof, and may be issued at any time, whether before or after the termination of the present war, and the principal Act shall continue in force so far as may be necessary for that purpose, and the regulations may contain such incidental, supplemental, and consequential provisions as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act, and shall have effect as if enacted in this Act. (5) Section two of the Defense of the Realm (Amendment) Act, 1915, shall apply to proceedings before a court-martial in respect of a crime or an offense against the regulations, but save as aforesaid that Act shall not apply. (6) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires: The expression "crime" means any treason, treason-felony, felony, misdemeanor, or other offense punishable, whether on indictment or on summary conviction by imprisonment or by any greater punishment other than offenses against the Defense of the Realm Regulations: The expression "person committed for trial" shall include a person who has entered into a recognizance conditioned to appear and plead to an indictment or to take his trial upon any criminal charge, or who has been committed to prison there to await his trial for any crime. 2. This Act may be cited as the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act, 1920. This most recent act of coercion is but an intensified form of earlier acts of suppression of public and personal liberty. A partial list follows: 45 and 46 Victoria 25 Prevention of crime. 1881 44 and 45 Victoria 14 Habeas Corpus Suspension. |