From the May 1906 issue of the Socialist Standard
The Gaelic American. (New York.) In offering a new Mauser rifle, with knife-bayonet and ammunition, to readers securing subscribers, says in explanation,
"Ireland can only be made free by driving out the English. That can only be done by physical force. Physical force means war and the essential thing in modern war is good shooting . . . Until Irishmen learn to shoot straight they might as well be "whistling jigs to milestones" as talking of turning the English out of Ireland. Nothing but good shooting will drive them out . . . The Irish Nationalist in America who means business will learn to shoot. …"
However much we may regret that such spirited determination is evoked for an object which, even if realised, could only mean a change of masters for the Irish working class and not an appreciable change of condition, the unequivocal terms in which the reasons are expressed compel admiration.
1 comment:
Hat tip to ALB for originally scanning this in.
Two points:
1) The early issues of the Socialist Standard would always includes a column where they acknowledged publications received. John Devoy's Gaelic American newspaper from New York was always included on that list.
2) It sometimes forgotten that there were a fair cluster of Irish Socialists within the early SPGB, including many who'd originally been in the Irish Republican Socialist Party. The more obvious ones were Lehane, McEntee, Fitzgerald and Foan but there were others.
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