I dont care much for mixing the Irish Politics with the European War

TCD MS 11274/62 folio 3 recto

TCD MS 11274/62 folio 3 recto

[28 February [1917]]

On re-reading of your letter what indictments are you not pouring on his <(Dillons)> head! I dont think what he <Dillon> says is important, his parliamentary name you know is the “melancholy humbug”. I dont care much for mixing the Irish Politics with the European War because it is shaking to the faith and bad for the belief that man is good. I agree with you that it sounds uncommonly cruel and heartless to obtrude a case of “peace politics” to the detriment of war affairs. Still you must remember dearie that the tale of Ireland bears as acute a tragedy as any here and if you are to be faithful and consistent to your ideas as regards the relations between Ireland & England there is nothing wrong in seeing Ireland as your goal and the rest of the world merely as a means towards your goal. That, I mean, is the legitimate reasoning impossible perhaps to you or to me who have known English friends but to the Sein Fein just the ordinary course of thinking. That is why I cannot defend your attitude and Olives re the Rebellion. To say “so many good lives thrown away for a foolish cause or an imaginary cause etc” applies with equal force to any war and very strongly to the European War as perhaps Olive would indeed