On This Day / October 14, 1920

Summary: On This Day – 14th October 1920, Chief Secretary Hamar Greenwood defended the Home Rule Bill in Belfast and announced a new Special Constabulary, brushing aside concerns over expelled Catholic workers. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.

Divided Ireland | On This Day – 14th October 1920

SPEAKING at a luncheon in Belfast City Hall yesterday, Sir Hamar Greenwood, Chief Secretary for Ireland, said the Government were going on with the Home Rule Bill.

A system of Special Constabulary composed of ‘selected and patriotic men’ under the control of the RIC was to be set up immediately.

The Chief Secretary, who was accompanied by Sir John Anderson, Under-Secretary [in Dublin Castle] and Sir Ernest Clark, Assistant Under-Secretary, received a deputation from the Ulster Unionist Council and also a deputation of Labour delegates regarding the question of unemployment.

The Lord Mayor said the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland was no doubt a very anxious one in view of the troubled state of the country.

He could assure him that the more he saw of the North of Ireland, the more he would realise how proud they were of their part in the greatness of the United Kingdom and the British Empire.

Sir Hamar Greenwood, who was received with applause, said he had heard them sing the National Anthem and he profoundly regretted that the same Anthem was not sung in all parts of the country.

The Government would not tolerate an independent Ireland. (Applause.)

We believe in the imperial and strategical unity of these islands.

The real bar to the peace of Ireland and the passing of a Bill that will enable Irishmen to govern their affairs is a campaign of deliberate, callous murder, arson and intimidation.

No government – no civilised government – could tolerate that. We are breaking that terror.

Unemployment Raised

WE understand that the purpose of the Labour Conference was to find the cause of unemployment.

A Councillor [John Harkin] attempted to raise the case of the Expelled Workers.

However, strong opposition was raised to this by members of the Ulster Unionist Labour Party and on the assurance of the Chief Secretary that he had the matter under consideration, the subject was dropped.

[Editor’s note: A Lloyd George Liberal, Greenwood’s sympathies lay with the Unionists who dominated the deputations he met.

In this atmosphere of mutual admiration, the issue of the 8,000 expelled Catholic workers was easily brushed aside.

The U U L A was set up by Carson as a working-class satellite.]

On This Day – 14th October 1920

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