James Larkin defends the Easter Rising and appeals to U.S. Socialists to remember the family of their old comrade James Connolly, as well as Michael Mallin and others of revolutionary Ireland suffering British repressing in the aftermath of 1916.

‘An Appeal From Ireland!’ by James Larkin from The American Socialist. Vol. 3 No. 28. January 20, 1917.

James Larkin, representing the Socialist and Labor forces of Ireland, appeared before the recent meeting of the party national executive committee and secured the hearty endorsement of the committee for an appeal in behalf of the victims of the April, 1916, Rebellion In Ireland. The appeal issued to the party membership and press is as follows:

Comrades:—Thanks to the goodwill and fellowship/ of the National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party, who at a special meeting held previous to the election, endorsed after hearing from a deputation as to the real purpose of the revolutionary movement in Ireland, and the outbreak in Dublin, April 24th, 1916, as to the need for an appeal for funds for the widows and dependents of the Socialist and Labor movement, who were killed or injured in that heroic protest against the brutal militarist domination, and murder lust that has overtaken Europe, which murder lust and militarist despotism is being forced upon the citizens of this so-called free Republic. It is essential for the success of such an appeal, that every Socialist in America, should know the truth, as to the causes for the Rebellion of April 1916, the personalities engaged therein and beyond all else, the purpose of the insurrection.

The Irish rebellion was brought to birth by men and women who had given service to the working class in all parts of the globe. It was not Anti-British or Pro-German, is was pro-human, and above and beyond all else the real organizers, the men and women who understood the realities behind the struggle, were convinced Socialists.

Admitting that we were identified to some extent with a section of our people, whose protest was more of an emotional, spiritual, and nationalistic character, the basis of the movement was primarily against this despotism of Imperialism and militaristic slavery, the natural outcome of the capitalist system. Every member of the Citizen Army had to be a member in good standing of an industrial union (that is of a trade union or general workers union), he had to pledge himself on oath, taken in public before his fellows, never to join or assist in any way in carrying on war, inside or outside Ireland against the peoples of another nation. That the purpose in life should be of the working class in Ireland, to usher in the Co-operative Commonwealth, based on an Industrial Democracy. The declaration these men and women signed was drafted by James Connolly, Michael Mallon, other members of the Socialist and Labor movement who are now imprisoned in England and whose names cannot be given, and the writer of this appeal.

The Citizen Army was organized in Cork city in 1908, it never at any time received money or other assistance from any person, group or movement, the whole of the expenses of the organization was drawn from the organized working class, thru their unions and the Independent Labor Party of Ireland, which is the Socialist Party. The headquarters of the movement, Liberty Hall, Dublin, was owned and controlled by the Union movement. I want to repeat again that every member of the Citizen Army before his fellows, in pubic meeting assembled upon joining, took an oath that he would not fight outside the boundaries of his own nation, except to assist the struggling revolutionary working class of another country. That they would take no orders from King, Kaiser, or any capitalist Government, but would march and fight only by the instruction of the common » people, and to preserve the rights of the common people. Refusing to be conscripted, preferring to die in Ireland, fighting the murderous satraps of the Empire, and to serve as hired assassins, to kill and maim by shooting members of the working class of any other country. This fact has got to be appreciated, that the Irish working class were the only peoples in Europe, of the countries affected by this accursed cataclysm of war. who refused to march at, the orders of the capitalist class, and sealed their protest in death, and it is to be further understood two days before war was declared in England, called upon their fellow workers in the countries affected, to join them in refusing to assist in any way either by transporting goods or munitions of war, or taking up the gun. This historical fact seems to be deliberately obscured. Whether you agree with these men and women in their protest, or not, you must admire the self-sacrifice of men and women who are not only prepared to live for the cause, but if needs be die for it. Practically all these men who died, wounded and imprisoned were married men with families depending upon them? Jim Connolly left seven children and a wife, Richard O’Carroll a wife and five children, Michael Mallon, a wife and four children, Billy Partridge, a wife and three children, these men were all active Union leaders as well as active members of the Socialist Party, so you will see the need and responsibility of providing for their families is a heavy one. Surely among the Socialist movement in this country, there are women and men who cherish the ideals these men and women in Ireland lived and died for, and it must be admitted the most glorious thing that happened during this carnival of blood lust in Europe, was the self-sacrificing devotion to the Cause, exemplified by these heroes and heroines. Surely Connolly’s old comrades, of the Socialist movement in this country will hearken to the appeal of his wife and bairns. I will take occasion later to explain the activities of the Irish Labor and Socialist movement, in more detail, but to any doubting Thomasses in the movement, I would refer them to the article written by Charles Edward Russell who surely nobody can charge with being Pro-German, but who on the contrary has expressed his sympathy on the side of the Allies, in this war. Writing from Dublin, he gives his conclusions which were transmitted in a syndicated article thru the Newspaper Enterprise Association, which syndicated story was deliberately killed by the newspapers of this country, so the truth may not be made public. The only exception being Pearsons’ Magazine, of course some of the Socialist papers carried the story, such as the New York Call and others. He says in one paragraph:—

“The fact is, that the revolt was a labor revolt and at bottom of it was nothing else.

“The cold, blunt fact remains just the same, it was at bottom a revolt of labor.

“Workingmen and their leaders, took up arms to overthrow the existing system of industry and to establish a Labor Republic.

“Heed a word, a word in season, for the day is drawing nigh, When the Cause shall call upon us, some to live and some to die, He that dies shall not die lonely, many a one hath gone before, He that lives shall bear no burden heavier than the one they bore. E’en the tidings we are telling, were the same for which they bled, E’en the Cause that our hearts cherish, was the same for which they fell.”

James Connolly and his comrades heard the call.

This appeal should have been issued during the election campaign but feeling the Comrades had sufficient responsibility to assume in prosecuting the fight we decided to postpone the appeal till after the battle had been fought to a decision. This we feel the Comrades will appreciate.

Send all contributions to the Irish Relief Fund, National Office, Socialist Party, 803 W. Madison St., Chicago, Ill.

The American Socialist, edited by J. Louis Engdahl, was the official Party newspaper of the Socialist Party of America in the years before World War One. Published in Chicago starting in 1914, the Appeal continued the semi-internal Socialist Party Official Bulletin founded in 1904 which became Party Builder in1913. The American Socialist closely followed the SP’s electoral challenges, Engdahl was often an SP candidate in Chicago as he edited the paper, and took an early and prominent anti-war position. With a circulation of around 60,000 the paper was one of the leading anti-war voices in the run up to US entry into World War One. The paper was suppressed by Federal authorities, along with much of the anti-war left, in 1917.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/american-socialist/v3n28-jan-20-1917-TAS.pdf