The complete change of front by the Executive was recorded
in the papers of Thursday. By midnight on Wednesday sixty-six prisoners had been released. The soldiers and the tanks had been withdrawn from the prison gates, and the relations of the prisoners had been given free access to the hunger-strikers without any restrictions. The Irish Trade Union Congress then declared that the general strike was ended. Mr. J. H. Thomas, who was in Dublin, spoke to the people and told them that they had won a great victory. -The Daily Herald of Thursday, after its manner, rubbed in that conclusion, and told its readers that everything had been gained by Direct Action —which by inference is the policy of the future. We do not know, though we have our suspicions, what the British manual worker thinks of the Daily Herald's description of the hunger- strikers as " these gallant men." These " gallant men " were in fact arrested because of the strong suspicion that they had been aiding the policy of assassination in Ireland. If incitement to murder could not be proved against them, they had at all events all used language treasonable and seditious to the last degree.
