Leaf 4 recto

4

the whole question, because Patrick Forde of the
Irish World challenged me upon it ^{in a private letter} and wanted to
know why I did not take up politics & make the
League an adjunct to the Irish Parliamentary party -
My answer was perhaps the best paper I ever
wrote. I showed how the bulk of the branches
were run by officers & secretaries who were largely
either National Teachers or Customs and Excise
officers, how these men were precluded by
rigid rules from taking part in anything pol-
-itical, how many of them were full of national
feeling of the best type but could find no outlet
for it. How we provided an outlet and let
loose a lot of energy for the good of Ireland