It was due especially to the efforts of Sir Roger Casement that the Irish extremists re ceived extensive financial and moral support from Irish-American organizations who were in sympathy with their policy. In December 1914 he proceeded to Germany and there, through previously established connections, suc ceeded in gaining financial support and promises of actual assistance with arms and men from the German government. In the meantime his co workers in Ireland had concentrated their ener gies to improving the organization of the Vol unteers. As many arms and as much ammuni tion as could be bought and smuggled into Ire land were assembled and distributed. The men were drilled and manoeuvres were held, which naturally did not escape the attention of the au thorities. But the latter underestimated both the extent and strength of the movement and did nothing to suppress it. Late in March 1916 the police at Tullamore, King's County, at tempted to disarm the local Volunteers as a result of a hostile demonstration made before their meeting place. A few days later the Council of the Volunteers issued the following manifesto, which practically amounted to a dec laration of war, though even that failed to arouse the authorities at Dublin Castle or the Chief Secretary, Mr. Birrell, in London; °With regard to the recent proceedings of the govern ment towards the Irish Volunteers, the Council . . . wish to warn the public that the gen eral tendency of the government's action is to force a highly dangerous situation . . . the Volunteers cannot submit to being disarmed either in numbers or detail without surrender ing and abandoning the position they have held at all times since their first formation. The raiding for arms and the attempted disarming of men, therefore, in the natural course of things can only he met by resistance and blood shed. None of the Irish Volunteers recognize, or will ever recognize, the right of the govern ment to disarm them or to imprison their offi cers and men in any fashion.° The manifesto also suggested that the hostile demonstrations by crowds were carried on under government approval. As an offset to this it may be said that the government, having its hands full with the war in Europe, was most anxious above all things to prevent any rupture in Ireland, and made no single move whatever that might lead to any outbreak by provocation. They deliber ately shut their eyes and refused to see the smouldering volcano that was soon to burst into fierce eruption.
By 12 April 1916 Sir Roger Casement had completed his arrangements with the German authorities and set out from Wilhelmshaven in a submarine, accompanied by another submarine and the steamship Aud, bearing arms and muni tions. The British government was fully ad vised of his activities and plans; he was seized shortly after landing on Good Friday, 21 April 1916, near Ardfert on the southwest coast of Ireland. The Aud was stopped by a British patrol boat, and when about to be taken into Queenstown was abandoned by her German crew after being scuttled. The vessel sank, her entire crew was captured, and the submarines made their escape. As soon as the news of Casement's capture and the failure of his expe dition was received at Dublin Castle, a meeting of the executive authorities was held on Satur day, 22 April, at which it was decided to issue warrants for the arrest of all the Sinn Fein leaders of the Volunteers. These warrants were promptly signed by the Lord Lieutenant, Lord Wimborne. The authorities were natu rally well aware that the arrests, which were to be accompanied by the wholesale seizure of the Volunteer headquarters and the confiscation of arms and munitions, could not be accom plished without considerable fighting. As the
number of troops available at the time in Dub lin seemed insufficient for the purpose, it was decided to postpone the execution of the plan for a few days until reinforcements should. ar rive. It appears that every move decided on by the British authorities promptly found its way to Volunteer headquarters, but direct news about Casement's failure was still lacking. A party of Sinn Feiners had been sent from Dub lin in an automobile to meet Casement; on their arrival at the coast they learned of Casement's arrest and immediately set back for Dublin at full speed. The car, however, came to grief on the road and every occupant excepting only the chauffeur was killed.
While the officials were 'deliberating in Dub lin Castle, the Volunteer leaders were also gathered in conclave on 22 April. Opinion was divided as to the most desirable step to be taken next. The majority. apparently advocated carrying through the original plan — the instant mobilization of all the Volunteer forces throughout Ireland. What was actually de cided upon at that meeting cannot be stated with any degree of certainty, but on the fol lowing day, Saturday, John MacNeill published over his signature in the Irish newspapers an order that °Owing to the very critical position, all orders given to Irish Volunteers for to morrow, Easter Sunday, are hereby rescinded, and no parades, marches or other movements of Irish Volunteers will take place. Each mdi vidual Volunteer will obey this order strictly iii every particular.* At the eleventh hour it seemed that wiser counsels would prevail, but at another meeting of the leaders on that Sun day the bellicose majority carried the day, and it was decided to go ahead regardless of con sequences. In face of the confusion that wat sure to result from MacNeill's order, and in spite of the knowledge that this order would practically cancel whatever uprisings had been planned in the districts outside of Dublin, the decision for immediate action was largely in fluenced by the feeling that MacNeill's pub lished order would mislead the authorities and throw them off the scent. In this assumption the Sinn Feiner, were justified by results, for when the rebellion actually broke out it caught the British authorities entirely off their guard: In order to lull them still further into a false feeling of security, another command was pub lished over the signatures of MacDonagh and Edward de Valera which read: aAs publicly announced the inspection and manoeuvres ordered for this day are canceled. All Volun teers are to stay in Dublin until further orders.* On the morning of Easter Monday, however, the following order was issued: (Dublin Brigade Order, Headquarters, 24 April 1916. The four city battalions will parade for inspection and route march at 10 A.M. to-day. Commandants will arrange cen tres. Full arms and and one day's rations.* it was signed by i-'earse and Mac Donagh. Not even then did the mass of the Volunteers know what their leaders had de cided on. They obeyed the order and when at the very last moment they were told that it had been decided to start immediate action, they proved how successfully they had been trained and disciplined in loyalty by following unquestioningly the lead of the men who now summoned them to active rebellion against the British government.