Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31
WHERE THE FUND GOES
Use of Contributions to United
Irish League.
NO SALARIES ARE PAID
Expenditures Explained by William
F. Downey.
WORK CARRIED ON IN DUBLIN
Meeting of the Financial Obliga-
lions and Responsibilities Of
the Nationalist Party.
WORK CARRIED ON IN DUBLIN

The question is often asked. wv hat
becomes of the money sent to Ireland
through the United Irish League?' This
query was propounded TO William F.
Downey one of the most active workers
of the league by Star reporter last
night
In reply he said not one cent of the
funds raised here is used for salaries
of any of the officers of the United Irish
League of America. They give their
services free, and besides paying from
their own pockets for their travelling ex-
penses they also contribute literally to
the fund.
Were it not for the moral and finan-
cial aid they receive from the auxiliary
in America" Mr.. Downey said. ethey
could not successfully carry on the wcrk.
The Irish people in Ireland and the Irish
race everywhere will in the future. as
in the past, respond literally to the ap-
peal of the Irish party that the national
treasury shall not lack funds to fight the
fight for home rule with assurance of
victory. What use will be made of the
money? How will the contributions sent
from America and elsewhere to the
national trustees in Ireland be expended?
On this point John Redmond gave full
and satisfactory Information in his speech
at the Boston convention. He explained
the origin CT the Irish party and the
financial obligation the formation of that
party necessarily imposed on patriotic
Irishmen. He said:
Party Founded by Parnell.
What is the history of the national
party in parliament? When Parnell came
on the scene Irish counties and cities
elected as their representatives men
drawn from the wealthy classes. Those
men went to London to obtain office or
emolument for themselves. to obtain dig
mites for themselves. to obtain Office and
emolument for their friends. to obtain
an entree into high society circles. for
their wives and daughters Those men
were swept out of existence by Parnell.
He replaced them by poor men, drawn
from the people and not from the wealthy
class of the country. And he said to the
Irish people. ''Inasmuch as there is no
emolument Salary attaching to the of
flee of member of parliament, and In
asmuch as l am going to get these men
(the men of the Irish party to publicly
pledge themselves never to accept any
honor or office or emolument for them
selves or their friends from any English
party, / ask you to give me fund
which will be sufficient to save these men
from temptation-which will be sufficient
to enable them without ruin to their
business to attend in parliament" And
from that day to this such fund has
been provided
mat Is one necessity LOT a national
fund-to enable honest Irishmen to at
tend In parliament to do Ireland's bust
ness honestly there" Mr.. Downey con-
tinued.
Work Carried on in Dublin.
But OF course 1t is not the only need
for mooey in the Irish movement. which
involves great deal of other work, in
dispensable and costly as Mr.. Redmond
thus noted:
''But that (referring to the support Of
the party in parlamenD Is in one sense q
small part of the expense Of running the
national movement. We maintain in Dub
lin an Office within whosee walls. practic-
ally speaking, the government of Ireland
is carried on. From that Office We direct
operations for the working of the laborers'
acts: we prepare bills for presentation to
parliament: and we attend to and meet
the great expense of registration OF
voters, which is a very different matter
there from what 1t is here Tin Amer1ca).
Registration of voters. according to Brit
ish law, is a most expensive operation,
and in all the eighty or more nationalist
constituencies and in many of the hostile
constituencies where we put up fight
we have to bear the expense of carrying
out the registration law. From that
Office of ours we direct the elections when
ganizers, we provide the election expenses
because. remember. the official expenses
Of elections are borne by the candidates
IN Ireland: not by the state as here. Each
candidate has to pay the sheriff and all
the officers, the expense of polling and
everything. We have to provide the ma
chinery for elections. We have to pro-
vide the money for official and official
expenses from that office.
Caring for the Evicted.
And even all this does not give full
idea of the financial obligations and re-
sponsibilities of the Irish party in con-
nect'on with the national movement" Mr..
Downey explained. They have had and
still have to take care of the evicted
tenants-the wounded soldiers of the and
war-not yet restored to their homes as
to which Mr.. Redmond mentioned that
within the last four years, out Of the
money that came from America and
abroad, which for the most part was con-
tributed for the Irish party alone. there
was expended at the very least $4,000 In
grants to those evicted tenants in different
parts of the country
Moreover, the party and the league
have had to expend considerable sums
in the important business OF helping in
the working OF the land act of 1903. SO
that the people might gain the fullest
and they have had to issue at much ex-
pense home rule literature not only in
Ireland but throughout the constituencies
of Great Britain to cOunteraCt the anti
home rule and anti-1rish publications of
the uniOnist party.
Too Great Burden for Ireland.
1T will be easily understood therefore
that very large fund. fund constant
ly maintained at a high standard. is in
dispensable to the efficient carrying on of
the Irish national movement. Such a
work the maintaining of such a fund.
is beyond the power OF. the Irish people
themselves They are too poor to do il.
AS Mr.. Redmond observed in his appeal
at the convention The people in Ire
land have done and are doing their best.
They have subscribed and are subscribing
literally, but they have not been able out
of their poverty to provide in the past
sufficient money to run the national move
ment efficiently and they cannot do it
today. They have to fight wealthy
enemies OF their cause. Enaided they
cannot do it, and the national mcve-
ment. If shorn of assistance from the
Irish In other parts of the world, would
be crippled IN its power. 1t would never
die. because there Is enshrined in 1t a
soul that IS immortal 1t could never
die. but half Its power and value would
disappear il shorn of assistance from
America.
THAT assistance will never be found
wanting to the Irish cause Mr.. Downey
concluded. $50 long as the flag of nation
Il L., ty.S. It-A1