The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1917-06-24
GERMAN INTRIGUE IN SAVANNAH

States to demand of England the com
plete independence of Ireland are eau
toned that such an act Is one of dis
loyalty TO the United States. Doubt
| less the signers were ignorant of the
underlying motive behind the circula-
ton of the petition. says the Macon
| Telegraph.
| To get down to facts. Recently the
Irish World, which espouses the cause
of a free Ireland and whose readers
belong to that class of idealistic sons
of Erin who can see but one Ireland.
has devoted page after page to the
following petition:
We. as American citizens. respect
fully state 10 the government of the
United States that ireland is a dis
tinct nation. deprived of her liberty
by force and held in subsection by
England by military power alone. AS
America has entered the war for The
preservation of democracy and the
freedom of small natioualities. this
government is in honor bound to APP
ply this principle impartially in all
cases of people held in subsection,
| whether they be under the jurisdic-
ton of Germany like Belgium. or of
/ England like Ireland As America
cannon be a party to any scheme Of
world-peace which withholds from
any nation the God given right of
freedom, the only final settlement
must be the complete independence
Of Ireland
America has the right. by her en-
try into the war to demand it from
England, not at the peace conference
at the close of the war but now.
We. therefore, respectfully urge
upon the president and the congress
the necessity and good policy of Civ
ing a great example to the world by
insisting that England shall grant
Ireland complete national independ-
ence. We earnestly hope that. like
Cuba, Ireland will be made free by
The action Of America"
The petition. which has been circu-
later by German sympathizers in Sa-
yannah, seeks by preying on a senti- |
mental desire of the Irish to see their
own country a free one, to create
house divided against itself. This is
neither the time nor the place for q
discussion Of the merits of the Irish
question. Those lrishmen who are
against England are equally hostile,
officially to the United States. since
America has joined the allies. Dis
loyalty to one of the allied powers is
disloyalty to all-there is no middle
ground
The petition referred to seeks to
create an analogy between Belgium
and Ireland. There is no analogy
between the two. Belgium never was
controlled by Germany. Germany raw
aged Belgium and attempted to legal
| ize the act on the plea that military
! necessity knows no law Ireland on
the contrary, has been a part of Eng
land for the last eight hundred years.
The circulation of this petition is
but another evidence of the insidious
intrigue Germany carries on at all
times TO divert the public mind and
create dissension. Those i'll Savannah
who started the petition were crafty
enough TO have irishmen actually as
sumo the burden of circulating the
Ipetition. And many a Savannahian
when shown the signing of such a
petition is distinct act of di5loyalty
to the United States, has expressed
! amazement.
To those who chance to see the pc
tition word of warning is conveyed
Let those who have already signed 1t
be sorry their sentimental regard tor
dear old ireland has led them to raise
their hand against the country OF
which they are a citizen and in duty
bound to honor and protect.
| SPEED UP FOR RIVERS AND HAR
BORSo