New-York tribune., 1918-07-09
welcome Awaits
L. r. i'm Ireland"
Declares "Tay Pay.
Would Hail Colonel as
Champion of Justice
and Fair Play
might Stir British"
Irish Leader Discusses Colonel
Lynch's Recruiting Appeal
to Roosevelt

ireland would welcome Colonel Theo-
dore Roosevelt as tried friend of Ire.
land and champion of justice and
fair play. said T. p. O'Connor. the Irish
loader and member Of Parliament. when
asked yesterday what he thought OF
Colonel Arthur Lynch's appeal 20 the
former President for aid in recruiting
the young men of Ireland and winning
their souls' for the Allies cause.
Mr.. O'Connor and Richard Hazleton.
another Irish leader in Parliament. are
stopping at the Knickerbocker Both
are strong champions of the cause o.
the Allies, but MIR. O'Connor disputes
the right of any one but free Irish
Parliament to conscript the young men
OF Ireland for the British armies
II have not seen the full text OF
Colonel Lynch's letter. said Mr.. O'Con-
nor. and | must therefore, as Colonel
Roosevelt does. reserve final opinion.
nut these are my own views.
No Right to Conscript
81 cannot admit that any but an
Irish Parliament has a right TO con
script the Irish people To an appeal
from such body The Irish people
would send their sons AZ the free peo-
pic OF every country ought, 20 fight the
battle OF freedom
q may remark that Ireland did senl
10000 Of her young men. tens OF
thousands OF whom now lie under the
sands of GalIipoli or the poppies %
Flanders, to fight for the cause Of tn
Allies. Mr. Lloyd George summed %
better than anybody else the change
IN lreland's attitude in his denuncia-
ton of the methods OF the War Office.
as 'ineptitudes and malignities'
As for Colonel Roosevelt himself,
ne needs no introduction to. the Irish
people. They would always give him
the enthusiastic welcome which his life
long warm and outspoken sympathv
with their aspirations and his own
IRISH blood have won him from every
Irish heart
Resides, the survey Of the situation
by ham or by any other American Of
his great intelligence might elicit some
s&gaclous and statesmanlike sugges-
lions to the British authorities which
they need and which they might wei
come from him. | would have no
fear for Ireland's cause from the arbi-
trament Of any American tribunal"
Mr.. o'Connor said ne did not know
how long he would remain here. He
said he vas "tarrying lovingly" in
America before returning to the Brit
ish Isles.
Local Irish leaders did not apnear
enthusiastic over Colonel Lvnch's plan
20 get Colonel Roosevelt to visit Ire
land with view TO converting the
people to the Allied cause.
Doubts Practicabilitv
stephen Mcfarland, president OF the
Municipal Council of the United Irish
League. said this body. federation Of
some l5n Irish societies. stood heart
and soul with the Allies. He said that
Colonel Jameson, OF the British Army.
had been in this country for several
months last winter trying to have n
regiment Of 1rishmen, preferably Of
Irish birth. recruited here and trained
in Ireland, but that the scheme had
fallen through. He did not think thai
Colonel I-ynch's project would meet
with much better fate.
DR.. John G. Coyle. one Of the most
prominent leaders of the United Irish
League said al least 100000 of the
$4,000 men recruited in Ireland be-
fore the Dublin rebellion were Nation
ahsts and Catholics. and that it was,
only after tie measures of uncommon
severity dealt out TO the rebel leaders
1ldN iSctult'ilS zen OF IN all parts o.
the country. be continued:
But in spite Of all that has hap
pened to Try the people of ireland and
make them doubt that an English gov
ernment viii ever grant them Home
Rule. recruiting has never stopped en-
tirely.
"A Striking Career"
Colonel Lynch has had striking
career He commanded a battalion of
Beers in the Boer War He was elected
to Parliament while there was still a
price on his head in England He was
arrested and condemned to death by
the British Then his sentence was
committed to life imprisonment. Then
he was pardoned and he has sat in
Parliament. Now he is recruiting for
the British army in Ireland. Despite
his striking career, doubt that he will
succeed unless the British Parliament
gives new and unmstakable signs %
desiring to do the square thing by Ire
land"