New Britain herald., 1918-05-21
Deportations Denounced.

Dublin, May 21.--A resolution de- nouncing the Sim Fein deportations as an attempt to discredit and dis rupt Ireland's united resistance to conscription and to prejudice Ire F lands cause, in the eyes of friendly countries was passed by the Anti Conscription conference which met at Mansion house Monday.
 An official statement signed among others by John Dillon and Joseph Devlin, the Irish Nationalist leaders, was issued after the meeting. It i'm sists on the right of Irishmen to be arraigned in their own country and declares that an attempt was being made to poison the mind of the Eng lish people against the prisoners.
 The statement concludes:
 While standing steadfast on our good rights we shall never cease to appeal to all friends of human free dom or to inquire for ourselves 4 whether the present attempt to force civil war on the Irish people by transparent1y false pretext of mili- tary expediency does not really cover wicked plot of English politicians tc relieve themselves from their broken pledge to Ireland.''
 In addition to Messrs. Dillon and Devlin those who signed the protest were William O'Brien and Tim Healy, Representing the O'Brienite party; John MacNeill and Alderman Kelley, representing the Sim Feiners in the place of De Valera and Arthur Grif- filth, and Messrs. Johnston. Egan and O 'Brien representing the labor party. The text of the protest follows:
 "A conference speaking on behalf of every section of the Irish nation condemns the deportations to Eng land of our colleagues, Prof. De Va 1era and Arthur Griffith. and their z TvNlow prisoners. We charge it as an attempt to discredit and disrupt Ire lands united resistance to conscrip- tiCn and this on a charge or allega- tion calculated to make a fair trial impossible for them in England and to prejudice the cause of the Irish na- tion in friendly countries abroad
 We assert the ancient constitu- trcnaf right of Irishmen to be ar raigned in their own country and tried by their own countrymen We charge denial of this right is viola ton of the first principles of justice and liberty for the defense of which England claims to be a member of ar alliance of democratic nations we dep1ore the attempt in the Droclam ation of Field Marshal French to poison the English mind against the Irish prisoners by a sen- sationai allegation of a conspiracy in Ireland to enter into reasonable communication with the German en- emy' When Lord French calls on the Irish people to assist the govern ment in every way to crush this con- spiracy all nationalists must recall tRe habit of the British government to blacken and assail Irish leaders in order to effect their own objects and their aims. Such accusations were made against Parnell by means of forged letter published on the day when the perpetual coercion act for Ireland was passed through its sec ond reading in 1887 and this forgery was availed of by the important znem bers of the ministry to justify such legislation to the world.
 circumstances at the present moment are trying but we are strong In the confidence that our country men will continue to observe unper- tlrbed calmess coupled with an un- shakeable determination to be faith ful at all hazards to the sacred pledge 6f national resistance to conscription which virtually the entire nation has now taken.
 while standing steadfastlv on our own god right we shall not cease to appeal to all friends of human free dom throughout the convulsed world and to inquire for ourselves whether the present attempt to force civil war on the Irish people by a trans parent and false pretext of military expediency does not really cover a wicked plot of English politicians to relieve themselves from their broken pledges to Ireland, in view of their