New Britain herald., 1918-12-05
COMMUNICATED.
BY CONSENT OF GOVERNED
Why America Should Insist on Self
 Determination for Ireland

Editor New Britain Herald:
 1. Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the gov erned."
 2. President Wilson laid down as one of the principles for which Amer ica entered the war that no people must be forced under sovereignty under which it does not wish to live."
 3. America's answer is ''No'' to President Wilson's queries of SepIum- Der 27 1918:
 (a) Shall the military power of any nation or group of nations be sui fcrcd 10 determine the fortunes of peoples over whom they have no right to rule except the right of force?"
 (b) shall strong nations be free to wrong weak nations and make them subject to their purpose and interest 2"
 f. England has no right to 'ule Ireland except the right of for,t.-- first exerted 746 years ago. She holds Ireland in subjection today solely for her own purpose andNnterest
 ,. The Irish nation is one of the oldest in Europe. Ireland had her own code of laws and her own lan- guaGe. Her vast contribution to the education and civilization of Conti- mental Europe long centuries before the English invasion is an hiG 1rical fact which no campaign of falsehood can alter. Geographically. the boun- daries of Ireland were fixed by God.
 Q. Ireland never surrendered her national rights. Ireland fought against English rule in every century @inCa 1112. During the last 125 years she fought against it in five armed rebel lions-179S, 1903, 1S4S. 1867 and 1916. It is now admitted in a Danl- phlet issued by Professor Dixon. Of the University of Glasgow, and re- printed With approval by the London Times and the London Observer that the so-called rebels" of 1916 appear to be the leaders of d dominating majority of the Irish people,
 [. The so-called Act of Union was passed in 1900 by a parliament shame lessly bribed and corrupted by the English government Only a snel1 fraction of the 300 mem bers of that parliament were elected and four hfths of the Irish people (the Catho- lcs) had no representation therein The remaining members were English nomine ees and 'placemen." Gladstone said of the union: Y know of no blacker or fouler transaction in the history of man"
 s. The net results of English dom ination in Ireland are the destruction Of industries, ruinous taxation and de- population. Irelands population in 70 years has decreased from nine mill lion to four and one half million, while that of England has increased threefold. England taxes Ireland this present year (and controls every cent of lt) sum equivalent to three times the pre-war total revenue of Denmark and between four and six times the then respective total revenue of Greece, Bulgaria, Switzerland or Scr- bia. All these countries maintain an army (some a fleet as welD. a diplo- matic and consular service throughout the world and a national government.
 9. Of the national councils of op- pressed peoples that have appea led to our president. none was more clearly representative of the will of it's nation than the Dublin Mansion House con- ference (not Lloyd Georges hand picked conVention}, which spoke for 80 per cent. of the Irish people in Ire land in it's address dated June II, 1918. Our patriots could muster no such proportion for independence ii, IT'S. Democracy is majority rule in no nation is unanimity found. Eng land maintains for her own purposes the will of 20 per cent as against the will of 80 per cent. of the Irish peo- pie.
 10 Irishmen did more than those of any other nation to win indepen- dence for America "One-half of the Contin ental Army were from Ireland" General Harry Lee.
 Civil War: Not less than 40 per cent. of the enlisted men in the Union Army were of Irish blood."- Joseph I. c. Clarke.
 In the present World War: One- third of the army and over 40 per cent. of the navy are of Irish blood, according to Josephus Daniels. secre- tary of the navy These men offered their lives for world freedom--cona- dent that such freedom would be ex- tended to the mother1and of thclr race. Submerged races who did little or nothing for America have been freed by America. Why not Ireland
 II. At this supreme moment when the wrongs of centuries are being. righted a military despotism is crush ing Ireland and keeps her cry for freedom from the ear of the world
 Many leaders and elected represen- tatives of the Irish people are today imprisoned in England without tr,al or legal accusation because they dared to preach the doctrine that Ire land can stand alone and that she is entitled to the status Of an indepen- dent republic. Hundreds of their principal supporters lie in English and Irish jails for the same reason. Public meetings for the advocation Of the principle of sef-deternination