Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-11
The Irish in the Var
DR.. Justin O'NaHey Writes OF the
Large Numbers Who Hare
Voluntarily Enlisted

To the Editor Of the EUenino Public Ledger:
Sir-There has been SO much discussion of
Ireland's opposition to CONSUMPTION that the
astonishing part she has already taken IN
the war has been overlooked. The Philadel-
phia North American. for example, SAID the
m have one claim to renown A: they are
the only folk in history the Irish have de-
Clined to fight" Colonel George Harvey. in
the North American Reviews War Weekly.
June |. who says of himself that he is of
Irish blood. writes kindly and appealingly to
the Irish of America, begging them not to he
traitors to the common cause am Irish
in the sense Colonel Harvey is ] have never
been in Ireland in my life but in the interest
of fair play one can set him and other
Americans right all the better because of
American birth. The Irish have fought the
German from The very beginning of the
war. They were in the first retreat on the
Marne in 1914. where in twenty minutes the
Munster Fusiliers as a rear guard lost 700
men, and they have been in every battle
since August. 1914.
a conservative estimate at present Is that
there are in the Allied armies, counting men
from Great Britain. Canada, Australia and
the United States. 800, 900 men Of Irish
blood. Not a single American casualty list
has come to us since we entered the conflict
that was not dotted over with Irish names
Kelly and Burke and Shea
The British military census, made in October.
1915. showed that Ireland proper has 6i5.4i1
men between the ages of eighteen and fifty
one years. 1he NUMBER Is very small, be-
cause there are one and a half more inhabi-
tants in the city of New York. with its con-
tinuous suburbs. than in all Ireland. OF these
645,441 men, 2i5,815 are engaged in indis-
pensable occupations. 1914 . are physically
unfit. 130,S4l have already enlisted for the
war and only 1929 are available for mill
tary service. Since the census was taken
Sir a. Geddes officially announced that up
to January, 1918. 10000 additional Irish have
enlisted. That leaves l2l 900 men now fit
IN he Ira Ap on Of har total M .pnua nf
POI 900 men, Ireland has already given as
volunteers, not as conscripts. remember. but
as volunteers. 10000. or 5S.1 per cent Of all
she possibly has to give, Lord Roberts, who
preached prepa redness for this war as vainly
as our own General Wood pleaded for il, was
an Irish volunteer. Kitchener. French and
Maude were Irish volunteers, as were
Wolseley and Napier before them and the
Duke of Wellington. the greatest English"
soldier, who was as Irish as any Burke,
Prendergast or Butler.
OF the los, 600. 900 inha bitants of the United
States We estimate that between II, 900. 900
and 2o,Ooo.ooo men are between the ages of
eighteen and ffty-one years. If those needed
for indispensable work at home and the
physically unfit are eliminated in the same
ratio as obtains in Ireland we have As per
cent of these, or from 100000 to 5000, 900
available. men. Ireland. then, up to January
1918. according to the British War Office
records, has given ISL per cent of her men
as volunteers = the United States to do as
well would nave to get out from 1873, $50
to 5,3l1 900 men, and every soldier would
have to be a volunteer.
When we get from 1000, 900 to 5000, 900
volunteers into our army we may consist
entity even revile the Irish, but at present il
would be much more decent to inquire what
is the real reason the Irish. who have never
shown any fear of a fight. are resisting con-
scriptlon. They are not only not refusing to
fight the m but they have fought
them five times better than we have, and
thew volunteered tn do en- THAI, go .z..l
row at the first drop of the hat, not two
years too late as we did. Whether they are
right or wrong in resisting conscription as
such Is another question altogether, and their
own business largely. If we let them alone
they will all get into war with us to the
bitter end no lrishman can keep out of a
mans fight. That a few Irishmen have as
has been asserted. but not proved, been
traitors to our cause is no reason for snarIine
at all things Irish. We ourselves have had
ten such for one in Ireland.
AUSTIN O'MALLEY.
Philadelphia, June 10. .