The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-11-23

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the emancipation of all small nation
alities as an essential part of his
league of nations. 1t is no wonder
that the Presidents terms for peace
are not popular with the governing
classes of this country. when. in the
midst of all their fine talk of what
the winning of the war Is going to
accomplish for oppressed nationalities
In remote regions they are haunted by
the fear that the peace conference and
the league of nations will drag into
daylight the skeleton Of their cup
board disanected. coerced and
misgoverned Ireland. Yesterdays
Times said In . leading article. the
interest Of the Allies ia to assist in
the liberation Of these Hapsburg peo-
plea and to SEQ that they DO given
the right to dispose Of themselves &C
cording to their desires.' VIII the
Times concede to the Allies the same
interest in the Irish people?"
AFFAIRS OF SMALL NATIONS.
The following is the article from
the Manchester Guardian referred to
by the London correspondent of
the Irish Daily Independent:
I'm the course of the next few
months it Is likely that we may be en-
gagged, along with most Of the other
great powers, in settling the affairs of
Europe in the peace conference on the
basis OF freedom and nationality.
Would it be too much to ask that be-
fore or at the same time as we ap-
ply ourselves to that task we should
pay some passing heed to the settling
of precisely analogous and not at
all less pressing problem of our own?
Let it be realized at once that it will
be entirely impossible to exclude the
question of Ireland from the purview
Of the peace conference. There will
be demand of course-it has been
made already-for direct representa-
ton of Ireland by the Irish at the
conference. It will, no doubt, be re-
fused.
"Yet, after all, Ireland may put for
ward a claim no less worthy of atten-
ton than that, say, of the Czecho-Slo-
walks or of the Jugo-Slavs, whose case
will occupy the very serious attention
of the conference and those spokes-
men will presumably be heard. No
doubt but it will be said that parlia-
ment, and not the peace conference,
is the tribunal to. which Nationalist
Ireland should carry her griefs; that
it is purely domestic matter with
which nobody but ourselves is compe-
tent to deal, and that any attempt to
take it out of our hands and bring
external opinion, let alone external &C
tion, to bear would be instantly and
uncompromisingly resisted.
"We do not know whether the prob
lem is too hard for the present gov
eminent. Possibly the reason why its
policy has appeared to develop on the
side of violence and provocation,
rather than on that Of craftsmanship
and appeasement, is that the will or
the power for the second of those
policies is lacking, and that the gov
ernment-or the predominant forces
within it-have consciously or uncon-
sciously sought to cover this dreadful
defect and failure by course which
substitutes force for policy, and is
reckless of liberty and reckless of
blood. There is time yet for consid-
Grafton for better mind, but the time
runs short. It is a critical choice
for the government right is less than
Bohemia's. They will assert that it
is more ancient, has a better histor-
ical basis and is no more inconsistent
with the interests of minorities than
the ho-Slovaks.
"Here we have a new ferment, and
as peace negotiations proceed, and a
successful evolution of a European
policy in accordance with the princi-
pies to which President Wilson has
made clear his determination to ad-
here, goes forward, it is obvious that
every day will bring a new invitation
or provocation to Ireland to assert her
self. The consequences are easy to
foresee. There is only one way to
preserve peace in Ireland now, and
that is by the direct recognition of
her national right-of her right to an
international arbitrament of her cause.
The choice from live Imperialism is
obvious. ~
Mr. LLOYD GEORGES PLEDGE:
Speaking in the House of Commons
on April 16 last, Mr.. Lloyd George
said:
"You can face the difficulties in Ire
land with a united country behind Won.