Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-26
ment in view of what England has

ment in view of what England has
done in the great war.
These Irish marplots are petition
ing the president in the hope that he
will act as special attorney for the
Irish in the peace conference.
venture to say that the younger
generation of Irish Americans will
take no stock in this new propagan-
da; they did their full part in the
war. There are rish-American
families in Nebraska from which as
many as half dozen boys entered
the army to fight alongside the Brit
ish and French soldiers. When they
come back they'll put stop to this
noise about the downtrodden Irish in
Ireland.
] wonder If these agitators think
that the American people are una
ware Of the fact that a majority of
the able bodied men In Ireland re-
fused to go to war in defense of the
British Isles? Ireland sent but 49,
600 men to the front while little
Wales sent nearly 100000, and Scot
land. with only a little more popu-
lation than Ireland, sent about three
quarters of million. England sent
nearly five millions Of men to the
front.
The Irish Sim Fein adopted this
pledge against compulsory conscrip-
ton in Ireland: Denying the right
of the British government to enforce
compulsory conscription in this
country, we pledge ourselves solemn
ly to one another to resist fonscrip-
ton by the most effective means at
our disposal" Hundreds Of Irish
men who enlisted were derided and
abused by the Sim Fem. Even
wounded soldiers coming back from
the front were insulted and NAL
treated.
When the British premier sought
to enforce CONSUMPTION he was con-
fronted with an organization in Ire
land bent upon revolution. and he
abandoned the project Therefore,
the Irish not only refused to do their
duty in defense Of their own land.
but their hostility to the government
made it necessary for Great Britain
to keep large army in Ireland to
control the Irish dissenters.
While this was going on the Irish
Americans were going to the front,
taking the place in the army Of the
Irish slackers in Ireland who are
guilty Of fragrant acts of treason
against the British flag.
Shortly before the war broke out
in 1914 Won Bernhard, the German
scholar, said: ut is not without in
terest to know that if it ever comes
to be war with England, Germany
will have allies in the enemy's camp
itself, who will constitute grave
anxiety for England and perhaps
keep fast portion of the English
troops" This shows that Won Bern
hardi was we'll informed as to the
facts.
A correspondent Of the New York
Times in Coblenz, speaking of the
German people. says: 'Unrepentant
as in August, 1914, they seek now to
escape the consequences of their
wrong doing and are trying to make
America their agent" Thus we see
the h-American agitators en-
gagged in an effort to enlist American
sentiment in favor of the Irish slack
ers in attempts to sever the relations
Of Ireland and make 1t a sovereign
state.
They are trying to induce the
president to take up their battle.
Let me ask, is there any more in
viting field for German propaganda
than this very work which the Irish
Americans are doing at this time ?
Is there any course which might be
pursued with greater likelihood of
splitting the allies in the peace con-
ference to the advantage Of both
Germany and Ireland, and to the in
finite injury Of Great Britain, France
and America? AITCH.