Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-04-19
Sympathy Is Growing in France
Among the Lovers Of
Liberty.
Papers Discuss Erin's Claims and
Urge People to Uphold
Them.
Irish and Their Friends in Can
ada Are Active in Many
Ways.
IRISH FLAG IN PROFESSIONS.

That sympathy for Ireland is
growing in France is evidenced by
the fact that two more of the lib.
eral papers have begun to discuss
the claims of Erin to freedom. La
Bataille, official organ of the
french trade union movement, has
called upon all French lovers OF
liberty to uphold Ireland's claims
and La Populaire, a Majority So
c!alist paper, says:
! Since August, 1914, the Govern
rlents of the Allies have repeated
over and over again, almost to sick
enlng point. that this war was be-
ing fought for right and liberty.
for the deliverance of oppressed ma
tionalities, and the restoration of
their sovereignty and independence.
Socialists understood quite well
that the rights of peoples to dis
pose of themselves meant nothing
more than a war phrase used by the
chiefs of two coalitions so as 10
weaken their opponents Ireland.
which was promised the realization
of her ideals under Gladstone. has
low less liberty than ever"
Apropos of this same phase of
the problem the Paris correspondent
o. the Manchester Guardian writes:
! English people at home scarcely
realize how strong the feeling is
here in regard to England and her
treatment of Ireland. French pa
pers say little, but French people
think great deal A friend of
mine who has lived in Paris for
twenty years and mixes freely
among people of all opinions, tells
me that on this point he finds no
difference between extreme Nation
alists and extreme Socialists. Lloyd
George seems to think that he has
disposed sofrthe -.question when he
points out that Ireland sent fewer.
soldiers to the war than England
and Scotland. The argument is NOT
very impressive to the Italians when
they find England pressing for COM
plete independence for populations
that actually fought in the Austrian
army. The only course consistent
with England's dignity and her
moral authority at the conference Ia
to support the application of the
Sim Feiners for a hearing before
the Peace Conference"
Nor are the French and Italians
the only Latins that are showing
interest in Erin. Spaniards and
Spanish-Americans are giving con
siderable attention to Sim Fein and
its leader, De Valera. A recent is
sue of Revista Catolica, the most in
fluential Spanish paper in tine
United States, contains a long and
splendid article on the personality
and achievements of the first Presi-
dent of the Irish republic, while
throughout SoHth America, espe-
cially in Argentina, strong words
are spoken in favor of recognition
of Ireland's de jure freedom. The
people of the United States, ire
spective of race and creed, still
continue to show active interest In
Ireland's cause. Three distinguished
citizens. Messrs. Frank Walsh. Ed
ward Dunno and Michael Ryan.
have been designated to proceed 70
Paris to demand recognition of the
Irish republic from the Peace Con
ference. Mr.. Walsh, who was for.
merly Chairman of the Federal
Commission on Industrial Relations.
has Just retired from the National
War Labor Board. Mr.. Dunno has
been Judge of the Circuit Court OF
Chicago, Mayor of Chicago and Gov
ernor of Illinois, while Mr.. Ryan
was formerly City Solicitor of Phila-
delphia. Mr.. Walsh thus announces
the purpose of the mission:
"The committee is going t0
France as American citizens holding
no allegiance, material or spiritual,
to any other nation on earth, but
imbued with the necessity of ex-
tending the principles of free gov
eminent to Ireland, which is the
typical small nation of the world,
being deprived of the right to de-
termine for itself the form of gov
eminent under which 1t shall exist
Naturally men and women of Irish
blood and ancestry everywhere have
deep and sentimental attachment
to the land which gave birth 10
their race, and at this crucial mo-
ment of new world concepts desire
to render all the assistance in their
power to the representative of the
people of ireland delegated to at
tend the Peace Conference. The
committee expects to remain in
France until Ireland's case is fully
determined by the conference"
While such things are taking
place in the States, Canada is not
idle. The Irish and their friends
in that country are active for Ire
land in many ways, evidently to the
surprise of many Canadians who
have been disconnected by the APP
pearance OF the flag of the Irish re
public In professions, even in Mon