Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-03
NOTE OF SIM FEM
ACKNOWL EDGED BY
NERICAN MISSION
Bliss Sends Reply to 0'KeIIy,
Whose Irish Memorial is Re-
garded With Lively Interest
at Peace Congress,
BY James VI. Touhy.
Copyright, 1919, by the Press Pub
fishing Co.


fishing Co.
(The New York World)
(By Wireless to The World.)
Paris. March 2.-The first ac-
Acknowledgement of the memorial sent
by the Sim Fein envoy, Councillor
O'KelIy, NJ. p. to all delegates to the
peace conference was received by him
this morning from Gen. Tasker Fl.
Bliss, military member of the United
States peace delegation.
The reply reads:
Hotel Crillon, Feb. %.
MY Dear Sir:-General Bliss has
asked me to acknowledge with thanks
the receipt of your letter of Febru-
airy 90. H. B. WALLACE,
Lieutenant Colonel General Staff. ="
Explains Wilson Invitation.
Mr.. O'Kelly asks The World and
Journal to deny the assertion publish
ed in certain American newspapers
that the object of the Dublin corpo-
ration in inviting the president to ac-
cept the freedom of the city was not
to honor but to embarrass him, as 1t
was apparent that the president could
not criticise the British government
while on British soil. Mr.. OKelly
says:
"Our sole object was to honor Pres
ident Wilson and the people he repre-
SCENTS. The freedom of the city was
voted unanimously by the corporation,
which contains only four Sim Fem
ers. The unionist members of the
corporation Joined with the rest in
voting the address to the president.
another point on which an eXpla-
nation is desirable, owing to misstate-
ments concerning my visit here. 1t
was stated in order to secure pass
port to come here to invite the presi-
dent to reply to the invitation of the
corporation that | had to declare my
self a British subject. / did nothing
of the kind.
Listed Himself as "Irish.'
TN the application for n passport
under the head of nationality | de-
ecribed myself as Irish and it is a
matter of indifference to me how the
British government catalogues my
nationality"
Respecting his next moves to obtain
recognition for 'the irish republic,
Mr.. O'Kelly has reason to expect that
his mission will be made subject to
Interpolation IN the French chamber
by a sympathetic deputy. He also
proposed to furnish the peace con-
ference committee on credentials with
credentials formally drawn up and
signed by "all heads of the Irish re-
publican government and he con-
templates other steps to keep the OBJ
ject of his mission alive before the
delegates and public.
This morning several French papers
contain notices of his proceedings
without comment. There is no doubt
that his mission has aroused the live
lest interest and is expected to have
some developments.
''British Like Japanese"
When Premier Lloyd George arrives
from London on Saturday morning he
will find the Sim Fem memorial on
his desk, for, as Mr.. O'Kelly says, "as
! regard the British delegation as
representing a foreign nation Just as
much as the Japanese or the Brazil
ians, or any of the others of course
l sent them the memorial"
The possibility of favorable action
by tho conference upon the memorial
is not promising. Asked what the
conference would do about the Sim
Fem memorial, the reply is made:
"They will let it drop"
CA special wireless dispatch in The
World yesterday stated that the Irish
question would be taken IN by the
council of ten of the conference tC
determine whether It is a proper mat
ter for official discussion. IF found tc
be within the scope of the~conference
program, it will be considered as are
claims of other nations, but if the
council decides the matter is Great
Britains individual problem the path
will be blocked.)
Outcome in Doubt.
But the dispatches received from
the United States indicate that while
not sympathizing with the demands
of the Sim Feiners, there is biz
movement there favoring Irish auton-
omy. although how that subject car
be brought before the peace confer
lence, it being a British domestic mat.
ter no one can say.
A cynical French proverb SAYS thai
a man finds certain qualification If
the misfortunes of his best friends
and so the foreign delegates here
who have been enthusiastic over Pre-
mier Lloyd Georges eloquent DISGUISE
tons upon Great Britain's sacred pur.
pose to bring self-determination &c
the small nations are amused but MOI
edited by his conspicuous failure tc
apply his principles to Ireland.
Haunts British Mission.
Ireland's demand for self-govern.
ment may not be brought formally
before the conference. but it viii
haunt the British delegation through
out the negotiations, now that the
Sim Fein memorial is filed not only
in the secretary general of the con.
ference itself. but lies in the dosier OF
every delegate represented here.
The sensation created by the Sinr
Tein memorial proves that if steps
had been taken by the nationalist to
bring Ireland's constitutional claim
into the same prominence, supported
as it could be ty the very argument
that every nationality seeking self
determination from the peace confer
ence has relied upon. it would have
proved political move of high inn
portance and could not have been ig-
nored with the same success as the
Sim Feiner's patiently impracticable
and absurd demands.
Nationalist Held Back.
The nationalist were actuated In
refraining from taking such action
by the view that as the British gov
eminent had placed the Sim Fem in
possession of Irish parliamentary rep
resentation, they should be left to deal
with the Sim Fem. But It is now
evident that this was tactical mis-
take as far as the conference is con-
cerned-an adaptation of the fatal
Asquithian fallacy of wait and see
which has sent Asquith to rusticate al
Biarrtz instead of leading a strong
party in the house of commons.
Mr.. O'Kelly, who is now the center
of interest, proposes to remain on
and adopt other measures to stir uI