The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-03-14
BY EDWARD DE VALERA.

| lrTeSlueHl Oh the lTlSn Sim rein par
ty and member of Parliament).
| Copyright 1919 by the United Press.)
SOMEWHERE IN IRELAND, Feb.
25.-England has no right in Ireland.
England's de facto government here
rests solely on the number of her
! bayonets. We challenge England to
| allow Ireland the principle of free
self determination. Let that princi-
pie be applied to this island as a unit
and If decisive majority of the
whole people declare not for separate
independent state hood, then we shall
be silent.
Ii England accepts the principle of
self determination for this island it
}swaafFii s'settiethe-1risf, questfo1. fuFsver
If decisive majority should de-
clare for independence, would not Ire
land be justified in claiming that?
That and not something less repre-
sents the free choice of the people,
The recent elections prove it.
On what grounds does England re-
fuse Ireland's demand? England can
not pretend to misunderstood that the
challenge that we give her is the chal-
lenge of the Irish people. Let us
hear why she refuses to meet it.
We can ourselves settle our minor
ity question (Ulster) because we shall
want to. England never will settle
that minority question because she de-
sires to keep it unsettled. Let her re-
move her interfering hand
We ask the world to listen and to
judge between Ireland and England,
but il the principle with which the
world has rung for the last four years
shall prove to be mockery, if Ire
lands claim still is flouted, then she
must find refuge once more in her
own indomitable spirit-the spirit
which has maintained her in the past.
She can still at least endure, and de-
pend upon it, there is generation
now grown up in Ireland that will see
to it that if England wants to still
rule her she must do so with never
sheathed sword.
Do | believe the statesmen in Paris
will force England to do Justice to Ire
land? Many people are asking that
question. They are convinced, | sup
pose, that of herself, England will not
do justice to Ireland They doubt per-
haps that the delegates from the 9th
er nations will be either so interested
or, such determined champions of right
as to risk a quarrel with England on
behalf of a country which possesses
less of the worlds goods than Eng
land when nothing but the principles
of justice are at stake. These doubt
ings may be right: they may be wrong.
! do rot pretend to know. | do know
that II this issue should uphappily be
as the doubters are obviously salts
fed it will be, then the cynic can feel
that once more he has been justified
and the simple and trusting obvious
ly imposed upon. Then indeed there
will have been deception.
But whether Ireland be heard or
not-whether the statesmen at Paris
stand forth as the most conspicuous
failures in history or not-the duty of
Irishmen and the duty of all lovers of
liberty is clear. That duty is to see
that oversight cannot be pleaded. as an
excuse.
England tries to bind and gag Ire
land. to throw her into obscurity as of
dungeon. 1t is our duty to support
all who would lend hand at loosing
4 her. We must strive at least to let in
the purifying light, to show Ireland as
she is, struggling ever against the
slavery in which England would con-
/ fine her, fighting through centuries.
maintaining in blood and tears com
munion with all who fight for liberty