Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-12
READ irish FREEDOM
DECLARATION HERE
document Suppressed by Brit
ish Government Will Be
Recited Tonight
10 AID DRIVE FOR S150,000

When the Friends of Irish Freedom
inaugurste Philadelphia campaign for
&15O, 900 in the nation wide drive to
raise 81 200, 900 for Irish propaganda
tonight, at a banquet in the Adelrhia
Hotel, there will be read for the first
time publicly in Philadelphia the full
text of the declaration of independence
adopted by the parliament Of the Irish
republic when it was recently con-
vened in Dublin. Publication of the
declaration has been suppressed in re
land, but a copy Of the text has just
been received by the Friends of Irish
Freedom from Sean T. O'Kclly, repre- =
sentative Of the Irish republic at Paris
Tho text Of the declaration follows {:
"we. the elected representatives Of
the ancient Irish people. in national
parliament assembled, do. in tn" name
Of the Irish nation, r1tify tho "stab-
lisbpept of the Irish republic and pledge
ourselves and our people to max" TINS
declaration effective by every means
at our command.
ITO ordain that tho elected rrpr"sen
tatiyes of the Irish people alone nave
mower to make laws binding on the peo-
ple of Ireland. and that the Irish iar
lament In the only parliament to when
that people will give its allegiance.
Foreign Governments an Invasion
1--WE solemnly declare foreign govern
ments in Ireland to he an invasion "l
our national right which we Will never
tolerate. and we demand tho evacuation
Of our country by the Engllsh garri
son. ,1
"we claim for our national ind'pcnd
49,. the recognition and support OF
everv free nation Of the world, nnt we
proclaim that independence to be con
dition precedent to the lnterha'ion"'
peace hereafter.
am the name Of the Irish people we
h,r,hlv commit our destiny to Almighty
1sod who gave our fathers the courage
and determination to persevere throusn
long centuries of ruthless tyranny ana
strong in the justice OF the cause whlcn
they have handed down to us, we ask
His divine blessing on this, the last
stage of the struggle which we nave
,,YaSoed ourselves to carry through to
freedom
Michael J. Ryan, of this city for :
mer Governor Edward F. Dunno, OF
Illinois, and Frank J. Walsh, former
cochairman with former President
Taft on the war labor board, are now
abroad representing Irish Americans al
the Peace Conference in an effort TO
get international recognition of the new
Irish republic. 1t is to pay expenses
Of this work and to further extend lrish
republ;c propaganda throughout the
country that the campaign was ar
RANGED, Part Of the funds to be col
lected will be turned over to the Irish
Parliament at Dublin to continue Its
work.
Scheme Is Undenominational
Several thousand "friends of Ire
land" have aligned themselves in tn
campaign work here. Representative
Of virtually every denomination AM
nearly every society interested in Ire
lands future are on the committee.
.sThe scheme is entirely undenomina
tional," said P. J. McGarvey, treas
urer of the executive committee, who !
also county president OF the a. .: II
..The object is free Ireland and b"
hind the plan for recognition of tn
Irish republic are more than 10000,
600 Americans having 1reland's inter
est at heart. With Ireland's caus
brought plainly before the America
peopIe, there's no reason to doubt tn
ultimate absolute freedom of Erin
which is entitled to govern itself, eve
more SO than are many of the small ma
t;ons whose independence has alread