The Irish standard., 1919-11-01


people of this country what Sim Fein
means. England has taken these two
words and painted the adherents Of
that cause as men who are anything |
from anarchists to l. W. WIS. Uaugh- |
ter.) want to point out to the peo. !
pie of America what Sim Fein really
is. The words "Sinn Fein" are Irish
words for self-reliance. The words |
''Sinn Fein" typify the spirit of Ire
land, that has resisted the invader of
our country for seven centuries. Sim
Fein is not new policy or new
idea. Sim Fein stands for the ideal
the men who stand on that platform
surely voice the sentiments of the peo-
pie of Ireland
We have been pursued round the
world with most deadly propaganda.
We are painted by our enemies as a
small section of the Irish people. II
would like to point out to you the
exact position in ireland.
We represent 80 per cent of all the
voters of Ireland. We are not men,
bers of the British Parliament. We
appealed to the people Of Ireland III
the last election, not tc take our place
| i'll all English Parliament, but if elect
| ed we would set up in the capitol OF
our country our own Parliament, and
| roa ffirr ou,, rIopopJorro oOd cool, n
tornational recognition of our repub.
| lie. Great applause, and a voice:
"Very good, old boy!")
| In Ireland today the people are look
ing anXiously to the people of Amer
ica. We were invited by the declara-
tions of America to express in the
aL.ballot-box the form of government u1l-
DER which we wished to live. We, in
an election, have declared for an Irish
Republic, and we are come to ask
America to honor the principle of self
determination as applied by the people
of Ireland.
| l will endeavor briefly to sketch the
events that led up to the insurrection
of 1916, and the general election of
1918, in which the Irish people clearly
demonstrated under what form of gov
ernment they wished to live.
We claim in Ireland that we are
distinct and separate people, and in
advance of that claim we beg to point
out that our nation enjoyed and fully
exercised sovereign statehood for a
period of one thousand years. That
from the year 1869, when our land
was invaded by the Normans, down. to
the present day, the people of Ireland
have never relinquished their claims
to sovereign nationhood. From the
first landing of the invader on our
shores down to 1929, 1rishmen have
battled in the field against the invad.
er. From 1929 up till the year 1914
other methods were tried, by appealing
to England for justice. Side by side
with that appeal we had in Ireland in
the past one hundred years, four
armed insurrections against English
rule We in Ireland have never bar
tered our claim to sovereign nation
hood. We have never accepted the
right of England to rule US. And to-
day, after seven centuries of strug-
gle, we find the British Prime Minis
ter stating in the English House of
Commons that Ireland is no more rec
onciled to British rule than she was
in the days of Cromwell. (Applause.)
We come to plead for a nation, one
of the Oldest nations in Europe, ma
ton with separate and distinct ma.
tionality, with different tongue and
a different civilization from that of
any other people, nation that was set
apart in the western ocean by the
hand of the Almighty, so marking her
out as a separate and distinct people.
We come to speak of a nation that has
put up a struggle for its nationality
unequaled in the history Of the world.
We are here the direct representatives
of a people who, through seven hun
dred years of strife, are today as de-
termined as ever to win their sover-
eign nationhood. We feel that in ap-
pealing to the people Of America that
we will come before an impartial
court, who will weigh we'll our case,
and, knowing the Justice of it. will
tell US in our demands. (Applause.)
Ireland has been misrepresented
throughout the world. Lord North
cliff left England some time ago and
spent 30 millions of money in pro-
British and anti-Irish propaganda. Our
INan4lna,od ~ paRa u