Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-24
REPUBLICANS SEEK
VOTE OF |R|SHMEN
Would Make Political Capital of
Effort to Gain Erin's
Liberty.
WILSON BUTT OF PROTEST
President Not in Position to
Break Friendship With
Great Britain.
Especial to The Timcs-pispatci,.l J


po'tunity to appear before the peace
conf renee as an autonomous govern
mc';, and that. as such. Ee accorded
risht of membership IN the league of
nations, has given concrete form TO
question that has hitherto been mere
or less Of an abstraction in so far as
OUTSIDE powers are concerned.
Ana It Is very evident that from this
time forward the Irish problem will be
4 matter OF deeper and deeper concern
90 poth Great britain and the United
states. It has given the British real
anxiety Tor generations. as everybody
knows. but Americans generally have
neither understood nor been greatly
Ireland ana the remainder .: the Brit
!sh empire.
But when hundreds OF thousands Of
Irish Americans begin holding impas-
stoned demonstrations In this country
in behalf Of Irish independence; when
great organizations OF men and women
OF l.ish extraction throw themselves
into the movement. and when the
American House of representatives
passes. by an overwhelming majority
a resolution calling upon Great Britain
time for the United States to take the
whole business riOIsly. This sort
thins, moreover. promises TO have more
and more bearing upon American poI!-
ilcs, as time goes on, fact tha. is
Clearly forecast by tho warning atti-
tude of Irish organizations toward any
polttica! party that is either hostile or
indifferent TO the national aspirations
of Ireland.
MANY URGE WILSON
TO ASSIST IRELAND
Already President Wilson has been
importuned 10 in:erccdc In behalf Of
ireland while the peace conference .s
~ progress. Committees of his fellow
citizens have called upon him to urge
such !lt.on. Petitions By the s...,re
nave oetn sent TO him. Messages with
oui END nave been pouring in upon hin
iiom all sections OF the country. and
he could not have escaped taa .nirMa-
t'on Cos, aimed in some OF tn-sA c..in-
a:10icat'o's that if he did not Shon. the
proper sympathy for Irish claims hi.
par,y would be the sufferer
II Is MT easy TO see. however upon
what ground t!ie President might N
teryene In eehaif OF Ireland as The sit
linked with Great Britain IN trying TO
promote a Just peace. 1t has been
linked with Great Britain IN the prose-
cution OF desperate war, and the two
nations have como out victorious in
that struggle. \ breach between the
TWO governments would Inevitably fol-
low II the United States undertook 10
IoFce England 10 grant independence to
Ireland. OF 70 Canada, or TO Australia
or 10 an! other par; OF the British en-
ndss dEei9nd bn Is ne moi Separaie nation. il.
British colony. i is an integral part
Of the United Kingdom, Just as are
Seo'ianG and England and Wales. 1t
mas full representa- ton in the British
rouse or Commons. and her peers sit
IN the British House OF Lords. II she
we're in the psition OF a vassal state.
or even an oppressed province, there
Nigh; be some basis upon which Amer
ica could consistently interfere on her
side.
GREAT BRITAIN WOULD
Not ALLOW INTERFERENCE
Bui Grea; Britain would no, tolerate
such Interference in her purely domes-
tic affairs any more than the United
states would tolerate the intervention
ot Japan in behalf of the independence
81 Caiiiornia. II would proba bly, bc as
deadiN an a1ront 10 friendly nation
ior america 10 recognize the irish re-
pnniic as II would have bccn If C;rc1;
Eriiain had recognized the indcrcnd-
cncc ct thc Southern Confcdcr:,cy
At al events. this is the view OF the
problem which tho Presidents friend !
acek 10 impress upon Irish Americans
hcE iry TO SHOW how utterly futile
ment 20 project itself into the Irish
question. arguing that the only result
would DC a break in the friendly rela
tionship between the two nations, with
OF Irish independence. AZ all irish
men nave learned from bitter eXpcri-
enc". england is the most stubborn
of nations once it's back is up. and il
would not likely be less stubborn If
any outside power undertook to die
affairs N'
But this does not wholly satisfy
irish Americans. They point TO the
fact that the United States intcrvened
IN behalf OF Cuban independence and
aSnieved ,f, its end; that i; has repeat
cdiy gone 10 the rescue of the suffer
ing Armenians. whether Turkey liked
IL or not; that in the peace conference
now IN progress i, has stood for the
matter OF government of all nationali-
ties under the heel of GERMANY and
austria, and that there could, there
iore, be no Inconsistency in lending
support to the claim of Ireland
MAY MAKE POLITICAL.
ISSUE OF PROBLEM
And because Irish Americans arc not
satisfied with 4 negative answer from
the PRESIDENT or negative explanations
from his friends. they may make a
some OF the mere radical OF their lead
ers have threatened as much, and il is
no secret that Republicans expect TO
capitalize the situation for all it may
ne worth. They are even now brag-
sinG about the alienation OF the Irish
vote from the Democratic party And
they know, as do all politicians, that
The great body of Irish voters in this
country normally are Democrats. 1t
is because. OF this circumstance that
the party has been dominant in most
q inc great American cities, like New
YORK, Boston and Baltimore.
1t is Il little premature, however, to
count the Irish vote as IL Republican
gain. That vote can no moro be ed
liVered en- masse than can the labor
vote or the Catholic vote or the
Protestant vote or the vote of any
other great body of American citizens.
People In this country have never al
vided politically upon such lines. al
though in many instances there have
been issues which have more or less
solidifcl sentiment among such ele-
mcnts.
1t is ITO use Disgusting the fact, how
ever. that Democratic leaders are
more or less disturbed over the pas
sicnate fashion with which the Irish.
Americans are demanding interference
by the President on the side OF an in :
dependent Ireland. They know how
nearly impossible 1t is for Mr. Wilson
ID crafty the appeals which have been
made to him by the Irish organiza-
tinnf here, and quito understand that
| his failure to show a pronounced In
lterest In Ireland's claims will react, TO
some extent at least, against his party
d: y, Ss VA " AZ s3i e az Y & q,