Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-06-14
IMPORTANT.
Great Work That Confronts Irish
Race Is the Victory
Fund.
win Enable Its Friends to Meet
Enemy of America and
Ireland.
First Step to Redeem New York's
Pledge Given Spectacular
Support.
LOCAL COMMITTEES ORGANIZE.


The most important work ever
undertaken by our race in America
is the collection of the Irish Vic
tory Fund. 1t will enable the Irish
race here and at home to meet the
enemy of America and Ireland on
every field 1T MUST SUCCEEDl
1t is succeeding-but only where
hard work is being done for It,
Money does not leap spontaneously
out of purse and pocket. The Amer
lean public has been called on so
often during the past two years that
paddock of caution now guards its
diminished resources. Not merely
the merits of our cause, therefore,
but energy combined with well-de-
vised and dignified methods must
swell the Fund.
Examples provided by the numer-
GUS recent drives" whether for
American funds like those of the
Red Cross, knights of Columbus
and Salvation Army, or in behalf of
other suffering nations across the
water-Polos, Belgians, AremDians
and Jews-should be studied by our
people. New York, naturally looked
to for the most up-to-date methods
as well as the biggest contribution,
has under the leadership of Judge
Cohalan, adopted many of the plans
successfully demonstrated by the
other Funds.
The first step to redeem New
York's pledge was the formation of
New York Irish Victory Fund
Committee, comprising representa-
tives of various Irish-American or
ganizations and eminent men and
women of the race. Judge Cohalan
as Chairman has the support of JUS
, tees Corr. esavegan, -ffendr4ele- and
Collins. of eminent lawyers like
George j. Gillespie and Martin Con-
boy, Director of the Draft of New
York: of men eminent in the arts
like Victor Herbert; of women who
have labored to enroll their sex in
the cause, like Miss Sarah Nickel
vey and Miss Mary Manahan; of the
editors of the Gaelic American and
the Irish World and of many 9TH
ers making up a committee which
symboliZes the new plane upon
which Irish affairs stand. A sue
lCeSSIul FlllH ANGnuG OuolnCoo Ahchg
William j. Spain, is Treasurer.
Such a local committee should be
the starting-point in the drive for
the fund in every community. Where
separate societies work without a
common direction lines of action
will cross and the public may be
irritated by appeals from competing
forces Rivalry is not as successful
as cooperation. And the failure of
all Irish forces to get together
would deprive the cause of half the
advantage it should derive from this
work Even If the fund is greater
than the fondest hopes anticipated,
that is only half the result desired;
the other half ia the birth of the
new spirit of United Irish-America.
The first move by the New York
committee was to adopt a policy of
frequent meetings in the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel. Such meetings in
the best surroundings in any COM
munity will not only demonstrate a
purpose of vigorous and continuous
action, but raise the campaign and
the cause in the eyes of the public
The next step was to pledge the
various Irish societies and the yari-
GUS boroughs OF the city to definite
quotas of New York's general quota
Each society and each borough may
resort to the methods it finds most
effective Nevertheless, the work is
kept firmly in the hands of the
committee, not only the decisions
made at general meetings, but by
uniform card Of appeal and uni
form collection card.
The most spectacular feature of
the campaign in New York has been
the publication of full-page and half
page advertisements in the leading
daily papers. This work is under
the direction of the National Head
quarters of the Friends of Irish
Freedom, and will be repeated in
other large cities. Nothing could
more splendidly illustrate the prOmi-
nence which the Irish question has
attained in America-the impera-
tiveness with which it demands at
tention-than these statements Of
Ireland's case in the same manner
as the cases OF Belgium, Poland and
other small nations have been
stated.
Among the plans authorized by
the New York Committee are col
lections at church doors, in restau-
rants and in theaters. Stories OF
these collections will be published
hereafter. OF course many societies
are gathering their quotas in part
by collections at public meetings.
and In Brooklyn a mass meeting
under the auspices of the United So
cieties' was held in the Academy Of
Music, where after addresses by
able speakers. an appeal was made
for pledges and immediate contribu-
tions, which were collected by pref
ty colleens in ancient Irish costume.
Though New York is looked to
for the biggest contribution to the
fund and for up-to-date methods,
some other cities have thus far
beaten New York in raising their
quotas of the Irish Victory Fund,