The Irish standard., 1919-05-10
Speech of
DIR. Hardager
Representative Of India.
Ny Dear Friends:

Ny Dear Friends:
The things have heard here to.
night, have heard the same thing
every day and night in that land from
which came. Every word that has
been told you by the other speakers
so far is truth, and you who have been
born in this country cannot realize the
truth of those statements. You can.
not realize unless you go to those, to
| those that have suffered as those ma
tives have, under the depressing heels
of Britannia Majesty. You cannot un-
der no circumstances by sitting in
these beautifully lighted, beautifully
furnished rooms to listen to the story
of oppressed people, but it is miser.
able life, indeed-oh, it is a miserable
life, and If you at all stand for Justice
and Peace you must see that Justice
and Peace is brought about by fair
means, and not by foul means, and
that it is applied not only to one or
to two, or to few nations, but that
it Is applied to each and every other
; nation who are under the heels Of the
oppressor. 1t makes no difference
whether that oppressor is England,
Japan, or any other country-it must
be that way, my dear friends, in the
name of Justice and Peace; in the
name of Democracy which we have
made safe for the World; in the name
Of Civilization, and further in the
name of Christianity.
More than half the total population
of India do not get even one complete
meal day. They go to bed with an
empty stomach every night. Can you
imagine it? Could you go the same
way to your bed at night and get a
comfortable sleep? If you think you
could do SO, try it just once-try it
just one night, and you will under.
stand how those miserable people are
living under the heel of the Britannia
Majesty.
They tell you India is prosperous
under British Rule. They tell you that
they have given peace to that land,
and that they have enjoyed western
education, and they tell you so many
things. Before proceeding further let
me say just this much: You know
about the conditions in Ireland, and
about the Irish people, Place the peo-
pie of India in the place of Ireland,
and you will get the real story, but
further than that add few more
miseries.
| You know little bit about Ireland
because you have more than two mil
lion sympathizers with Ireland in this
country. They have the money and
can go ahead and do what they please,
and try to awaken the people of this
land and demand self-detcrmination at
least from their representatives. But
we Hindoos are forlorn people. We
are under the heel of the autocrat,
are not allowed to do anything. We
certainly expect much from the Irish
people, and let me tell you, my friends,
that it was our Irish friends who came
, forward to defend India in the latter
part of the 18th century, when one
| Baron Hastings was Governor General
OF India and bled the people of that
land to death. He was jmpeached in
| the House of Commons by an Irish
man, Edmund Burke Irish friends
have come from time to time to the
same thing in the case of India. So
you see how much we expect from
Irish friends in this country as we'll
as outside this country and India, and
therefore, Ireland is our goal. II Ire
land fails, India is bound to fail. With
two millions Of sympathizers in the
United States, If freedom for Ireland
fails, India has no hope-has no hope
to get even the crumbs of bread we
are asking for today. We ask in be
half Of 315,O0O,OO0 Of people. l appeal
to you, my friends, to go on and push
your cause for the freedom of Ireland.
not only for Ireland, but all countries
oppressed by the same enemy, and
then appeal to you, My friends, to
remember this much, that the days
of clapping hands, and the days of
talking and sympathizing are over
II you lose this opportunity of taking
what you want, or giving the human
right-the divine right to the op.
pressed people-God only knows what
will happen, and II you continue to
work, and II nobody listens. raise a
hell and India will help you to the end.
Unless we do that they who have Just
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