Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-31
DECLARE WILSON
IDEALS DISCARDED
Irish-American Spokesman
Urge Senators to Reject
Treaty as Drawn.
SPEAKERS VIEWS OPPOSED

Declaring that President Wilson'S
ideals had been brushed aside by the
other powers at the Versailles peace
conference, Irish-American spokes-
men urged the Senate foreign rela-
tions committee to reject the peace
treaty as now drawn. at hearings
which lasted throughout yesterday.
The speakers, including Frank p.
Walsh Of Kansas City, Michael J.
Ryan Of Philadelphia and Edward F.
Dunno. former Governor Of Illinois.
were cheered by the spectators who
crowded the hearing room.
Files Brief in Protest
While the arguments were being
presented to the committee, brief
opposing the views Of the speakers,
signed by Albert E. Kelly and five
others, was filed with the committee.
The brief protested against the at
tempt of representatives of faction
in Ireland known as the Sim Fem
party or of kindred organizations In
the United States favoring the Sim
Fien movement" to bring the Irish
question into discussion of the peace
treaty.
REPRESENTATIVES Of various Greek
societies also appeared before the
committee and made statement OF
the claims Of the Greek people regard
ing the peace settlement.
Paint Conditions as Gloomy.
Conditions in Ireland today were
painted in gloomy colors by Messrs.
Walsh, Ryan and Dunno. Civil law
had been suspended, they declared.
and local officials were being arrested
warrant, while women and children
were ground beneath a "despotic
military rule, whose excesSeS they
declared, the censorship had concealed
from the United States.
had been referred to E. M House
when they tried to get q hearing
with President Wilson in Paris, and
that later Secretary Lansing had
written them that it would be useless
to press their requests further, since
their utterances while in Ireland had
offended British statesmen.
Great Britain, the speakers said,
had drawn the United States into
the league to help guarantee such
s.outrages' as she was committing IN
Ireland At the same time. they
asserted, England had been careful
her "a grip on every part Of salt wa
ter in the world" and which under
present circumstances could be In
tended for use only against the
United States.
Brief Put in Record.
The brief opposing the position OF
Messrs. Walsh, Ryan and Dunno was
not read, but was ordered put into
the record OF the hearing. The sign
ers- said they were of Irish birth and
Just plain, hard-working American
citizens with, no az to grind.
forth, has no right to take part in the
discussion Of the league Of nations be,
cause it failed to support the allies
in the war, conducting propaganda
hurtful to the allied cause Use an ana , ssviing
strife and turmoil at home,
Statements that Ireland has not self
government were denied. the brief say
ing that the Irish have the franchise.
have a representative government and
are subject to laws made by parliament
in the same manner as for England,
Scotland and Wales.
Ireland is not suppressed religiously
nor industrially, it was declared, and
approaching unity only under British
riile Injection of the Irish question
into American politics. it was argued,
would raise racial and religious issues
foreign to the principles Of American
life
The hearing yesterday attracted un-
usual attention, an extra detail OF
police being necessary to keep the
spectators from crowding the commit
tee room beyond its capacity.
Pleads for Pact's Rejection.
In an address closing the argument
for the Irish societies., Mr.. Cochran, a
native Of Ireland, made an imprisoned
plea for rejection of the treaty. AL
though he had followed President
Wilson politically and had believed
profoundly in the Presidents ideals,
he said. there could be no greater
calamity than ratification Of the treaty
he negotiated at Versailles.
Tracing the struggles Of Ireland
through many attempts by British
rulers to exterminate her." he said, the
Irish people had kept alive against the
greatest adversely their love Of liberty
and their aspirations for freedom. His
tory had demonstrated. he argued, that
England could not do justice in Ireland