Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-31
LANS|NG'S STAND
ON IRISH DOUBTED
Report That Secretary Declined
to Press Freedom Cause Cues
toned by Or. McCartan
AssAILs BRITISH cENsoRS


lieves there may have been some mis-
take" in cabled versions Of Secretary
Of State Lsnsins's declination to further
press the cause Of Irish freedom at the
Peace Conference.
DR.. McCartan is a member of the
executive committee in charge of the
Friends Of Irish Freedom campaign
for $4,000 here in aid of the Irish
republic and to further Irish propa 1
Sanda.
Secretary Lansing. according to an
nouncement from Paris, recently de-
clared he would make no further official
efforts to obtain safe passage for Sim
Fein leaders in ireland so that they
might personally plead before the Peace
Conference for official recognition OF the
Irish republic.
In making the announcement Secre-
tary Lansing is alleged to have based
his action on speeches made in Ireland
BY the envoys sent from this country by
the Friends of Irish Freedom to urge
recognition of the Irish republic. The
enyoys are Michael }. Ryan. of this
city, former Governor Dunno and Frank
p. Walsh. former head of the federal
war labor board.
Hits at Censors
Doctor McCartan. in explaining"
Secretary Lansing's action, hints at
unusual activity of British censors,
who. he says, have several times
changed cablegrams he sent to Sinn
Fein leaders and others sent by the
leaders in ireland to him. He believes
that when "true copy of Secretary
Lansine's letter to Mr.. Walsh shall be-
come available ''it will bear different
Interpretation to that implied in the
cabled versions that have appeared in
the public press
wTbe aim OF British statesmen at
present" said Doctor McCartan today
:.is to force the Irish people to tacitly
repudiate the republic OF ireland. Eng
lands agents change cablegrams relat-
! ing to ireland 80 as to make them suit
Enxland's imperialist purposes. On
March IL I sent a cablegram to Presi-
dent de Valera in which l referred to
the living republic Of Ireland. The
British censor cut out the word living.
On April "a George Gavan Duffy, one
of the Irish delegates at Paris, sent a
cablexram to me. and at the same time
rave a copy to the Paris correspondent
Of the Irish Independent, published in
Dublin. In this cablegram Mr.. Duffy
said all delegates claim international
recognition established Republic The
British censor cut out the words all
and established
The Irish Independent of May 10
publishes another cablegram which Mr.
Duffy sent me from Paris. and so far
have not received it. Presumably. the
British censor entirely suppressed it.
at will be remembered that a:
Messrs Walsh. Dunno and Ryan wert
about to 20 to ireland it was intimateC
in the cablegrams to the press that thel
had requested an interview with Lloyt
George. the prime minister of Grea
Britain. Concurrently, alleged inter
views with Gavan Duffy and othel
prominent Irishmen were published. i'm
plyinr that they were willing to nego
tiate with Great Britain on the basis o
home rule. These inspired dispatche
were contradicted by statement issue'
nv Mr.. Walsh in London on May y, il
which he made it clear that it was Lloy'
George that expresses a desire to confe
with Mr., Walsh and his brother com
{ missioners. The British premier. real
;zinx that the Irish American commits
, sioners could not be cajoled into dis
. cussion on Ireland as part OF the Brit
ism empire. got some Of his colleagues
raise an outcry against the proposed in
, eeryiew. using this outcry as an excus
to call it of.
d Wilson'S Telegram Delayed
d 1t may seem incredible to mos
D Americans that any British oficia
would tamper with statement give
7 out by Americas secretary Of state
but it is we'll to recall the fact tha
J. only q short time ago an urgent cable
y gram from President Wilson hinise!
!. u was held up for two days in London
y There is good reason, therefore, fo
!. doubling the accuracy OF the cable
: accounts Of Secretary Lansing's state
!. ment. The commission or alteratio
of a single word or phrase would ma
terially alter the whole meaning.
"The alleged reason for Mr.. Ian
q sings refusal to interfere further tO
d ward securing safe conduct for ii
J, Irish plenipotentiaries is because II
Irish American commissioners mao
e speeches distasteful to British official
y II is impossible to conceive a secretar
: of state Of . great nation, such as Il
United States, adopting a 'Mayi
please your Honor policy toward Il
! representative or representatives Of an
!. nation in the world.
. .The republic Of ireland has bee
. established according to the principl,
laid down in President Wilson's ws
= declarations. 1t was for these prir
|. ciples that the young men of the Unit
~ States were asked to give up their live
and the President in his Memorial Ds
!. message says: We must never forg
z the duty that their sacrifice has la
V upon us Of fulfilling their hopes al
!, their purpose to the utmost
:. SIN face of these sentiments it
. impossible to believe that Mr.. LansiI
J, was guilty Of triHins with grave iss,
: BY pretending that the considered dec
y sion Of the Irish people could be s
aside on account of q speech or speech
" made by any Of Ireland's friends.
Ne "If the cabled version of his lett
Of to Mr.. walsh be accurate. Mr.. Lansil
;, would seem to be acting inconsisteni
id with the declared foreign policy Of {
~ United States and at variance wi
90 the wishes Of the American people
- empha tically expressed BY the vote
>. the House Of Representatives on Co
~ --...,..w Gala gher's rssalutinu Sp