The Irish standard., 1919-02-15
FREE IRELAND REPORT MADE
Especial Correspondence.)

Especial Correspondence
Consideration of self-determination
for Ireland at the peace table, is re-
quested in a resolution reported favor
ably by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.
As reported to the House, the reso-
luton differs but slightly from the
measure introduced by Representative
Gallagher Of Illinois, and reads as fol-
lows:
Resolved, by tho House Of Repre-.
sentatives (the Senate concurring),
That It IL the Garment hope of the
Congress Of the United States of
America that the peace conference,
now sitting at Paris, in passing upon
the rights Of various people, will fav-
orably consider the claims of Ireland
to the right of self-determination."
A similar resolution introduced by
Senator Phelan is now before the Sem
ate Foreign Relations Committee
The vote upon the favorable pass.
age of the resolution was 13 to 4. It
was taken after Chairman Flood had
conferred with the State Department,
and it is understood he was informed
that consideration of the resolution
would not embarrass President Will
son in his peace negotiations.
No instructions are specified as to
the character of government to be
urged.
1t was generally understood by
friends of the measure that an unan-
imous report would be made, and it
was stated after the disposition of the
resolution in the committee, that the
negative votes were cast in the belief
that 1t was indelicate to request con-
sideration by the peace delegates of
subject that Great Britain is credited
with declaring purely domestic mat
ter. -.
It is the intention of the proponents
of the measure to call it up for de-
bate under suspension Of the rules
and secure vote upon it in time to
have President Wilson advised of the
wishes of the House before he leaves
Versailles for his return to the United
States. 1t may be called up on the next
unanimous consent day.
At mass meeting held in Wash
ington last week, when resolutions
were adopted calling upon President
Wilson and other representatives of
| the United States to insist that self de-
termination for Ireland be considered
at the peace table, Rt. Rev. Thomas J..
Shahan, Rector of the Catholic Uni
| versity of America, in his address said
that ireland is a nation and NOT a
province Of the British Empire.
Through nearly 800 years of op-
pression," he stated, "the people of
Ireland have maintained their ex.
istence as a nation in spite of the
effort made by England to destroy the
customs, language and religion"
The Bishop declared that President
Wilson should not leave Paris until
the rights of ireland were recognized
and assurance given that the people
would be given the opportunity to de-
eide under which government they
| should live-the British Empire or an
Irish Republic. He stated that in the
last century the population of the
country had fallen from 100000 to
100000, the children of the nation
leaving the mother country to seek the
freedom they we're denied at home in
another land.
The exodus Of her children, he said,
while it had drained the nation of its
life blood, has eventually meant that a
race of people had been nourished un-
der other flags, and is now demanding
that England free the homeland.
No resolution before the national
legislature in recent years, has attract
ed such widespread attention as that
which provides that the isle Across
the Sea become a Nation Once Again, %
and men and women of Irish blood
came from all sections of the country
to appear before the Foreign Relations
Committee, to add their plea for fav-
orable action on the measure.
It will be my pleasure in the next
few weeks to give some of the able
arguments that brought the favorable
vote in the Committee.