The Irish standard., 1919-12-13

~ FeOpl
crowd psteAosnow n1lnA ~ sateat1oi
aeeply htsEss6lls. n Ms ~ Hoe
,eA watA its hfxs akfiySeIrl6 -
isala Nor was s cAil1toese ietA
Yofh The lik ed4nedt Present was
nj 1stabH Predominant. and 1t COM
ieased inas1 more OF the second or
thir1 generation. than emigrants.
they were Americans OF I1ish blood.
.ather than Irish Who had found q
aew home In this land Of tho Tree.
But 4 quiet emotionalism vas dis
tinctly observable in the faces Of these
American men and women. It was to
be seen In tho countenances of hun
dreds and Thousands. Who claimed no
blood kinship with the sons OF Erin.
Their hearts went out to the earnest
champion OF Irish freedom. 30 tar from
his own country. but bearing banner
OF familiar device. There were tears
In the eyes Of these Los Angeles men
and women. tears which told of warm
sympathy for the man and his cause.
Given Earnest Attentlon.
The big crowd which greeted dc Va
lera Vas enthusiastic. but in its mo-
ments OF most earnest applause for the
principles enunciated by de Valera as
being those upon which the Emerald
Isle seeks the right Of selfdetefmina-
tion and liberty nom British rule, it
was respectful and always attentive.
Despite the TACT that, due to natural
conditions. many could not hear him
clearly, all gave silent attention and
very few even shifted their positions
throughout the hour and forty.tlve min
utes that he spoke.
Evidently sensing the temper of the
big crowd. there was no semblance of
an attempt to disrupt the meeting. A
squad Of more than 800 ex-service men
acted as q guard Of honor for the Irish
president as he ascended the speakers
stand and as he spoke. He was car
ried to tie stand from the autsmohlle
In which he rode to the 11rk. on the
shoulders of U. s. soldier and q
U. s. sailor, both of whom cav active
service during the war.
That the United States is the su-
preme neral court Of the world today
and that he believed the American
spirit Of fair play would overcome
British propaganda which he charged
had been spread here for the past hve
years. was given by de Valera as the
reason why he had come to this coan-
try to plead the cause Of Ireland.
Speaking in q voice which for it's
deepness of tone belied the lack of
Tuggedness in his physique and in an
unimpassioned, keenly analytical way,
de Valera laid before his audience the
facts regarding Ireland's claims to
liberty. In his finale he declared that
there was no choice for American
men and women who believed In the
principles of liberty laid down as
Americas cause for entering the war,
but recognize the right of vast ma
jority of Ireland's people to decree
their own method of government.
In his speech President de Valera
declared that there were two argu-
ments or charges which were being
utilized by opponents of Irish liberty
in this country to mislead public
opinion.
One of these, he said, was the allega-
tion that it was religious and not q
political issue.
The other, he declared, was the fre-
quently hurled charge that proponents
Of Irish freedom had stabbed the
United States in the back" during the
war. He refuted both of them.
President de Valera made only one
reference to the newspaper which
boasted of having prevented his ap.
pearance at the Shrine Auditorium,
when he said, speaking of the Irish
movement:
1T is not racial, it is not religious.
You are told it is religious. Now, it
is very easy to see that it is not, and
On dif7 clYIf Mould ~ ho - ,,ropa q