Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-03-29
Americans United as Never Before
in Desire to See Full
Justice.
Spent Seven Weeks Here Studying
the sentiment Regarding
Native Land.
AMERICAN OPINION DEFINITE

The time is ripe to solve the
problem of self-government for Ire.
land, and it must be settled Sin
Ireland and nowhere else" in the
opinion of Sir Horace Plunkett, who
departed for the British Isles on
the Adriatic after seven weeks in
this country, devoted largely to
studying American sentiment re-
garding the issue of his native land
1.-THE war should have brought
peace and must bring an Irish set
Element" he declared.
Sir Horace presided last year
over the Dublin convention, which
had the support of the British Gov
ernmnet, but which failed to bring
|about an agreement among the
Irish factions for self-government
Sir Horace's statement follows:
Americans are united as never
before in the forty years 1 have
been coming to this country in d
desire to see full justice done to
the national aspirations of Ireland
They want the difficulty out of the
way, both on account OF the vital
principles involved and the immense
number of your citizens of Irish
birth and blood.
THAT question will, if not set
tied, continue to disturb your do
nestle policies, where it raises false
issues and threatens to become a
serious embarrassment in your for
eign policy. / have been assured
over and over again that nothing
else in all the peace problems of
the Allies touches America so
closely, morally and politically.
i have been constantly asked my
opinion as to what, in these circum-
stances, ought to be done. l would
not help toward settlement in
Ireland-and nowhere else can sat
isfactory settlement be reached-if
I were to set out the terms of the
solution / should personally prefer.
Moreover, there have been political
changes in Great Britain since l
left, which may have to be taken
into account. So far as / can Judge
at this distance the situation there
is growing ripe for final effort to
solve the problem.
''My Inquiries in America have
related rather to the urgency than
to the manner of settlement. OF
this am certain. The solution will
be greatly simplified If the unan-
unity which / have observed in
this country is maintained. What
ever the President may or may not
see fit to do or say in Paris, feel
that the moral sense of the Ameri-
can people must be satisfied. and
their politics and policies freed
from false issues and embarrass-
ment arising from the actual state
of Ireland.
81 am glad to find that on one
vital point Aemrican opinion seems
quite definite. The plans for the
partition of Ireland, which from
time to time find favor at West
Minister, would no more satisfy
American opinion than they would
be tolerated by the sentiment of
Ireland. There may be many solu-
lions OF the Irish question, but there
is only one ireland. When the
Irish people come together, not to
talk over but to work out united
Ireland, they Will be faced, as is
every other modern country. with
the problem of holding the balance.
even between the agriculture and in
dustrial interests. In this task, the
fulfillmeDt Of which will dispose OF
the socalled Ulster difficulty. Ameri-
can opinion. sympathy and advice
will be helpful