Arizona republican., 1919-08-31
|R|SHNEN PLEAD ] IMP PASS|ONEDLY.
 T0 REJECT PACT.
Urge Senate to Reject It AL together = Wax Hot at England Opposition Brief Also Given Con- gress = Many Speakers Appear During the Day
TRepubiican A. P. Leased WireJ

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 - lmpas stoned protests against the league of nations were presented on behalf of American Irishmen today at hear ing before the senate foreign relationsl committee.
 In a series of dramatic appeals which repeatedly drew cheers from the crowd tanning the committee room, the spokesmen declared the covenant sought to pronounce a death sentence on the aspirations of the Irish people and to fasten forever upon Ireland what they characterized yoke of Brit ish oppression.
 Among the speakers who said they voiced the sentiments of more than 20000, 900 Americans Of Irish origin, were Frank P. Walsh, of Kansas City, Michael J. Ryan, of Philadelphia and Edward F. Dunne, former governor of Illinois, members of the American commission which sought to get a hearing for Ireland at Versailles. An opening statement was made by Daniel F. Cohalan, justice of the New York supreme court, ard the legal aspects of the covenant as they affect Ireland were summed up by Bourke Cochran, also of New York.
 Representatives of various Greek societies also appeared before the com mittee today and made statement Of the claims of the Greek people regard ing the peace settlement.
 Reject The Treaty
 Outright rejection of the peace treaty was asked by the Irish speakers who charged that under the covenant Great Britain would receive a guarantee that no outside nation ever would help Ireland gain her independence. The domination of the British fleet over the seas, they also declared, would be made so complete by the treaty as to be a direct menace to the United States.
 In the Versailles negotiations, Walsh, Ryan and Dunne declared, President Wilson's ideals all had been brushed aside by the other powers. At the open session when the league covenant was approved they said, delegates in all parts of the hall tried to make pro test, but they silenced by the steam roller methods" of the controlling figures of the conference.
 Of conditions in Ireland where the commission spent some time, the three speakers painted a gloomy picture Civil law had been suspended they declared and local officials were being arrested and their homes searched without warrant, while women and children were ground beneath al "despotics military rules whose excess es they declared. the censorship had concealed from the United States.
 The three commissioners said they had been referred to D. NJ House when they tried to get a hearing with Presi- dent 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 speaker said. had drawn the United States into the league to help guarantee such "out- rages" as she was committing in Ire land. At the same time, they asserted, England had been careful to preserve a sea power which gave her "a grip on every. quart of salt Water in the world" and which under present cir cumstances could be intended for use only against the United States.
 Although the committee originally had allotted only two hours to the hearing when presentation of the Irish cause had been fairly launched it was voted to extend the time for as long as the speakers desired. They took most of the day.
 A brief opposing the views expressed by the witnesses was filed with the committee by Albert E. Kelley of New York, and five others. The brief pro- tested against the attempt of repre- sentatiyes of a faction in Ireland known as the sin fein party, or of kindred organizations favoring their movement in the United States, to bring the Irish question into discussion of the peace treaty.
 Protest Into Records
 The brief was not read, but was or dered put into the record of the hear ing. The signers said they were of Irish birth and just plain, hardwork- ing American citizens with no axe to grind"
 The sim fein faction, the brief set forth, has no right to take part in the discussion of the league of nations be- cause 1t failed" to support the allies in the war, conducting propaganda hurtfu1 to the allied cause and giving laid and comfort to the enemy by creating strife and turmoil at home"
 StatemenE that Ireland has not self government were denied the brief say ing the Irish have the franchise, have representative government and are subject to laws made by parliament in the same manner as for England, Scot land and Wales.
 Ireland is not suppressed religiously nor industrially, it was declared and never has been one undivided nation, approaching unity only under British rule. Injection of the Irish question into American politics. it was argued. would create racial and religious issues foreign to the principles Of American life
 The hearing today attracted unusual attention, an extra detail of police be- ing necessary to keep the spectators from crowding the committee room be- xsord sfe