The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1919-07-12
INVESTIGATION DISCLOSES THE
REASON FOR INDEPENDENCE OF IRELAND
Murderous Atrocities British aiers
Is Demanded England n Furious Desperation

Colonel House in the Hotel Grillon
that evening to receive an answer
from Lloyd George, we found Sir Will
liam Wiseman, liaison officer be-
tween the American and British en-
bassies in Paris. He presented the
apologies OF Lloyd George for the de-
lay, and said that Lloyd George would
like to fix a time for the interview
upon some day of the following week.
Mr.. Walsh, speaking for the commits
sion replied that if they were to re-
main another week in Paris before re-
ceiving an answer to their request for
the safe conducts, they wished to use
the time in a visit to Ireland for the
purpose of meeting the representa-
tives of the Irish people and making
a first-hand investigation of conditions
in Ireland.
AS the passports of the members of
the commission did not include Eng
land and Ireland, it was necessary to
have them amended, which was ex-
peditiously done, the amended pass
ports reading that the members of the
commission were going to Ireland on
an unofficial political mission" and
the forms of the passports were made
diplomatic, which greatly facilitated
their movements.
1t should be noted that after the
visit. to ireland demands were made
in the English parliament for, full
report from the prime minister as to
whether or not it was true that he in.
tended issuing safe conducts to the
Irish representatives, and also if 1t
was his purpose to have an interview
in Paris with the members of the
American commission.
Bonar Law, leader of the house OF
commons, made official answer for the
prime minister, and stated that Lloyd
George had not and never had the
slightest intention of granting safe
conducts to the Irish representatives
He said that Lloyd George had agreed
to the visit of the American commits
sion to Ireland, hoping upon their re
turn that he could press upon them
the English point of view," to be used
as propaganda in America.
The lord chancellor, officially re
plying to the same questions in the
house of lords, likewise denied, on be
half of the prime minister, that there
was ever any intention to grant safe
conducts to Messrs. De Valera, Grif
fifth and Plunkett, and declared it was
the purpose of the prime minister te
have present at his interview with the
American commission upon their re
turn from Ireland, all of the American
newspaper correspondents, so that he
{tke prime rainister> might make {
statement Of England's attitude or
the Irish problem, which would tent
20 allay the growing prejudice against
England in the United States.
When the passports were handed tc
the American commissioners on the
morning of their departure for Ire
land, Sir William Wiseman stated
that Lloyd George wished the com
missioners to go to all parts of Ire
land, if possible, and it was his spe
cial request that they should visit
Belfast.
Upon repeating Sir William Wise
mans request to Messrs. O'Ceallaigf
and Gavin Duffy, the irish envcys al
Paris, they Joined in the request that
we should make close investiga gatior
of conditions in Ireland, and especially
urged that we should visit the jails
particularly those in the larger cities
where, they asserted, hundreds of me1
and women we're confined under cir
cumstances of the most shocking ma
ture.
Crossing the Irish sea from Holy
head to Dunleavy we came upon the
first evidence of the military occupa
tion of Ireland. The vessel and
wharves swarmed with soldiers, fully
equipped for the field, going to and
coming from Ireland.
When we arrived in Ireland we
found soldiers everywhere. A careful
Investigation, made on the day before
we left ireland showed that the army
of occupation numbered considerably
over 100000 men, to which additions