Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-03-05
HOLDS IRISH
SYMPATAIES
WAR FACTOR
Sir Horace Plunkett AL
ludes to U. S. in Home
Rule Attack.


cism of the new Irish home rule
bill was expressed by Sir Horace
chairman of the Dublin
at a welcome home"
dinner given in his honor here to-
night by the Irish Dominion league.
He has just returned from the
United States and gave his impress
sions Of the American attitude to-
ward Ireland.
Long before the war broke out"
he said, Il was convinced the peace
of the world depended on mutual
understanding between the British
of free nations-a
term l prefer to the British en-
pire-and the great republic of the
west. How far Germany timed
Armageddon with an eye on Ulster,
let historians say. But it is mat
ter Of personal knowledge that
from 1911 the Prussian govern
ment was organizing a Germat1-
Irish alliance in American politics
with view to the coming attack
upon the worlds freedom.
Kept America Back.
Il have not the least doubt that,
supposing the Irish strouble had
nothing to do with the beginning. of
the war, it was an important fac
tor in delaying Americas decisive
participation in the struggle. To
the same cause was due great
deal of political embarrassment to
the war administration in Wash
ington.
"Only the splendid loyalty to
America and rish-Americans coun-
teracted the deep resentment
caused by contrasts all too easily
drawn between the treatment OF
the northeast corner and the rest Of
our country in conflicts with the
British government.
+. Cited as Proof.
Notwithstanding governmental
control of news which was unpre-
cedented in the history of the Brit
ish people, Ireland has become in
creasingly during the last decade
the final proof to every enemy OF
England in America that British
aims in war and peace are mere
hypocrisies, where they profess to
have any reward whatever for the
liberty of small nationalities.
THE British people. the British
parliament and all the British gov
ernment know this. Now and again
some prominent politician wins
cheers by telling America to mind
her own business and talking
about her negro question. If We
had as many negroes in this coun-
try as the Americans have Irish in
theirs, and if these colored people
possessed the franchise here. we
should be no more silent about that
problem than the Americans are
about Ireland. l agree that it is
undesirable for any alien legisla-
tive body or official representa-.
tives of an alien government to in
dulge in official utterances or &C.
tions of such nature, but what these
people or bodies may say or do i:
of small importance compared
with what the people in the mas:
think.
Americans Bitter.
"In America l found more bittel
anti-English sentiment than in al
my 40 years of observation. 1t wa!
tangled up with the Irish trouble
and was generally expressed il
what I may call Irish terms. Amer
leans do not bother themselves will
details. They want Ireland to hav'
as large a measure of self-govern
ment as is consistent with th'
safety of the British Empire. The.
wish to give to the minority, par
ticularly Ulster. ample securit,
from any possible oppression b.
the majority Of the Irish people VIII
differ from Ulster in economic out
look.
"In my judgment America doe
not want Ireland to be an indie
pendent republic, but until tn
British government ceases q
break its promises to Ireland tn
sentiment of America will be tha
| the Irish people are justified il
asking anything they like"
| Raps listers Power.
Sir Horace criticized the hom
I.rule bill because it gave Ulster an
a minority of not more than one
fifth Of the Irish people "virtua
mandatory over Ireland-a man
datory without responsibility"
IF the southern parliament too
/ the trouble to be born" he con
cluded, "it would probably christie,
itself a-republic and be immediate
lly carried out by its indignan
nurse. Ireland would then pre-
sent, as a monument to the Britis1
craftsmanship. the spectacle O
martial law over the greater par
of a country that demands hom
rule, and home rule in the north
east corner, which never aske
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