The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-09
SAYS BRITAIN TANNING
 RELIGIOUS HATRED

Washington, December S.-ChargeS that the British government has kepet alive and continuously stirred religious hatred in Ireland and has sought through a reign of terror to starve that country into submission, brought to a conclusion eight hours of testimony today by Miss Mary MacSwiney, sister of the late lord mayor of Cork, before the commission from the committee of hundred in- vestigating the Irish question.
 Miss MacSwiney told the commission that she and Mrs. Muriel MacSwiney the lord mayors widow, had come from Ire land to aid the commission in obtaining the true facts"
 She made the prediction that Ireland would gain it's freedom even though "Eng- land had to be beaten to the ground" Her sister-in-law will be heard tomorrow.
 Miss MacSwiney punctuated her story Of the movement for Irish freedom with the assertion that the United States had not lived up to it's ideal of making the world safe for democracy"
 We are not disturbers." the witness said. We want just to be left alone. We are not using coercion and we will not be coerced. We simply want England to clear out; we'll forgive her of every thing, if she will only leave us alone"
 We are going to get our freedom" she continued, That. every Irish repub- lican knows. for you cannot keep in con tinual slavery people everyone of who om is ready to die for his country"
 BLAMES BLAC RAND TAN
 Miss MacSwiney recounted instances which she said proved that the British government was deliberately firing reig- ious hatreds and added that there would be no religious differences if the Pro- testants and Catholics were left without interference. The Irish have not perse- cuted anybody, she asserted. adding that the peace and prosperity of the large Jew ish quarters in Cork and Dublin attested to that fact. The witness said that where there are no black and tan po- lice there reigns peace and prosperity and a satisfied population"
 "The British government" Miss Mac Swiney continued, has instituted a reign of terror in Ireland. It seeks to destroy property and to throw people out of work. It wants to starve US into sub mission. The Irish people don't want war. If England will get out, we will establish prosperity in our republic We will keep our ports open and promise to let none use them as a war base" Senator Walsh of Massachusetts, d member of the commission, propounding a series of questions, led the witness to declare that de facto government had been seated in Ireland and that under it the citizens of the provisional republic
 seek to govern themselves. Also under his questioning, Miss MacSwiney said
 that the British courts 'sat behind barbed wire barrcades and sand bags surround ed by a regiment of soldiers, waiting for cases which never come" while the Irish republicans she said, turn their controversies over to their own courts and abided by their decisions without further litigation
 Senator Walsh asked the witness to place in the record all facts concerning the formation of the provisional republic, it's declaration of independence, and its methods of dealing with the people. An other question from the Massa chusetts senator brought the declaration that the history of the government creation found an exact parallel in the declaration of independence by the B American col onieS