The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-03-26
BLAlHES TREATY
FAILURE ON IRISH
AMERICANS
Rev. Charles E. Walsh of Williamstown
Says the Irish Problem Is Not for
the United States to Solve.

To the Editor of the Barre Times
Dear Sir-ln your issue of the 22d inst
your paper contains report of an
address by Mr. Harry c. Cotter, rep
resentative of the American commits.
sion on Irish independence, on the sub.
ject of Ireland. Like most of the re,
ports have read by Irish speakers on
this subject, Mr. Cotter misrepresents
the facts, or makes big statements
that have no foundation save in his
own imagination. Mr. Editor, | would
! ike to submit to your readers few
thoughts on this subject. | regard it
as u matter of very great regret that
| the Irish problem which has been a
thorn in the flesh of British politics
for generations should have been i'm
ported into the United States for pub
| lie discussion. There never was time
when the world was more in need OF
good will between the great powers.
The problems of reconstruction will
more than tax the utmost endeavors
of the great powers for a generation to
come, even If there were no serious
differences to distract their interest
and co-opera tion whilst they are en-
gagged in this imperatively necessary
work. During the war the energies of
many lrishmen were devoted to him
dering the success of Great Britain in
prosecuting the war, making 1t neces-
sary at time when every man was
needed in France, for large garrison
of British soldiers to be kept in and
around Ireland
Now when the allies are distracted
by the after-war problems, these same
Irishmen are doing everything they
can to ALLEVIATE the United States and
Great Britain, when the cooperation
of these two nations is absolutely nee.
essary to the rebuilding of the world
on the right lines. The first fruit OF
this Irish and Irish American policy is
the defeat Of the peace treaty, and the
many months of time Congress has
wasted in discussing this matter.
submit that the failure to ratify the
peace treaty is due more to Irish
American influence than to any other
single cause. No one denies the abil-
ity of Irishmen to play the game of
politics am sure they are well able
to govern themselves / fear they are
not very well cut out to rule those who
do not agree with them. II it were
possible, it would be happy solution
OF the Irish problem if Irish wit and
skill could find some way to move the
Emerald Isle to this side of the Allan |
tic, and put that beautiful country |
down in close proximity to Boston har.
Dor Even so peaceful a solution might |
be impossible unless care was taken |
in crossing the Atlantic TO dump the
Professionals of Ulster in midocean.
As it is, nature has put Ireland in
very close proximity to England. Eng
land, Scotland, Wales and Protestant |
Ulster, exercising the right of self
TO maintain their indie
pendence and freedom, refuse to allow
Ireland to be absolutely under the con
troll of an Irish Roman Catholic ma
iority. British liberty has not been
bought with silver and gold, but with
precious human blood. She is not like
ly to surrender it at the demand of
about three million Irishmen. The
United States had its Civil war to
maintain unity essential to liberty.
And we have our Monroe doctrine for
the same purpose,
In the same way the geographical
of Ireland to the rest of the
British Isles makes the absolute indie
pendence of ireland unthinkable, for
England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster
The Irish problem is a problem that
must be solved to the reasonable salts
faction of the whole OF the United
Kingdom. 1t is not an American prob
EN- and the projection of the problem
INTO the politics of the United States
,nly aggravates problem already
more than exasperating. As the Irish
1ill now before the House of Commons
shows, the British government, after
many years of bitter political conflict,
$ prepared to concede practically