The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-10
DEVALERA IS COMING UNLESS INVITATION HERE IS WITHDRAWN
Liam MelIows Says Bir- mingham Is the First Cty Which Has Expressed
 Its Disapproyal
By cHAs. r. SWEENEY

native land from British tyranny"
 This statement was made in Jackson
 vile today by Liam Mellows, member of
 the Irish Parliament and one of the lead-
 CTS of the republican movement in lre-
 land, who is here arranging for the
 visit of President De Valera of the Irish
 Republic on April l4. De Valera will be
 accompanied here by Rev. Dr. J. A. H.
 Irwin. noted Irish Presbyterian clergy
 man and educator. Mir. MelIows' state
 nlent was made in commenting upon the
 dispatch from Birmingham. Ala, stating
 that the City Commission had adopted
 resolution expressing the opinion that the scheduled visit of Mir. De Valera to
 that city is "undesirable,' and that the American Legion post of Birmingham had
 adopted similar resolutions.
 ''The City Commission of Birmingham"
 said MT. Mellows, s'is the first public
 body in this broad land to attempt to close the doors of an American city to the representative of nation struggling U free itself from bondage. President
 De Valera has been in every large city in the country. Governors, senators, mayors judges, clergymen of every de- nomination, scientists, great lawyers and merchants, soldiers and sailors have everywhere joined in expressing to him the feeling of liberty-loving Americans that the people of Ireland are entitled to their freedom. In every state he has visited where the legislature has been in session he has been invited to, address it. He has spoken to more than a million Americans, and no doubt is left in his mind that the common people of America desire for the people of Ireland the same liberty that you in this country enjoy. Real Americans are not king -worshipers, neither are they intolerant. They want every nation to be free, and they are willing to hear both sides of a question before they pass Judgment on it.
 Ut is strange, therefore, that the City Commission of Birmingham should set itself up as the arbiter of what the peo- pie of Birmingham should or should not hear about the struggle against despo- tism in Ireland. I have not been to Bir- mingham, but unless the committee of Birmingham citizens which invited the president there withdraws it's invitation, l can say that MT. De Valera will go to Birmingham on the date scheduled for his appearance.
 Ireland is fighting for her freedom today just as America fought for her freedom in 1776. At that time you sent Benjamin Franklin to Europe to seek recognition of your republic, just as Ire land has sent Eamon De Valera to America to seek recognition of the Irish republic. Your history will tell you that in England, Franklin was insulted and booted, just as the British propagandists :. Ireland, however. Franklin was received with acclaim everywhere he went, and he was given seat of honor in the then existing Irish Parliament-later crushed hv the British government lrishmen noclzed to America to fight for your inde- pendence and helped Ito win it. Wash ington himself sent many messages to Ireland expressing undying sympathy with the cause of Irish freedom. One of these messages said: Patriots of Ireland, be strong in hope your cause is identical with mine.' Franklin, Jefferson, Adams indeed all the leaders of the American revolution, were called traitors by the British government, just as D eyalera is called traitor today. But your heroes were ready to die for the liberty of their country, and De Valera and his comrades are willing to die for Irish liberty. The last place De Valera would expect to be deprived of the opportunity of pleading his country's cause is an American city, and can say for him that he refuses to believe that the people of Birmingham or any other American community are un- willing to give fair hearing to the Irish case.
 sEverywhere he has gone lie has been accorded courteous reception and has left behind him in every city lasting l impression of his great scholarly attain rnent, his unquenchable spirit of patriot ism and his undying love of justice and liberty.
 s'As for the resolution by the Birming. l ham post of the American Legion. let me | say that President De Valera would glad 1 Iv submit the question of Ireland's right to be free to vote of the American l Legion. have in my possession copy | Of the report of a special committee of 1 the Philadelphia (Pa.) county committee | of the American Legion which investi- | gated a resolution adopted by a delega- ~e.f- fxx Oarr sylvania- This report says there has been no disposition or wish, in so far as we can learn in any portion of the Amer fcan Legion, to disapprove the political and economical liberation of the Irish people Even in the resolutions commit- tee of the state cantonment at Harris burg the opinion was clearly expressed without any dissent from any member that (a) the Irish people are entitled to < voice their wishes respecting their own | destiny; (b) that Ireland deserves poll tical and economic freedom and fc1 that De Valera by 70 per cent vote, has re- ceved clear mandate from the Irish people' The committee recommended that all organizations within the Legion ab- stain from taking action upon questions of a foreign or international character, | unless direct American interests are i'm volved.
 we have not sought any resolution from the. American Legion because we have believed that the Legions interests were purely domestic American interests. il What President De Valera has sought in | America and the only thing he has II sought is to appeal directly to the Amer ican people to hear the truth about the Irish position which has been. grossly nisrepresented here by British agents and propagandsts and pro-British news napers We know from our experience here that the American people are fair minded and unprejudiced. If the cause of Ireland is unworthy of sympathy. they Il would have said so long ago. If, after hearing President De Valera. the people of Birmingham do not think Ireland de- serves to be free, it is their right to say 70. but it does hot seem to me to be in keeping with the great American prin- f3ples of liberty an democracy that a city commission could say the people should close their ears to nation in M chafns-should not listen.
 "Ireland today is enduring the same agonies at the hands of British miltarism that Belgium endured from 1914 to lsise Ireland has endured those agonies for centuries. All of the British King horses and all of the British Kings men could not crush out the spirit of liberty. Ireland will fight until she is free again. if it takes until doomsday But 1t won't. The end is in. sight. The people in the world are rapidly recognizing the British empire as the oppressor of nations In India millions are in slavery; in Egypt the BritiAh army is crushing the people: |