The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-21
VIGOROUS PROTEST AGAINST DEVALERA
 MADE LAST NIGHT
Judge Wilkinson the Chief Speaker at Mass Meet ing Which Opposes
 Sim Fein

and insult to the boys that died for
 America. is the gist of vigorous reso- l lutions adopted by mass meeting last night at the Ben Hur temple.
 l Charlie R. West presided. Even
 though it had been raining all day
 and up to the time of the meeting.
 more than 1000 people crowded into
 the hall to declare that Devalera was
 not wanted here.
 1 Chairman West introduced as the 1 first speaker Judge Horace Wiikin-
 son. an active member of the Birnirfg-
 ham Post of the American Legion, and leader in the movement against De-
 Valeras coming. When Judge Wilkin-
 son got up,~ cries and shouts greeted
 him, and it was several minutes be- fore he could speak.
 Citizens of Birmingham and loyal patriots of the United States" he be- gan, T know as | stand here tonight that you are going to back up the boys who fought and died for that which was dearest to them. l know that we are going to stick to England now in her hour of trial. just the same as she stuck with us during the re- cent war England is our ally, bound to us with ties of blood. Ireland, that is the part of Ireland that is going to be represented to us tomorrow, that party which is sailing under the false colors of the Republic of Ireland, is our worst enemy. They have told us so in their own words. DeValera, so- called president of the Irish repub- lie, is a traitor to the United States. He Is a traitor of the blackest kind to every cause that the allies fought four years to defend. Now he is com ing among you, asking and begging of you to support a cause which God | in Heaven will never let take place England has not crushed Ireland 1, under an iron heel. Our great ally has, on the contrary, given the Irish every chance to better themselves. The part of Ireland that Devalera represents is composed of people like our own radical element and that class of pople that the government has de- ported from our shores. Behind it all is the man that wears his collar turned the wrong way. You'll find that this man is behind their every move. He is plotting in the United States today begging money of us, with which he is going to buy powder and guns for the Irish republic, which will enable that bunch of traitors to become strong enough to whip Eng
 land, our dearest ally, the only nation that is blood kin to the United States TO RAISE MILLIONS
 'DeValera's party in the United
 states is here for the purpose of rais-
 Ing $10,000, ,000 To do this they are is- suring liberty bonds of the so-caled { Irish republic. If they succeed they will not only get the sl0,0o0. 900. It Will go nearer the hunded millions of dollars. All of which will go to fight Engand, who herself has spent mil lions of dollars on the Irish to try and find out the cause of the unrest
 among the Sim Fein party.
 Every man that lived in any land that the English flag flew over, was willing
 and ready to lay down his life for Eng
 land Some of the Irish, the class that IS not represented by DeValera. fought
 in the war. But it is known fact that during the war, when our boys wera
 being killed on the battlefields the Sim
 Fein people were openly helping the
 Germans Submarine bases were main tained on the Irish coast German spies
 were aided by the Irish in crossing the country, and in getting information ia
 the enemy of the allies At one tinoa things got so bad in Ireland that Eng land had to take 2,000 soldiers off the iront where they were needed most, and place them in Ireland to keep order
 Then when our boys landed in Ira. land they were publicly stoned in the streets They were so badly treated that army officials had to issue a general or der that when any ship landed off the irish coast, the soldiers were not to he anoWed to go ashore. There is one boy. his name is Buckshaw, and he lives in
 Woodlawn near me He told me tba other day that he slipped off from his shlp without leave one day and that as soon as he was recognized the ,peo pie began to stone him. They caught nm and tied him to tree
 This is the kind of people that have sent DeValera over here. A bodv of people that thought that a German vic- tory would make Ireland a free repub. lie" ep'D-
 MAKE VISIT A FAILURE
 The second speaker was Cam Matt Murphy, who said:
 The best thing that the people of tho united states can do is to make na VaLeras visit here a failure. England then will stop him from coming back to Ireland and another national nast will be doomed. DeValera's eo-called rs- public of Ireland is only a dream. He will be failure because the Anglo-Saxon race intends to stick together.''
 II am proud that I live in Birming- nam, and that I can shake Judge Wilkin son by the hand, said Borden Burr.
 VI hO "dS thc liTsl 10 start the fight. and he Is going to win. l do not blayne DeValera half as much as I blame fha people of the United States who are sun- porting him. Devalera has been in prison. He has suffered some. No doubt his heart is in the cause. But he IS fool to think the United States ia going to turn against England"
 The last speaker was Dr. Holnes and his appearanceN was greeted by shouts of approval
 The big thing the United States has 10 watch out about this Irish home rule IS the Rome rule part of it. said pr. Holmes. Every man that renre sents the so-called Irish republic is d priest or else that church is behind his policies In 1918. when he had just re- turned from visit through Ireland and 10 the firing lines, a we'll known priest or Birmingham made a statement that the Irish were not backing up EngIano as they should, that there were thou l sands of able bodied men in Ireland that | said they were not fighting any nation l that was an enemy of England Eng | lands enemies wer6 their friends. they | said Now. ask you. you citizens of | Birmingham. to draw your own conclu- | sions DeValera states that the views ofI he Irish republic were with those of GU. | own President during the war let Eng
 tContinued on Page Fourfeea.,