Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-08-17
IRISH FREEDOM
IS DEMANDED BY
THE SIM FEM
De Valera Reiterates Erin's
Claim for Separation From
Britain; Peace Proposal Is
Unjust, He Says.
tBy The Associatcd prevs.)

Dublin, Aug. 10 (by the Assoc
ciated Press) .-Complete indepen-
dence for Ireland still remains the
demand Of the leaders of the Sim
Fein.
At the opening of the Irish
republican parliament today
Eamonn de Valera, republican
leader, in an address to the mem
bers declared that for Ireland he
and his colleagues stood for the
ideals embodied in the American
Declaration of Independence. He
reiterated Irelands claim to sep
aration from the British empire
and asserted that the cabinet of
the republican parliament was the
sole government the Irish people
recognized.
Referring to the peace negotia-
tons with David Lloyd George.
Mr.. de Valera said there were peo-
pie who desired to negotiate in or
der to save their faces. The Sim
Fein, however, would negotiate
only to save possible bloodshed and
for right and principle. He de-
cfared that the cabinet, In refus-
ing the proffer of dominion form
of government by Mr.. Lloyd
George, had taken this step be-
cause it considered his proposals
| unjust.
Mr.. de valera's address was list
| ened to attentively by the 1870
members of the Dali Eireann
| gathered from all parts of Ire
land. 1t was delivered after Pro-
| lessor John Mitchell had been
chosen as speaker of parliament.
| MIR. de Valera promised that at
the session tomorrow ne would
outline the negotiations he mad
| carried on with Mr.. Lloyd George,
and afterwards the parliament
might consider the situation be-
hind closed doors.
Notwithstanding the attitude Of
the members of the Dali Eireann
| in taking the oath of allegiance to
the Irish republican oath which
| in former days would have been
termed high treason-and de Va
lera's reiterated demand for the
| freedom of Ireland, British Off
Gals in Dublin, many of whom as
sert that they have channels of
communication with the inner
workings Of the Sim Fem, are still
hopeful Of settlement Of the Irish
| problem.
These officials tonight based
| their hopes on one section of de
Valera's speech in which he said:
"In the general election, which
| in effect was a plebisclte, the
| question was put to the Irish peo-
| pie what form of government they
wanted and how they wished to
live, sc that they might have the
opportunity of working out for
f, themselves their own national life
| in their own way.
"The answer the people gave
was unmistakable. do not say
their answer was for q form OF
| government SO much, because we
are not republican doctrinaries,
but It was for Irish freedom and
Irish independence and 1t was OBJ
vious to everybody who consid-
cred the question, that Irish in
dependence could not be realized
at the present time in any other
way so suitable as through a re-
public.
"Hence, it was that an Irish
republic, as such, was sanctioned
| by the representatives Of the peo-
ple and that you, the representa-
tives OF the people, came here
and in public session declared the
indenendence of the nation and
solemnly declared your determine
| ton that you would give your
| lives and everything you had in
an endeavor to make that express
sion of the people effective so that
YOU would have not merely In
your own hearts recognition of 1t
but that you might secure recog-
! milton from every nation through
out the earth"
] This is taken by officials here as