Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1921-02-24
TAKES EXCEPTION TO
FREE PRESS EDITORIAL


Anent the lead editorial in the Free
Press for last week, under the caption
''Irish Propaganda, the Rev. FIR
Thomas T. Phelan, of this city has
written q letter to the editor. Sub
stance of the editorial in question was
that individuals were entitled to free
ly express their opinions in the United
States on the Irish question, either
pro or con, but that ''the govern
ments of the United States and Of the
fortyeight states should be permit
ted to function without injection there
in of the Irish question, which should
be foreign to the conduct of our pub
lie administration.
The Rev. FIR. Phelan, in his commu-
nication to the Free Press, has gone
at length into America s relations with
Ireland and the Irish people, and sets
forth what is declared to be America s
debt to Ireland The letter is eouched
in the same beautiful phraseology
gentleman S previous writings and
address in Grangeville, and indeed is
well worth reading:
Editor Free Press:
In your editorial of last week you
would have your readers understand
that the English Irish question is ex-
clusively a British affair, one that does
not concern the American people and
consequently Miss insolvency has no
business here. Miss MacSweeney 8
presence here is for the purpose of
enlisting the sympathy of all liberty
loving people, regardless of race or
creed, in Ireland S struggle for free
dom.
regret that the Gree Press is not
living up to the standard it put before
us in 1914. Yet its duty today is clear
and should demonstrate that American
opinion condemns the horrors of for
eign military oppression inflicted on
Il small nation no less in 1921 than it |
did in 1914. For every Lodvain in |
1914 there is an Irish Balbriggan to-
day. The atrocities committed by the
kaiser s army in the late war pale into
insignifcance when compared with the
arson, pillage, looting and other un-
printable crimes now being committed
in Ireland by the British arIdy of
occupation.
Miss MacSwinney, in asking for re-
cognition by the United States of the
republican form of government in
Ireland, is asking nothing that has
not been established by precedent,
nothing that is not in harmony with
the traditional policy of the United
States.
Before the establishment of the Uni
ted States it might have caused war to
recognize a new state The establish.
ment Of this government, however,
fixed new rule, and, for more than
125 years it has been our policy to
recognize new republics without inter-
vention.
Jefferson said; GLOW can we con
sistently. refuse TO recognize people
who ask to establish our form of gov
As early as 1892, Jeffer-
son advised our minister at Paris: cit I
agrees with our policy to recognize I
any government, which is formed by
the viii of the nations substantially
declared. -
The Irish republic has been estab-
ished by a more than threefourths- I
vote of the people of Ireland Two {
local elections vastly in $
creased the majority in favor of {
the republican government given in the q
first election. {
In 1898, rs soon as it was claimed 7
hat a republic had been established i
in France, the republic was recog- t
nized and Jefferson congratulated the /
French people on the establishment of S
The principle of liberty. h
There was a controversy between i