, 1921-05-26

lion Tor the Recognition OF the Irish
Republic was formed and u good
membership enrolled.
Michael Harkin, who is organiz-
ing Wyoming for the Association,
spoke in part as follows:
six OF your state legislatures,
those OF Wisconsin,, Montana. ILL.,
nois, Pennsylvania. Minnesota and
New Jersey have already given rec
ognition and have asked President
Harding and the U. S. government
to follow suit.
In December, 1918" he %
tinued. under British law and sup
ervision when most OF the Irish
leaders we're under lock and key in
English jails, the Irish people by an
So per lei vote endorsed the &C
tion of the men who in 1916 pro-
claimed the Irish republic. Last
summer. elections were again held
in the cities and counties of Ireland
and the republican vote was increas-
ed to 81 per cent OF the whole coun-
try. On this second occasion the
women Of Ireland had the. right to
vote, and the second figure there
fore represents more correctly the
strength Of opinion in support of the
Irish republic.
But the people did no stop with
voting. They Immediately set about
giving effect to the decision arrived
at through the ballot box and set up
a national government which estab-
lished a cabinet which in turn Great
ed departments to transact all the
business pertaining to the govern
ment Of Ireland.
GTn1Doc arn o~rn{ntal poItoo
force vas organized from the Irish
volunteers. a local government board
was established to superintend city
and county and district government.
consuls were appointed to the United
States, the South American republics
and the countries of Europe to foster
Irish trade and commerce, a direct
export trade with the world was in
itiated and the government OF Ire
land by the Irish people made an
established fact.
Lord Northcliffe's powerful news
papers, the London Times and Daily
Mail. declared that English govern
had been quietly elbowed out,
adding that the new republic was
functioning with a success that as
founded friend and enemy alike. The
recognition OF that republic by
President Harding and the U. S. gov
eminent Is what we are now seeking
and to this and the American Asso-
citation for the recognition Of the
Irish republic has been established.
as the Irish question not largely
a religious question:" it was some
times asked.
"Emphatically no." said Mr.. Hark-
in. LAS well might you say that
Catholic Belgium's war against Prot
estant Germany was a religious ques-
ton. Professionalism in England has
existed less than 400 a and Ire
lands struggle for independence has
been going on for $50 years. During
the past $50 years all the republican
revolutionary leaders down to our
own day have been Protestants and
Presbyterians. Take Wolfe Tone
and Robert Emmett, both Protestants
and martyred republicans. Their
names are venerated in Ireland next
only to that of St. Patrick himself.
Besides there are the other Protest
ant leaders like Russell, Henry Joy.
MacCracken. John Mitchell and John
Martin. A Protestant poet and lead
err, Thomas Davis, may be said to
have inspired the Sim Fein move-
ment.
Then coming down to our own
day we find that there are no fewer
than three Professionals in the Irish
republican cabinet. These are Cap
tain Robert Barton who served with
distinction in the English army dur
ing the war. but came over to Sim
Fem, Ernest Blythe. well-known
journalist and Countess Markievicz Of
the Goore-Booth family Of Sligo.
This lady as a girl was presented at
court to Queen Victoria. Besides
these cabinet ministers the Irish re-
publican government las the support
Of the Protestant intelligentsia Of
the country. Let me give o some
names:
major Erskine Childers. son Of q
former chancellor of the British ex-
cheQuer, and an officer who was dec
GRATED for bravery shown fighting
the Germans; George Russell. better
known as AE., an FISHERMAN. politi-
cal economist and thinker OF world
EFT he built up the Irish cooperative
movement which has suffered so ter
ribly consequent on the burning of
creameries by British Black and
Tans. Then there Is the historian.
Mrs. Alice Stopford Green, widow OF
John Henry Green who wrote "A His
tory of the English People," Other
notable Protestant republicans are
Alice Milligan. Ulster poetess and
Captain MacNaughton, cousin Of
Lord MacNaughton."
Talking OF religion" remarked
MIR. Harkin, twill you permit me this
question? Did the Professionalism of
the Beers save them when the imper-
ialists of England wanted their dia-
monds and gold? No. England
does not care a tinker's damn about
the religion of any people she wants
to despoil. Imperialism has no re-
ligion."
us not an Irish republic q men
ace to England. the countries being
so close t~ogether?" To this query
he replied: