Evening star., 1921-05-17
MARY MACSW|NEy
CHARGES ERRORS
Comments on Statement of
John Appleton Stewart
Regarding Irish.

| To the Editor Of The Star:
was interested in reading in your
| issue OF May Is statement OF John
| Appleton Stewart on the attitude of
President Harding and Mr.. Hughes to
| the Irish problem, as evidenced in
letters said to have been written be-
fore the presidential elections.
1t is not for me to comment on any
statement, alleged oi public. Of the
| United States executive. hut I ask
your permission to cof.ect Mr.. Stew
, art and any one who nay he unwit-
| tingly deceived by his statements on
ono or two points about which l may
! reasonably claim to knor' more than
any citizen of the United states.
! Mr.. Stewart says tht the non-lntcr-
| ference of the United States will
/ help toward the solution of the Irish
problem just as the sound and un-
equivocal attitude of the United
! States toward Germsny's ovcrtures
| brought the statesmen in Berlin to
their senses and prevented further
extension of chaos in Europe. II the
! Irish extremists felt that they could
depend upon the United States to help
! them. they would scom ALI sugGes-
! tions of compromisc-thcy would
! adhere to a policy which Britain
could never accept. The Harding ad-
ministration viii hold out no such
hope, with its threat of immeasurable
/ disaster to English -Sp"a king peoples.
! If We're an American | would have
many comments to make on the other
/ paragraphs of MT. stewards state
ment. AS | am not, | shall contine
myself TO his misstatements about
my people.
The assurance of Mr.. Stewart that
| the Harding administration will hold
out no hope" to ireland will not have
the effect that he and his English
! friends seem to believe. There will
be no compromise in Ireland. We
| shall continue to scorn all sugges-
tions of accepting less than our just
| rights, and we shall adhere to our
policy of absolute independence even
If all the nations of the world stand
by Indifferent And we shall win. Our
people can hold out in their guerrilla
warfare for a long time-certainly for
the next four years. at conserva-
tive estimate. The morale Of our
army and our people-inspired as they
are by just and holy cause-is splen-
did The morale of the English in
Ireland is being rapidly DESTROYED.
Mighty as England thinks herself, she
will break before We shall. But am
to understand from Mr.. Stewart that
this great libertyloving people of the
United StateS-whoSe own struggle
for life. liberty and the pursuit of
happiness" for governments founded
on the consent of the governed" is
only a short distance behind them
will look on with indifference while
an attempt is being made to eXter-
inmate the liberty-lovlng people OF
Ireland. who are fighting for the same
principles and against the same foe
as America fought in 1776?
Mr.. Stewart sees in a recognition or
American principles a threat OF i'm
measure BILE disaster to the English
speakings peoples" The disaster" to
the United States may be measured to
a certain extent. The freedom of Ire
land would mean to your country:
!. A new and lucrative market from
which you have hitherto been practi-
cally excluded.
.. Freedom of commerce on the high
seas. and
g. A bulwark of peace-for free
Ireland would be the best guarantee
IF the peace of the world.
We wish no disaster to England.
She can have peace and-little as she
deserves it-friendly relations when
must clear out of our country. In so
far as she can justly claim that her
empire is a comfy of free nations"
she is welcome to keep it intact. Cam
ada. Australia. South Africa. have
self-determined themselves within the
empire. We have self-determined our
selves out of it. and mot all the kings
horses nor all the kings men" will suf-
flee to bring Ireland inside again.
Fiat juSttia. ruat coelum" has ceased
to be practical politics in modern gov
ernment. but far-Seeing statesmen will
realize that at times justice becomes
the most certain course of eNpediency.
Not all the empires past and present
can utterly crush nation whose peo-
pie are animated by a burning love of
/, freedom and ready to die for its at
tainment. MARY MacSWINEY.