Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-11-30
STORY OF IRELAND
BORNE TO OTTAWA
BY MALL0WS MAYOR
CONTINUED from page ~

HucINuHS III iFeldHu, England re
fused TO allow Americans to land II
Ireland. When that commission foun
out they couldn't go to Ireland the,
sent invitations for the Irish peopl,
to come to Washington and testif,
before them. They sent especially
for mayors of towns which were de
stroyed by the Black and Tans. Be
cause | was the mayor OF Mallow
County Cork, Ireland, | was invited
to America to tell of the conditions
In my country.
II have travelled from Maine tC
California and have talked to such
gatherings as this one tonight The
one question that | asked all Ameri
cans Is. DO you believe that Ireland
is entitled to freedom?' Practically
nine-nine out of 100 have answered
yes Some say the trouble In ireland
is a struggle between the north and
the south OF Ireland, while others say
1t is struggle in which the Protes-
tants of the north are trying to dom
mate the Catholics of the south.
IL can take off my hat to the Eng
lish for one thing. They are Won
derful propagandists. We ask our
people, Are you for Ireland and do
you believe in the Irish Republic?
Then step into the Irish army they
are told.
No Religion In Issue.
There Is no religious significance
in the Irish question. When it is
stated that religion is mixed up in
1t II Is lie, There is a republican
government in Ireland today. Ninety
per cent OF the people are Roman
Catholic. President Eamonn De Va
lera Is a Roman Catholic. while the
vice president Is one of those old
Irish Presbyterians.
England has been in Ireland for
the past $50 years against the will
of the Irish people, And since then
there has been nothing but war. Dur
ing the last $50 years we have had six
revolts in Ireland Some call them
rebellons but we haven't rebelled
against England. The leaders of
these revolts were fighting against
the domination OF ireland by Eng
land and they were all murdered. 1t
has been war for liberty.
10 Per Cent Against Republic.
Possibly ten per cent of the peo- |
pie are against the Irish Republic. /
They are called the tories, and they
are for England. You we're fighting ,
your war for freedom $50 years ago
and you had your tory minority. |
What Washington said to them is
WANT De Valera has told our people,
and that was, This country is yours
as well as ours. You will get equal
opportunities with the rest of the
Irish people and that is all
After the war. instead Of democ- /
racy, as the irish people were told
they would receive, England handed /
us out reign of terror Nothing |
like it had occurred for years. We
always said that France would en-
gage in a war with England and then
we would get our freedom. We al .
ways said that Russia would attack
the English colonies in India and /
then we would get our freedom, but I
nothing like that has occurred. Ire
land has always has looked to some |
body else for their freedom But the
younger set said, Let's do il our
selves and they did it.
ireland always was a paying prop
osition to England But when they
found out that they were losing their
hold and that their laws and rules
were not being carried out, England t
decided to break the Irish spirit.
They sent an army of occupation of |
nearly 100000 men to ireland and |
also about 10000 Black and tans. No
freshman loves England nor the way
they treated the Irish people after
the war. The ordinary Englishman
wouldn't be guilty of the crimes com
mitted by the Black and Tans.
English Police Island.
''Those men were convicts, let out |
of English prisons and iails to carry
out English policies in Ireland. They
sent Englishmen to Ireland as a po-
lice force when they found that they |
could not depend on the Irish police. /
They were supplied with large black /
coats and tan trousers. from which |
they got the name Black and Tans
For two years they have murdered. |
They we're sent to break the Irish
spirit but they didn't do it. Ireland
isn't dead, 1t will still live.
Tells of Outrages.
"Now ! will give you brief synop. |
sis of my testimony at Washington
regarding the burning and destruc-
ton of lMallow, Ireland. Mallow is a |
town of about 5000 inhabitants. 1t |
was an average sized town in Ireland I!
England had curfew law in Ire
land by which every citizen had to |
be in his own home by o'clock at |
night or take the chances of being |
shot by the Black and Tans. MalIow |
was burned at night, On that night |
the Black and Tans came about II !
o'clock, They came in military ar.
mored cars. Three thousand of |
them poured into our city fully equip
ped with warning paraphernalia. |
They carried suppies of gasoline,
bombs, rifles, revolvers and machine
guns. They could be heard coming
for long distance.
Was Not at Home.
II wasn't in my own home on that |!
night. Mayors were not in the habit |!
of sleeping in their own quarters dur. |
ing that time. because it was COM |
mon thing for the Rack and Tame IN /