New-York tribune., 1922-03-27
s65,oooPledgged
Here for Civil
w ar i'm Ireland
), 200 Adherents of Valera
Told by ENJOYS Repub-
licans Will Never Sub
nit to Treaty Terms
Stack and O'kelly Speak
Decry West British Forces
of Free State; Money May
Buy Powder and Shot

Three thousand supporters Of De
Valera pledged s65,ooo to promote
civil war in Ireland at meeting in
the Lexington Opera House last night,
while overflow meetings on the side
walks outside the theater echoed the
cheering with which the De Valera en-
voys now in the United States were
greeted.
There was no mistake about the pur~
pose of the collection. "This money"
said Leo A. MacSweeny, of Rochester,
chairman of the meeting, and presi-
dent of the American Association for
the Recognition of the Irish Republic,
will 90 to the campaign fund Of the
Irish Republican party for the defeat
of the Infamous treaty. If necessary
it will be spent for powder and shot"
Ready to Fight British Also
SIT would be q terrible thing for the
Irish to take up arms against the Irish"
said Austin Stack, one of the ENJOYS
who epoke after the collection had,
been taken, "but every young man who
shouldered gun during the past eight
years in Ireland has fought for the
complete independence that this rotten
treaty denies him. Those young men
are ready to fight the West British
forces in the same cause if that be-
comes necessary; and they will fight
the British( too, If the British come
back"
Prior to the introduction Of Mr.
Stack, and the taking of the collec-
ton, the meeting, while enthusiastic,
had not definitely aligned itself against
the provisional government. J. j.
formerly Minister of Edrca-
tion in de Valera's Cabinet. who was
the first speaker, said that the delega-
tion had not come to the United States
to promote dissension, but to lay be-
fore the American people the true
state Of affairs in ireland, and to
seek America's goodwill for de Valera
at the Most trying moment in the his
ment. They had no harsh words for
Michael Collins, or his provisional
government, Mr.. O'Kelly said. They
believe that Collins and his followers
were mistaken in accepting the treaty.
but they had no bitterness toward
them.
Defines "West British" Force
No such inhibitions hampered Mr..
'1NaSht q iiSi OiaSoIt with INeI6OTlC
record Of revolutionary activities
hunger striking, imprisonment and
escape. In his first sentence ne char
acterized the treaty as rotten" and the
forces opposed to the De Valera fac
tion as the "West British forces" The
army Of the provisional government
was not properly described as Irish,
but would better be called west Brit
ish.' he explained.
"The treaty was forced upon the
Irish people under duress." he said,
"and it is gravely possible that the
young men of the real Ireland may be
goaded into taking arms against the
West British forces in Ireland, in de-
fense Of the cause for which they have
fought so long"
The Irish republican soldiers, Stack
declared, would accept no treaty and
no constitution which did not elimi-
nate kings and other whatnots" and
would refuse to subscribe to any oath
"savs the oath Of the Irish Republic"
He himself remained true to the
Fenian tradition, Stack said. and he
CONTINUED on next pare)