IRISH-AMERICANS & THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 309, 24 September 1918, Page 8

IRISH-AMERICANS & THE WAR

AN APPEAL TO REASON,

Mr. T. P. O'Connor, M.P., recently addressed the Irisli Fellowship Club in Chicago, and (says the "Spectator") made the usual Nationalist speech on the wickedness of the British Ministry in proposing to conscript Irishman. A* the close of tho speech, according ',o tho "Chicago Hei'ald," two members rose and protested vigorously:— " 'Mr. O'Connor says.that as Irishmen wo should stand by Irishmen. I say that if the winning of this war meant the sinking of Ireland to the depths of the Lusitania [ say lot us sink her,'- shouted Quin O'Brien. '\V<are first of all Americans and we are m this war. Let us appoint a committee to form our views and express them later, and not endorse what has been said hastily.' 'I agree with Mr. O'Brien,' said James G. Condon. 'I don't believe the Irish of the United States are going to laugh with scorn at England and her internal condition. We have given to Ireland, and now we of America say, "give us back." Don't throw discredit on tho whole Irisli race. God help the men who.are to answer if Ireland does not keep on with the war. God help the men that try to withdraw her 250,000 troops from the, field. Do not throw discredit on the Irishmen by letting the fight on her own isle encumber tho fight for the freedom of the whole world.' The two members were cheered loudly." These Irish-Americans of Chicago clearly regarded Home Rule as a secondary matter, and heartily disapproved of the Nationalist campaign against conscription, which could only bring comfort to the enemy. Another example of Irish-American feeling from the "Dallas Morning News"' of April 24. The Irishmen of Dallas, Texas, met to discuss the Irish question. '1 he chairman., Mr. Mahoney, said that, though there was "bitterness in his heart against the nation that had oppressed his forefathers for the last- eight hundred years," yei, now that America had accepted Great Britain as an ally, "we should put aside all political questions for tho duration of the war, and work and fight solidly and harmoniously to achieve the common end of ■ victory against Germany." Mr. Mahoney might not be well' acquainted with the facts of Irisli history, but lie could see. the present duty of Irishmen far more clearly than* the Nationalist politicians in Dublin. ' The meeting then adopted a resolution pointing out that. "The war is as much for the benefit of Ireland as for America. It is waged' in behalf of the weak against the strong; it is being waged for the purpose of bringing justice to all the weaker powers of the earth, and to forever make it ini]x>ssible for a strong nation to humiliate a smaller nation as Germany crushed and humiliated Belgium. ' Our President has already spoken for the United States that subject. We need tho help of the Irish in this great emergency. We beg her people to put aside all contentions of a purely local nature until v.e shall have crushed the Kaiser and forever destroyed his arrogant claim of ruling bv Divine right, and firmly established the Divine right of every nation to rule, itself in its own way. Therefore, he, it " '.Resolved, that we respectfully advise and most earnestly entreat the Hon. John Dillon to bring his people to stand with us in this, our time of need, as wehave always stood by Ireland, and that we send him a cablegram substanliallv as follows: ''Meeting of Irishmen and their descendants in Dallas, Texas, endorse the immediate granting of Home Rule and extension of conscription to Ireland tr fight with the Allies as the. Irishmen m America, and their descendants are now doing."