The Struggle of the Irish People
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67TE CON G R E SS SE N T E ‘ A t Session TH E STRUGGLE OF THE I RI SH PE OPLE AD D R ESS TO TH E CONGR ESS O F TH E U N ITE D STATE S AD OPT E D AT THE JA N UA RY SE SSI O N OF DA E R AN N 1 92 1 IL I E , " Z ~ E OH S§ R ESE TED B AH P N BY M R. OR — I\I AY 2 1 92 1 . e e rre d t o t h e C o mmi e e o n o re n R e a ions , R f tt F ig l t a nd o rd e re d t o be printe d WASHING TON GOV ERNM E NT PRINTING O FF ICE 1 9 2 1 L BRAR I Y OF CONGRESS? “ J UNI M Q? ! THE STRUGGLE OF THE IRISH PEOPLE. TO t h e e lect e d Re p r e s e nt a t ives of t he p eop le of t h e Unit e d St a t e s of Amer ica ! t h e c t t t o f I c o nizin o u t h e We , ele ed represen a ives reland , re _ g in y ele c t ed Represen t at ives in Co ngress Of t h e p e o l e 0?t h e Unit ed St at es o f A c o ur t t h e c o o o r t t o t t h e meri a , bre hren in mm n e has en day w t h e n a t io ns w t o t t c o hen may d ell ge her in j us i e and in harm ny , have t h e t o o o t t o o u . h n r gree and address y — 1 . c t t t t h e t o f o ur o t h e f We—feel er ain ha s ruggle pe ple peo ple o Ireland against t h e aggressio n Of England is no t passing uno b served by yo u . We c o ve t yo ur est eem as we wo uld value yo ur sympat hy and supp o rt and fearful leas t yo u be misled by t h e wide ’ t t o r o Of o o t o spread , persis en , and insidi us p aganda falseh d hr u h ' — whic h England seeks t o c reat e p r e j u ic e a ains t us dis t o rt ing t e c c t o f t h e c o t t we t t o e fo r e o u c t s o t t hara er n es , has en lay y fa s , ha c o t t rrec ly info rmed yo u may be able t o j udge j us ly . 2 f . The nat i o n whi c h we represent enj o yed o r o ver a t ho usand years t h e life o f an independent s o vereign St at e amo ng t h e St at es Of o o t — —w c c Eur pe . Then a neighb ring na io n England hi h had re eived t h e t Of c i t o c t o r t o o ur o t t o benefi s iv liza i n and edu a i n fi s fr m hands , l s t t o o w t t fo r our o o t gra i ude and h n r and burning i h lus p ssessi ns , burs o , c o c c v t r o t h e c o u o f in up n us as a ns ien eless in ader , and h u h rse t o t o t o rt o ur o t annih gi a t e o ur many genera i ns s r ve subve p li y , language o ur c t o ur n o ur c t t and ul ure , suppress indust ry , rui agri ul ure , s eal o ur t o ur c o c e r i of t h e t o f o ur rade and mmer e , d p ve us advan ages o c o t o c ut Off o our c t t c o w t ge graphi al p si i n , us fr m an ien in er urse i h o t o r o b o ur o ur o t h e o Of her pe ples , revenues , and erase name fr m r ll nat io ns . in t c t t t Of c f o t 3 . o c Fail g a hieve hese ends af er en uries riminal e f r , t his nat io n ent ered int o s o lemn t reat ies ac kn o wledging o ur nat io nal c c o t c t t o c t it fo r t but t t independen e and n ra ing respe all ime , his mean t merely unt il o ur nat io nal defenses were dismant led . Then reat ies and c o n t rac t s were t reat ed as s c raps Of p aper and t h e c o mpac t t reac hero usly and bl o o dily vio lat ed . A t h o c o f o w t l t 4 . ll e res ur es a p erful and ru h ess yranny have been emplo yed sinc e in a desperat e at t emp t t o ut t erly des t ro y us as a h f o t we o nat io n . In t e c o urse o li t t le ver a c en ury have been r bbed ’ Of w t o t t o o w t W t eal h am un ing an empire s rans m , hils i hin living mem o r o t o Of t o w c w t t h e o y a p pula i n eigh and a half milli ns hi h , i h n rmal t o f c wo t o - o t o o f o ra e in rease , uld have given us day a p pula i n s me t o r e d uc e d b ac t t o o o seven een milli ns , has been y enemy s f ur milli ns Our i a c rime un iq ue amo ng c ivilized nat io ns . island is surpass ngly t o o w t w t t fer ile , gener usly end ed by na ure i h every advan age and c t fo r t fo r t fo r c o c c Of o t fa ili y indus ry , rade , and mmer e , apable supp r o t t w t o o f o e t o ing in happiness and pr speri y en y milli ns s uls , y nly las t year it w a s public ly declared by t h e Offic ial head o f t h e usurping 3 4 THE STRUGGLE OF THE IRISH PEOPLE . English Go vernment t hat it w a s t h e c o nsidered p o lic y Of t—ha t Go vern men t t o banish fro m o ur c o unt ry t h e yo ung and s t ro ng t h e flo wer Of t h e fo ur millio ns t hat ye t remain . t t t 5 . The Irish pe o ple have c o nsis en ly resis ed t his infam o us t yranny t o t h e u t m o s t o f t heir p o wer . Almo s t every generat io n w t a t t o ne w t h e o has i nessed leas armed uprising , and hen pe ple were t o o weak t o resis t in arms t hey never c eased t o make c lear ’ t heir hat red Of t h e rule Of t h e fo reigner . Their o ppress o r s declara “ ! t io ns t hat t h e nat io nal sent imen t Of Ireland is guilt y Of disl o yalt y t o c o t t c n o w t Of t t English rule has been a ns an a k ledgmen his at it ude . The at t i t ude and t h e desire o f t h e present generat io n has been made manifes t beyo nd q ues t io n . On 1 4 1 1 o f t h e 6 . c 9 8 c o De ember , , mindful prin iples pr fessed by t h e Go vernment o f England during t h e Great War and seeing in t h e applic at i o n o f t hese i rinc ipl e s a ready and a jus t means Of arriving a t c final t t t Of t own c t t t h a pea eful and se lemen heir en uried s ruggle , e Irish pe o ple dec lared by an o verwhelming maj orit y a t t h e p o lls fo r I an independent rish republic .