THE FEELINGS OF IRISH AMERICANS.
Since the establishment of the Irish Free State the antagonism to Great Britain fostered by Irish Americans has been far less intense and general than it used to be. The Irish Republican papers in the larger cities, however, still keep up the old bitter attacks upon both the British and Free State Governments, and indeed upon anybody, especially any Irishman, who shows any friendliness to either. The Free State Government is consistently depicted as the tool of the British, and the Independent status of the Free State is denied and ridiculed with all the old fervour and ferocity. The arguments, however, make little or no impression now upon the general. American public. Nothing, perhaps, has
done more to convince Americans that Irish independence is real than the fact that the Free State sends its own diplomatic and consular representatives to the United States. Some colour has been given to the attacks upon the Free State Government by the fact that, even to-day the Irish consular activities are not entirely separated from the British consular offices. That they are not is due purely to the courtesy of the British Government and the British Consul General, himself an Irishman, in assisting the Free State Government by continuing to discharge certain technical duties until such time as the Irish consular staff is fully organized. This has 'been done now, and the Irish Consulate will take over larger premises shortly, where all Irish official trade and consular activities will be co-ordinated under the direction of an Irish Consul.
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