Michael MacDunphy to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(S4430)

A chara,

As you are aware a delegation consisting of the following persons will be setting out for America about the middle of next month to attend the Congress of the Inter-Parliamentary Union at Washington during the first half of October:-

Professor Hayes,¹ Ceann Chomairle,

General Mulcahy, T.D.,

T. Johnson,² T.D.

The Minister for Industry and Commerce³ will also be in the United States and Canada about the same time on a mission connected with the work of his Department.

2. Subject to the observations contained in paragraph 4 (four) hereof, the President considers it desirable that each of the persons concerned should be provided with material in compact form which will enable him to answer enquiries, and, if necessary, to speak at Receptions &c., on matters of interest relating to the Irish Free State, whether political, commercial, social or otherwise, including among other things the Shannon Scheme and the Sugar Beet project. The question of Medical Registration which is now occupying so much space in the Press may also possibly claim attention. Statistics relating to Industry, Unemployment, crime &c., showing the rise or fall in recent years and the comparison with other States, would be useful.

3. The President desires therefore, that you will kindly arrange immediately with the various departments concerned to prepare the necessary material in the form of brief notes and readily available statistics, which when ready should be collated and assembled by your Department in convenient form for use of the Delegates.

4. The position of Mr. Johnson, who is not a member of the Government or of the Parliamentary Party, with which it is associated[,] is somewhat different from that of the other persons named, but he should certainly be made aware of the existence of, and have at his disposal, in case he desires to avail himself of it, the material which is being provided for them.

5. The President considers that the time has come for breaking down the tradition of subscription-seeking with which Ireland has so long been associated in American minds. This condition of things, which in the past was more or less inevitable owing to our political circumstances, is no longer defensible, at least on the scale which has hitherto obtained, and is certainly not in accord with our dignity as a State. He thinks that good pioneer work could be done by the delegation in regard to this matter, by bringing it home to friendly Americans that the time is past when the appearance of persons or delegations representing the Irish Free State in America was tantamount to call for subscriptions for some charitable or political object. If the friendly feeling which undoubtedly exists and which has hitherto expressed itself in the form of generous support for every collection organised for the benefit of Irish or pseudo-Irish interests could be diverted to the much more useful and dignified channel of contribution to the economic development of this country by supporting our industries, very valuable work will have been done both for our prestige and for our prosperity.

6. The accepted tradition of a race of starving peasants and needy politicians must be replaced by the realisation of a self-reliant Ireland with great potentialities of prosperity, governing herself with dignity and efficiency, taking her natural place in the commercial arenas of the world, asking no favours, but ready and willing to trade her products, the quality of which is famed throughout the world. It should be made clear to our friends in the United States that the use of articles of Irish manufacture or production is much more serviceable to our interests and much more acceptable to our national sensibility, than subscriptions to various causes, deserving or otherwise, in regard to which they have shown themselves to be so generous in the past. As a small beginning it might be suggested that Irish goods should be used as far as possible in connection with the various public and semi-public ceremonies which are such a feature of Irish American life, and that a demand for their use should be fostered as far as possible, with a view to developing and expanding Irish Trade.

7. Undoubtedly there will occur cases in which we will find it necessary or desirable to seek financial aid from our friends in the United States, but cases of this nature can always be vouched for by our Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

8. The President desires me to add that he has not been approached by any of the delegates in regard to the above matters, but he feels personally that they urgently call for attention.