Letter from Agnes Halton to Herbert Henry Asquith, 28 April 1916.
I must tell you that the real allies of the Germans and
the ring leaders of this revolt are certain Irish Roman
Catholic priests - I have been shocked at the hatred of England expressed
by them. If necessary I can give names and
occasions where these expressions have been made
I assure you Sir that this is in no spirit of revenge
nor for any gain except my love of England
and my wish to see the guilty punished in Ireland
for not all are guilty in Ireland for there are
many as true as TP O'Connor or John Redmond
himself. You may be inclined to ignore this
warning coming from an unknown source but it is a
clue and I implore you to heed it. I know the task
is hard as the Irish are like the French Érucius
for good or evil but no Irishman will betray
his priest That your investigator must find out
Sir I beg your pardon for addressing you I had
thought to write the consul here but that would have
caused delay My excuse is England in trouble
for whom my life or work is freely given I have the honor to be your most humble servant
Agnes Halton
This is a letter from Agnes Halton in the US to Herbert Henry Asquith (1852-1928), British prime minister. Asquith, a Liberal MP, served as prime minister from 1908 until his resignation in December 1916. . He was one of the longest continuously serving prime minister in the 20th century. In the letter, Halton states that she does not wish to be a traitor to her religion, but that the real allies to Germany are the Irish Catholic Clergy. She states that, if necessary she can provide names. Halton goes on to say that she wishes that the guilty are punished, but states that not all Irish are guilty, and that some are like John Redmond (1856-1918) and T. P. O'Connor (1848-1929), Home Rulers. She warns that it must be followed up on as Irishmen will not betray their priest.
How to cite
Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__0304.html)
- Place
- 1218 Arch Street, North Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, US
- Mentioned in
- Letter from Agnes Halton to Herbert Henry Asquith, 28 April 1916.
- Mentioned in
-
- Letter from Alice Stopford Green to Herbert Henry Asquith, 17 May 1916.
- Letter from William Henry Caunt to Herbert Henry Asquith, 4 May 1916
- Letter from Richard Canson to Herbert Henry Asquith, May 1916
- Letter from Jane Barklie to Herbert Asquith, 6 May 1916
- Letter from P. C. McCarthy to Herbert Henry Asquith, 13 May 1916
- Letter from Maeve Cavanagh to Herbert Henry Asquith, 1916
- Letter from Agnes Halton to Herbert Henry Asquith, 28 April 1916.
- Letter from the Casement Relief Petition Committee to Herbert Henry Asquith, 31 July 1916
- Letter from Patrick J. Mallon to Herbet Henry Asquith, 29 June 1916
- Letter from Colonel Maurice Moore to Herbert Henry Asquith, 29 July 1916
- Letter from Sir John Maxwell to Herbert Henry Asquith, 12 May 1916.
- Printed copy of letter from Henry Lemass, solicitor, to Herbert Henry Asquith, 13 June 1916.
- Letter from James J. Judge to Herbert Henry Asquith, 19 May 1916
- Letter from John Joseph Sutherland to Herbert Henry Asquith, 27 May 1916
- Letter from Robert Carson to Herbert Henry Asquith, 14 February 1916
- Letter from Herbert Henry Asquith, 2 August 1916
- Letter from Jane Cobden Unwin to Herbert Henry Asquith, 2 August 1916