Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Sir Edward Grey, 23 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Cecil Spring Rice

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Letter from Cecil Spring Rice (1859–1918) to Sir Edward Grey (1862–1933) concerning the patronage of Cardinal John Murphy Farley (1842-1918) over the Irish Relief Fund. According to Spring Rice Farley's patronage is based on the condition that his actions are not associated with support or sympathy for those who partook in the Easter Rising. Rice notes the pre-existing and increase in hostility shown towards England in the Irish-American community which has been inflated by the executions of the leaders of the Easter Rising. In 1916 Cecil Spring Rice was serving as the British ambassador to the United States. Spring rice took up the position in 1912 and remained until 1918. Sir Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, was a British Liberal statesman. He served as Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916, the longest continuous tenure of any person in that office.

 National Archives of Ireland Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers, CSO RP/1916/5618/12620/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/863 English Cecil Spring Rice 1916-06-23 British Embassy, Washington, United States of America Edward Grey Male Industry and Public Administration Easter Rising Ireland 1916

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 COPY(123255/45A) No. 559 BRITISH EMBASSY WASHINGTON June 23rd 1916. Sir, I understand that His Eminence Cardinal Farley of New York has consented to become Honorary President of the Irish Relief Fund as he has done in the case of the Polish and other charitable associations, only upon the express condition that no political significance should be attached to his honorary protection of the work. His patronage has attracted a great deal of attention and was thought at one time to signify his sympathy with the extreme section of the Irish party who advocat— ed a policy of physical force and were promoting a revolution in Ireland. You will observe however that the action taken by His Eminence was in a line with that already taken in regard to charitable funds for Catholic sufferers by the war. His present intention is, I believe, to convey the money collected by the Re— lief Society for the sufferers by the troubles in Ireland by a special messenger to Dublin where the funds will be received by His Grace Archbishop Walsh. The Arch— bishop has, I understand, undertaken to consult with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The delegate chosen is a friend whom the Cardinal knows well and highly appreciates as well as recommends. The sums are to be distributed for benevolent and not political purposes. In the opinion of some competent observers it is thought that in the highly strained condition of Irish opinion here it might be dangerous to send any one re— presenting The Right Honourable Sir Edward Grey Hart., K.G., M.P. etc. etc. etc. presenting the Irish Political party to Dublin. There is however a proposal which would probably be considered ob— jectionable by His Majesty's Government, namely to dis tribute the product of the collection, which represents a considerable sum, through the hands of persons here formerly strong adherents of Mr. Redmond but who are now strong opponents of any sort of connection between England and Ireland. It would seem to be the wisest course to take advantage of the good offices of Archbishop Walsh and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in order to se— cure the distribution of the fund to bona fide sufferers and to prevent the misuse of the money for political purposes. I have no doubt that His Majesty's Government will adopt a benevolent attitude to any movement actuated by motives of racial sympathy and of christian charity such as is outlined in the scheme which appears to be view— ed with favour by Cardinal Farley. It will of course have been apparent to you from the reports which I have sent home as to most of the meetings held in order to collect subscriptions for the sufferers from the Dublin insurrection, that the spirit animating most of the speakers was one of extreme hostility to England. Many of the meetings have a strong pro—German tinge and most of the promoters were men who have no intent— ion whatever of residing in Ireland and whose main motive in promoting Irish hostility to England is not by any means their concern for the welfare of Ireland but the necessity in which they are placed to maintain their own position here on the basis of hostility between the two neighbouring islands. As I have already reported this hostility has very much increased as of late by the Irish executions and is at present so far as Irish Americans are concerned as intense as it has ever been. The main difference between the present situation and that in former years is that on the whole the opinion of the general American public is more indifferent to the Irish cause than it was, a fact which is mainly due to the German Irish alliance which has excited great antipathy here, and to the general sympathies with the cause of Belgium and France with which that of England is united. I have etc. (Sgd) CECIL SPRING RICE Cecil Spring Rice Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Sir Edward Grey, 6 March 1916Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Sir Edward Grey, 23 June 1916Letter from Sir Maurice de Bunsen to Sir Cecil Spring Rice, 17 July 1916 British Embassy, Washington, United States of America Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Sir Edward Grey, 23 June 1916