1 (COPY) March 29th, 1917. His Lordship, Bishop M. F. Fallon, London, O n t. Dear Bishop Fallon:- Dear Bishop Fallon:- A word of explanation
is due you as to the delay in sending this reply
to your letter of March 12th, addressed to Hon.
C.J. Doherty, Hon. T.W. McGarry and myself. On March 15th and 16th
I was engaged at the Sittings of the Parliamentary
Committee on Returned Soldiers at Montreal. I came
up to Ottawa on the night of 15th to speak at
an Irish Meeting in St. Patrick's Parish Hall, and
after the Meeting I received your letter of the12th
inst. I returned to Montreal on the morning of the
16th inst., and upon the conclusion of the Committee's
sittings I remained over in that City until March
17th to fill an engagement at the Reform Club, where
I again discussed Home Rule. On Monday, the 19th, I
went to Toronto, and was engaged at the Sittings of
the Parliamentary Committee there until the 24th
inst. Since my return to Ottawa this is the first
chance I have had to write to you. In a general way your
letter asks each of those to whom it is addressed what
has been done, and what is to be done by way of answer
to the latest appeal of the Irish Parliamentary Party 2 March 29th, 1917. His Lordship, Bishop M. F. Fallon - 2. for assistance in the struggle for their consti-
tutional rights. Answering for myself, I
may say that in addition to the two speeches
above mentioned, I sent a cablegram to Prime
Minister Borden on March 8th, which was prior to
the publication in this Country of the Irish Par-
liamentary Party's appeal and 4 days before your
letter was written. That cablegram was in theseterms:- Ottawa, March 8th, 1917 Sir Robert L. Borden, London. The advocacy of immediate Home Rule for Ireland
by your fellow-Premier, Sir Edward Morris, closely
followed by Lloyd George's newest act of treachery,
supply both contrast and lesson to the friends of
small nations in all parts of the world.
How can the people or representatives of Canada
trust a Government headed by a man who has been
false to his leader and his principles, more par-
ticulary when that Government is dominated by Car-
son, the inciter of armed resistance to constituted
authority and the avowed friend of the German
Emporer?
The action of Lloyd George and his Government in
treating the Home Rule Act as another scrap of paper
will seriously damage the cause of the Allies and
will inevitably help the Germans to prolong the war. Charles Murphy. 3 March 29th, 1917. His Lordship, Bishop M. F. Fallon -3. On March 9th, a copy of the
foregoing message was cabled to Mr. John Redmond.
On the evening of the same day I sent him a second
cable consisting of an extract of 175 words
from the Montreal Star editorial of March 9th. On March 10th, I sent Mr.
Remond a cablegram embodying 165 words from the
Toronto Globe editorial of March 9th. On March 12th, - the day
your letter was written - I received a cable mes-
sage of thanks from Mr. Remond. On March 13th, I received
from Mr. Redmond the following cablegram:-

Honourable Charles Murphy Ottawa. May we publish your cablegram to Borden. (Sd.) Redmond To the foregoing, I cabled
Yes on March 13th, and the publication in the
Brtish press immediately followed. Further cablegrams relating
to additional action here were sent by me on March
19th and March 24th to Mr. Renomd, and in due course
I received his replies. 4 March 29th, 1917. His Lordship, Bishop M. F. Fallon - 4. On March 26th, I sent Mr.
Redmond a cablegram of 70 words taken from the
report of Mr. N. W. Rowell's speech at a public
meeting in Toronto on the night of March 23rd. There are other details as
to further local action still receiving attention,
but it is not necessary to enumerate them in this
letter. So much for my personal con-
nection with what has been done. I need scarcely
add that in matters of this kind there is always
the danger of being accused of playing to the
gallery, and, for that reason, I preferred to
trust to our people's sense of doing what was right
rather than attempt to dictate to them in any way.
The number meetings already held, and the resolu-
tions adopted, not only justify this course, but
point to local action over a wide area as the most
effective way of influencing public opinion, both in
this country and in Great Britain. Now, as to what further may
be done. In my opinion, no more practical service
could be rendered at the present time than to have a
representation made by Mr. Lionel Curtis to his fellow-
members of the Round Table, who are now the control-
ling force in the British Government, as to the
enormous benefit it would be to Empire unification if
they would apply to Ireland the principle which they
desire to preserve for Belgium and other small nations.
I am not personally acquainted with Mr. Lionel Curtis,
but I have always heard him spoken of as a gentleman
of single purpose and unselfish ideals, and accepting 5 March 29th, 1917. His Lordship,
Bishop M. F. Fallon - 5. him as such, I assume he would be willing to help
on his life's work in the way I have suggested if
a strong representation were made to him form the
proper quarter. Let me thank you for the
copy of the London Advertiser that you were good
enough to send me with the report of the Meeting of
Sunday, March 18th. In conclusion, allow me to
extend my congratulations upon your eloquent and
whole-hearted support of the cause in which all our
people are so deeply interested. Your sincerely, CM/LB.
ENCL.