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Show IAD OF IRISH ! FREE STATE IS DEAD IN DUBLIN Arthur Griffith, President I of Dail, Succumbs After i Tonsil Operation LIFE OF INTEREST; Former Editor Spent Seven Months in Prison for . His Activities REDFAST. Aug. 12 CBy th As-; sociatsjd Press ) Arthur Griffith, president of the Dail Eireann. died in Dublin today of influenza. It has been learned In Belfast. Mr Griffith was ill only 10 days and his illness was not considered serious Friday. however, he sui-1 fcred a sudde n relapse and died early His death occurred at 3 46 o'clock this morning In St. Vincent's hospital, Dublin, which he entered 10 days ago for an opernMon Nr tbnsllltls. He waS recovering from the operation and apparently ap-parently regaining his normal strength during the hist fow days. (Note Arthur Griffith was one of the leaders In the creation of thV Irish Free state He was ono of the founders of the Sinn Fein movement In Ireland front the beginning and has been among the foremost leaders directing Its activities He has been somewhat out of the limelight, however, how-ever, during the recent military' activities ac-tivities which hae been largely directed di-rected on behalf of thc Free state fojft es bv Michael Collins, head of tho Irish provisional government, set up under the terms ' of thc Anglo-Irish treaty. , FORMER EDITOR Mr Griffith was ' formerly an editor ed-itor of Dublin and later established the newspaper United Irishmen, fol-lnv. fol-lnv. ed by the Sinn Fein and then th a Nationality, both of which reported the wing of the Republican movement fuvorlng dominion status for Ireland Ho first attracted attention by his uncompromising attitude for abstention absten-tion by Irish members from attendance attend-ance of the sessions of the British I parliament at Westminster This idea gradually formed the nucleus of the Sinn Fein organization which took place of the Irish Nationalist movement move-ment In October, 191?. Griffith was elected elect-ed presiding officer of the Sinn Fein conference In Dublin In July, ni9. Drlfflth was elected acting president of the Irish national i ssembly m the absence of Eamonn d Valera, who was In thc United M ites In October ot the same year he was elected one of the permaneut vice presidents of the Sinn Fein R1OV0-i R1OV0-i merit MONTHS IN PRISON. Griffith was arrested In Dublin In November. 1020. and spent seven months In Mount Joy prison. During! his Imprisonment he issued a message to th- Irish people as to the conduct of the Sinn F In organlAtlon. An! attempt was made to rescue him from Mount Joy prison, but the arniorc-d car used for that purpose failed to carry' out Its mission. The return of Mr. do Valera from America was attributed to Griffith's imprisonment as Mr. de Valera, upon his return, resumed thc active direc-' lion of Sinn Foin affairs. Earl) In .I"n' 1 9 - 1 . there were, ro- j ports of a London conference at which I Irish leaders would be; inv ited to con- suit with members of the British cabin- t Griffith was mentioned among the probable delegates. Hla release from Mount Joy prison followed lator In the same month Griffith accompanied de Valera to London in Juiv. when the extended scries of conferences was opened. Dater. when the conference shifted to different points Griffith was appointed appoint-ed chairman of the Sinn Fein miM-sion. miM-sion. BREAK WITH VAI.KRA il- va.s In Dondon through o tober. November and December, larrylng on thi negotiations which culminated on December 5 with the signing of the treaty between Great Britain and Ireland. Ire-land. A fundamental difference between Bamonn de Valora and Griffith In their political views bus been mark-id mark-id sinoj the Inception of the Itepub-I Itepub-I h nn movement. While de Valera has stood uncompromisingly uncom-promisingly for absolute Independence, Indepen-dence, tirlfflth. with Collins, held to thi view that the system of Irish froc- Anr,-, ti.r.lflnil hi Ihfl RVu at ,. .. ... was the best for the Irish nation. The two factions worked together In all matters until the Anglo-Irish conference confer-ence was called whore the divergent views came Into opmi conference with the result that even with treaty ratified rati-fied by vote.wivarfarc against Its execution exe-cution continues between the factions. Griffith was never a Republican In the strict meaning of the. word as applied ap-plied to lnsh politic. |