The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-03-12
TAs I,ssh at Homo Not to be Dictated to by
Those at Safe Distance.
TIE IRISH WORLD Bellies IRISH HISTORY.
dublin Nation ]

Northern ara SOnLueTu Obhleo, o"o So"."'
At sll events, understand the ferver with
which some enthusiastic Irish American
newspapers would declare that the only
successful way for Ireland to have her way
with England was to take to sword and
rife. All other ways were reproached with
"faiiure'; but this would not fail, could
not fail, never failed at all-forsooth.
The New York Irish World, in it's issue
last received, has cartoon OF Irish Pat
.'discoursing with Uncle Sam, nnoerneath
is tho following:
ADVICE FROM ONE WHO KNOWS WHEREOF HE
SPEAKS.
Unclo gam-"What. Pat still petitionin'
parlP ment for Self Government l should
think that after seven centuries OF such work
you'3 o got tired Of it afore this. Now, II
you want Independence, just do as did in
"76 :" and instead Of carry ing that 'ar piece of
paper to London, make gun wsddinG OF it.
Self Government is to be got. not through
parli'ment, but through the rifle"
The Irish World dialogue-maker takes
good care to stop at this point, lest Irish
Pat, quick and shrewd, should answer as
follows:
"The Southern States did as you did, and
did they succeed, Uncle Sam : Did they get
self- lf-governnent through tho rife in 1s6l-6A
1t does not lie on your lips, Uncle Sam, to tell
subject peoples how to rebel you have shown
governments how to quelch rebellions. You are
quail fed to instruct Russia in putting down
the Poles, England in putting down the Irish,
Turkey in putting down the Cretans. To
these powers, Uncle Sam, you, in your new
character. now sey: "If you want unifcation,
do as did in 1864 Instead of sending that
treaty of compromise concession to Warsaw,
Dublin or Crete, make gun wadding of it.
Suppression of disaffection is to be achieved,
not through psrley with the rebels, but through
the ritle"
1t seems to us that of all the countries on
the face of Gods earth from which we
Irishmen in Ireland, trying gallantly to do
the best We can for our country, should not,
be insulted by reproaches of cowardice or
folly, conveyed in such sneers at our efforts
and such recommendations to war, it is the
United States of America, especially the
Northern States of that Union. That is the
country, and those are the States, whereby
"a deadly blow has been dealt to the hopes,
chances and prospects of insurrections, re-
volts and eeceesioDs in our day. Neither
the Poles in Poland, the Indians in India,
nor the Irish in Ireland, could equal the |
perfect unanimity of the Southern people. |
Neither the Poles, nor the Indians, nor |
Could surpaes-few could equal, few ever |
have approached-the splendid heroism,
the self sacrifice, the endurance, the ability
the valor displayed by the South under the
galaxy of military genius, virtue and pat
riotism, at the head of which was Robert E.
Lee, the Bayard of modern American his
tory. The South had to seek for nothing,
TO tight for nothing, but the end and object
Of the revolt, the day it seceded. That is |
10 say, it had every thing ready to it's hand,
ike settled and constituted govern ment
Armies, arsenals, stores, civil and mill |
taTy organizations. Yet the South "failed." |
Through the rifle" it "got" not success, |
but roin, disaster, overthrow, ard desola-
ion. 1t merely amounted to this-that four
millions could not fight twenty millions,
not more than boy Of thirteen, no matter
how spirited and brave, could fight pow
erful man of forty. Whoever else then,
may talk to US Irishmen in Ireland about
The virtues of the "rifie." it is not Uncle
Sam. We doubt it would be manly on his
payt-we would call it cowardly, treache-
EOns, and murderous-for him, after tramp
ling nader foot his own {uuanimous) four
millions, to come TO our (divided) four mil
liOns. aud urge them to stake their fortunes
on tie same hazard!
II is true that 8 hundred years ago the
United States of America wreBted their
independence from England by force of
arms. That, We may remark, was before
ritee, and telegrapbs, and steamships we're
invented. 1t does not follow that Ireland
could do as much now, when all these i'm
portant aids to the science of war are in
the hands of her oppressor. That success
of the United States in 1916 has really less
bearing npon our case than the failure of
the Confederate States in 1864. England,
fighting IN America in the former period,
was three thousand miles away from her
base of supplies-three thousand miles of
ocean, which could be traversed only by
slow going sailing ships I; England fighting
now in Ireland, would have greater adva,
tAges on her side than the Northern States
had il their war with tho South in 1864. If
we are to look to America for Lesson on
The chances of insurrection, it is of course,
10 the latter period we should turn our at
tentioD, for the conditions, arts and appli-
anCes of military ware then existing are those
we shoald now face. And this being 80,
the lossOn which Uncle Sam is now as com
peteut as any man on the face of the earth
to teach Gs, is that an armed uprising of a
small body of people with an extempoIized
government against great nation, with an
Isblished one, is not likely to prove suc
cessfal and that, in fact, it the contest be
allowed 20 lie between such combatauts,
victory will be certain to rest with the
power that has the greatest resources in
men, material, and money, the best credit
on the stock exchanges, and the freest in
tCFcourse With the rest of the world.
We are not here discussing the abstract
theories or controversies of ''pLysical forcer
M moral forceN The RlRViRh doctrine 81 .