The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-03-29

strange leaders. In other DAYS the
struggle for Irish liberty was fought on
the field OF battle with the sword OF
war. The most glorious pages in Irish
history are those which tell the sad and
beautiful story of the fight which our
fathers made for more than eight hun
dred years against a strangers rule.
Ever beaten but never conquered, the
Irish people cherished in their hearts
an aspiration for liberty which armies
and fleets could not crush. Unarmed,
undiscipllned in the ways of warfare,
there has never been time since the
English invasion when armed resistance
was not Immediately or remotely
planned by the Irish race. The peas
antry of Ireland at the voice of thslf
accepted leaders have responded to tho
summons Of battle whenever it came.
Whenever the fiery cross Of Irish
nationality has been spend on it's mis-
sion Of warning the peasantry of the
old land eagerly and promptly have
ans wered to the call, and thronging to
the place Of meeting With pike in hand
have hurled themselves upon the bat
talions of the greatest military power
Of Christendom. The most glorious
pages in Irish history are those which
tell of '9s, Of Emmet, of Meagher. of
Martin, of Stevens, of Dobeny and OF
Mitchell. These names can never fade
away from the muster roll Of fame.
Glorious yet frultless in material results
have been these gallant instructions,
They ended on the scafold, in the con-
Wet ship or in the penal colony. They
left the nation bleeding PROSTATE and
undone, but with another chain about
her form. In our day the arena has
been changed, Not ID the mountains
OF Kerry nor in the green fields Of Cork,
nor on the Curragh of Kildare is the
army OF Irish nationality marshaaed
to-day. Our battle ground is the par
lament house of Great Britain, our
weapons those Of law and order. our
allies the intelligence, the justice, the
moral support of the civilized world.
And strangest spectacle Of all. side by
side with the yeomanry Of Ireland,
march the democracy of England. Scot.
land and of Wales, and in the far 'front.'
of the van guard, shoulder to shoulder
with Dillon, Dayitt and Parnell, proudly
advances the greatest man and greatest
statesman of the England OF QUE day,
William Ewart Gladstone. Mr., Glad
stone is no lntried recruit in Irish
matters. He was the friend of ireland
when she had few to plead her cause in
| the British parliament. Ii is proper
| for us to remember On this night that
twenty-five years ago Mr.. Gladstone, at
the risk of his political future, carried
through Ireland the land bill OF 1868,
| which. first embodied in tie form OF
legislation the principle that the Irish
tenant has some rights which the land
lord is bound to respect. 1t Is with
hearts full Of gratitude and love on this
day sacred in the liturgy OF our religion,
| that we recall the Gladstone of 1870,
who put the axe to the roots Of the Irish
/ church and forever wiped
from the statute books of Great Britain
the law that compelled the Irish Cath
olic to devote the tenth part Of the
pittance which he wrung from the soil
IN sweat and hunger to the maintenance
of religion which he believed to ho
false and ministry which he knew to
be alien.
/ The speaker then referred to che fact
that up to some ten years ago. it was
the custom Of English statesmen to be-
4 lieve that Ireland would be satisfied
with halfway measures. Mr. Glad
stone, he said, thought in 1876, that
Ireland would be satisfied with his
land bill and with the disestablishment
of the Irish church. The greatest and
the most enlightened statesman OF
England was ignorant Of Irish affairs.
/ His people was thoroughly informed
and kept close watch Of events in India.
in Africa, ia Australia ald in South
America. 1t had sympathy with all
the savage races of man, but it was ig-
norant Of the sufferings and the aspira-
tions of the great nation whose land lay
within sight Of the English coast and
whose people had contributed more to
the glory Of the English race than any
] other division of United Kingdom.
Evena decade ago, while vet surrounded
1 by these mists Of ignorance and mis-
understanding. Mr.. Gladstone, as prime
minister, compelled parliament to pass
the act of Cloture, which gagged the
Irish parliamentary party and a coe--
cion bill which Imprisoned Dillon,
Davitt and Parnell. But cl0ture could
not gag and prisons could not rnprison.s
The Irish leaders were glorified by
captivity, and their voices went forth
to their people and ito the civilized
world in accounts that summoned not
only the people Of Ireland, but the man
hood, the diligence and the fair play
IOf Chr1stendOn tO their SUPPORT 6. Ats