The Irish standard., 1891-01-17


old land; William q Brien. John Dillon,
Tim Uealy, Thomas SextOn-these are
the men who made the movement
which made Parnell one Of the great
powers OF the three Kingdoms, and now
they are all opposed to him. Every
man Of brains. every man who suffered
| for Ireland has recorded his protest
| against the leadership OF Charles Stew
art Parnell, and that IS enough for me-
Y maintain that tie Irish party has
shown to Mr.. Parnell a tenderness
which has no parallel in history. Those
who, were behind the scenes knew full
we'll that for Ave years he virtually aD
dicated the position which he now
struggles so desperately to retain. In
the terrb 63ht against coercion, when
Che bravest men were dragged from
their homes aud f IDg into jail, he was
! absent. When his cuunse was most
needed, he disappeared nobody knew
where. but the world knows now.
INV hen the great convention was held in
'Thurles to formulate plans for the pro-
lection of the tenants. ali they could
Obtaln from Mr.. Parnell was his bare
Edelegates was decided On, he did not
Ifeel eq lai to attend the meeting OF the
iparty. During all the years when the
flight was hottest, when the blows fell
Lhickest, be who should bo at the head
I Of the column to give counsel and COM
4 mand went on his own way unheeding.
Duriug all that Tins his folio owers, who
had burne the burden Of the day and
the tolls Of b .ttle, Welded to him the
fame which they had won. They CAT"
1 ried their fidelity to him to the brink Of
fol;y, but when at last thev saw that
{ fidelity to parnel meaut treason to
+ Ireland, they drew the line and virtually
deposed him from the leadership OF the
| Irish party in the house of commons.
I Have they erred in doing so? Who
are the men who say so? LIST us see
who they are and what they have TO
say. First, we have large number Of
men whose interest it is to keep Ireland
! in poverty. These are the professional
patriots. If the strife Id Ireland were
once over these patriots would have to
20 to work. Their occupation would
be gone indeed. They abused
! Parnelt when he was really serving his
country. but now when they see him
| bent on the ruin of the hopes of the Old
land. they call their followers around
them and shout across the Atlantic. Go
ahead and we will join with you in tne
dance Of death around the bleeding
body of Ireland!
Second. we have others who would
sustain Parnell because the bishops and
priests of Ireland have told him that
the MN who is covered with crime
cannot be leader OF the purest nation
in the world, These men would tell
the Irish priest that he has no business
to- interfere. They would draw a circle
around the altar and outside Of that
circle he must not go without their
permission. The irish priest. the man
who sprung from the people, who re-
jpices with them in their joys and IN
their darkest hours speaks to them
words Of divinest melody, and gladdeDs
the dropping eye with visions which
change tue bed of torture into one of
flowers and the cloud Of death into a
home of splendor-this man must
stand aside while these Solons read for
him lecture on his duties to the Irish
people. ........
The cause of ireland is shadowed by
gloom tonight, but many a time it
looked as hopeless before. Dark. dark |
was the land when the Geraldine was
siam, and the lamp Of Irish liberty |
seemed quenched for ever in the blood
that flowed from the heart Of Robert
Emmett. Above the charnel pits where
Irish landlordism flung the unshrOuded |
victims of AZ there waved for long the |
black ft,g of despair; yet even IN her
most hopeless hour. when her priests
were hunted, her altals broken, her
children slain by English law-created |
famine, thu race that found in every |
defeat new reason for a new battle,
never abandoned the green banner |
which has been kept dehantly unfurled
tor ages, and so twill float again It has
been the dream of my life to see that |
flag f vat ever free homes. free land |
and free men. Once stood under the
shadow of Dublin Castle and dreamed.
was it dream?-that might live to
sec the green and gold wave in the
wind above that Of iniquitY. But
passionatelY as I long for that day
would not have that flag placed there
by hands that are not as pure as justice
itself. and hence it is that unite with
the great mass Of the Celtic race
throughout the world in recording my
protest against the continued leader
ship OF Charles Stewart Parnell.
IL ssVnur hnnk oonor IN nn;to on o~rorA