The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-02-10

dNORy1SAs
On Fame's eternal camping ground
il Their silent tents are spread, y NJ
And glory guards with solemn sound 9. ~
+ The bivouac Of tho dead. gF.t III,
The true American, "no matter Of what
race, of what land or what Greco" Is the
man loving liberty, loyal to the letter and
the spirit of our American Constitution,
true to the principles set forth in the
Declaration of Independence, who hon.
ors the flag, defends the rights and liber-
ties Of his fellowmen and spurns with
noble and manly indignation the lying
iusinuations and diabolical schemes of
fanatical bigots, political and moral
bankrupts aud mischievous mountebanks
against the rights, civil, commercial, go
cial and religions, of any class, race, ma
tionality or creed. All religious tests
and determinations are entirely foreign
to true ideas of American citizenship
and cannot be conntenanced on Amerl-
can soil by liberty-loving Americans.
On account of the misleading inter
pretations that have been given to the
term, I despise the very word federation.
I am out of patience with the meaning /
find so often attached IN my own country
of equal rights for all, to this word toler-
alton. 1t savors too much OF patronizing
paternalisna and loses sight Of the prin-
ciples which influenced the fathers OF
this free republic to establish nation
for protecting the inalienable rights and
the universal brotherhood of man. "AA
men are born free and equal" Every
man stands on footing Of perfect equal
ity with every other man before the law,
and has equal rights in the pursuit Of
life, liberty and happiness. These pre-
cious rights society does rot give to him,
the voice of the majority does not &C.
cord him, and he does not acquire them
in virtue Of his citizenship or birthplace.
But as Thomas Jefferson declared they
are "inalienable" rights God has given to
every man and which no human power
has authority to ignore, to take away, to
diminish or curtail. No American citi
zen at the sunset of the nineteenth cen
fury asks for federation from has coun-
try or his countrymen, to enjoy the God
given rights OF perfect equality with
every other citizen who obeys his coun-
try', laws and contributes to his coun-
trY's greatness. American citizens
whether native or foreign born, who are
worthy of the honor and name Of Ameri'
cans, will never be satisfied with any.
thing less than impartial, unquestioned,
civil and religious equality. H
Well organized society must have FOL
it's constitution and good government
three elements, authority, liberty and
religion, or the stats, the individual and
the church. They must all three be
recognized il their 1ndapsnd ence, g,tar.
anteed their freedom and placed in sucL
relations to one another that they can ell
operate tremendously and each freely to
it's own respective end, according TO ito
own intrinsic nature. Happily in ou1
country these three necessary oonstitu'
ept clements are fully recognized and
the proper rights OF all secured. We
have authority without despotism, an.
thorty based rot upon might or superior
force, but 81 the consent ofths governed
through whom The voice Of God gives
sanction to our laws. This authority
because of it's legitimate origin and lew
full power, does not and cannot, accord
ing to our constitutional guarantees and
"bills of rights; invade the rights and
prerogatives OF the other two elemen to,
liberty and religion; il is the defender OF
liberty and respects the rights Of rel,-
gion. Authority under our constitution
will always receive the respect and win
the obedience OF Intelligent citizenship
for it will not presume to exceed it's pow
ers and invade the inalienable rights oil
the individual The authority Of our
free government does not assume any
jurisdiction oysr rights that it has never
conferred and hence does not tolerate
what it has no power to createor destroy.
Instead Of tolerating individual rights
and the rights of religion, our govern.
ment by virtue Of its authority safe.
guards and maintains with impartial jus.
tice individual rights and the freedom
of religious worship. And tins solemn
duty OF authority is performed not from
any spirit of generous condescension
but because, under our constitution, thie
duty OF authority is clearly defined.
When my God-given rights are in ques,
ton, j ask not to be tolerated il my en-.
joyment of them, but I demand Of my
country that it redeem it's sacred pledges
to protect me in the exercise Of them and
every other citizen as we'll, without par;
TALLY or prejudice on account 81
race, religion cor previous condition Of
servitude." III L ISL
We enjoy, as citizens, the grestest pos.
sible liberty consistent with good social
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