The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-02-06
MASTERY speech on the
Arbitration Treaty
Subject.
The Occasion a Verita.
BILE Donnelly Day
Among Solons.

arena Of Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. one Of tn
great features Of the political Landscape h
Minnesota will disappear from the sight Q
men. Mr.. Donnelly Is distnctisely pro
duct OF Minnesota. His courage. ensrg,
and force are borrowed from ou1 northwest
ern blizzards. His rotund figure, his bcoRa
ara kindly but combatf7e features and hi
cheerful readiness to enter into any specie
Of intellectual combat. are all OF them Dor,
Of the healthy breathings OF Our Minnesot,
ozone. The racial bravery Of his Cattle bloc.
belongs to him BY Inheritance, but fort!
years of northwestern environment haa
taught him how to use h1s powsrs to th'
best advantage =
Yesterday was Mr.. Donneltys day In TIA
house of representatives. The resolutions
introduced by him relating to the pending
arbitration treaty ia tho senate Of tn,
United States was the suhjsct under constd
Grafton. AS soon as It was known that Mr.
Donnelly would speak to these resolutions
sNory man about the state capitol wht
could spare the time found his way either
onto the floor or into the gallery.
e 40 needless to remark that Mr.. DonnefiJ
did not disappoint either his admirers or hia
opponents.4dis vocal cords were In perfect
tune, his tongue as fluent and his inteNsc.
tuaa faculties In as good ordsr a. ever be-
fore In his political career. For moro than
an hour and half the Dakota county
statesman poured forth a strain Of wit
sarcasm. humor and eloquencA. which put
the honse and galleries into roars OF msrfi-
msnt. or brought his auditors to taetr feet
with hearty cheers Of indorsen1ent and ap-
probation. His play upon the names Of
publsu men as indicating the nationality
and racial blood Of our cosmopolitan AmeEi-
can people was greatly enjoyed. but when
he came to dwell upon the subject Of the
historical prosecutions inflicted upon the
world by British insolence and seldshness
he surpassed all former records even Of his
own eloquence in invective and acrid de-
nunciation.
It. is needless to say that Mr.. Donnelly
does NOT believe in the sincerity of Great
Britain ~ the boosted desire Of that bully
among the<Qations to enter an honest COM
pact with Ns country In favor Of the
future arbitras<on of all differences which
may arise, and tffuS preclude the possibility
OF war. He knows the record OF English
diplomacy in history, and that knowledge
teaches him that the Hon Is forever as
gneaking and cowardly as the coyote when
rible when 1t has presented to Its claws
and It's fangs an animal weaker than itself
Judge Hicks. Of Hennepln. would prove
himself to be Il wise rs well as discreet
statesman by letting Mr.. Donnelly alone.
The Judge does not seem to appreciate the
fact that Mr.. Donnelly Is entitled to the
respect Of his fellow representatives, or
the further fact In spite OF the sage's
political idiosyncrasies. that he possesses
the esteem and confidence of his associates.
In his remarks as to the services and the
splendid record of the American soldier,
Judge Hicks had the hearty sympathy Of
the house and Of all who heard him. but
the covert sneer and taunt thrown into the
teeth of Mr.. Donnelly to the effect that he
did not take arms during the civil strife
was unjust. untimely and exceedingly i'm
pertinent The Judge forgets that he to-
day talks to a generation that only knows
Of the war through the dream Of history,
and that whether soldiers OF that day were
brave, Or citizens were patriotic, Is merely
a question of veracity as to the men who
repeat the story. Anyhow, no young man
10 Justified In believing implicitly In the
courage and patriotism Of any man OF that
period simply because he himself asserts it.
Tho work Of the soldiers of 81 today
speaks for itself through the pages Of his
tory. It is neither brave polite nor wise
to cast imputations upon the motives or
the actions Of the mer-now growing old
who survive from that period. Those who
fought and those who remained at home
had motives for their actions. and 1t Is too
late In the nations history to assail those
motives During the war Mr.. Donnelly
was a very useful citizen. That he was not
q. soldier does not prove, or even hint. that
he was not both brave and patriotic. All
who knew him in those trying times re-
member that he was both brave and patrl-
otto. and that the soldier IN the Held mad
M truer friend or more loyal supporter in
the state and i'll Washington than lgnatius
Donneiiy.
Mr., Donnellys reply to the warlfke and
INA stful ex-iudge was timely and complete.
ora should teach Mr. Hicks q lesson.
nroy,ded he is not too obtuse to compre-
h.s,d tha fine roints of Mr.. Donneliys sar-
castle utterances
Altogether the debate was good natured.
though somewhat personal. 1t was also In
teresting and highly instructive to the large
nuraber of listeners. The effort OF Mr.. DON
nelly particularly showed that the super
cilious sentiment that II Is wicked vu,sar
and ,,n-Cbrstian not to favor the pending
tnaatv with England is all rot and bosh.
r. xxns clearly demonstrated that the treaty
a. a mass of instncerities like all the diplo-
matte history Of Great Brltain-the histori-
cal pirate. bully and bruiser among the
nations of the earth.
pRTNcIPL ES OF sELF-GovERNMENT
M Donnel1y spoke as follows:
NJ speaker-I do not propose to deliver
an Grafton upon this occasion. but the
masnit,de of the interest at stake ieads
ma To believe that some discussion should
be had.
The principle underlying our Union p
that OF self government. Capacity OF the
people to think and rule themselves. !
hayce no sympathy with that serpile senti-
raeant that would abdtcate our duties here.
wa have the same right to advase and IN
sfruat the representatives Of the state In
~ United States senate that our own
constituents have by petition. letters ana
pubic meetings to advise us az to their
wishes. Neither do I think nor do be-
lievo in that sentiment which has been
al zessted in the course Of this debate
$50 our senators in Washington know q
great more upon this subject than We DO.
T4,ey are representing the people, but they.
t,o4A OF them, at one time In the past
served on this floor. and DC not think
that It yyes observed that they were sepa-
rated by any planetary distance by their
al states senator does not necessarily en-
dow q u man with all wisdom. A good
many .years ago L was q candidate for the
United States senate myself. and a change
OF i've votes would have given mo tho
position. feel very confident that It those
fiye votes had come over to me would
not have known much more than did the
day before they were polied. Neither do
think that our senator's In WaShin6toa
arp sWaak enough to. object to cur c0un-
e6a1lng with them. fesl sire they VIII
~ Rtad TO hear from the stats and from
thA In this house. wh0 Are
entitled to speak for the state. u am -
plinad to think that ths yieWs 1fa the soaa-
ttoeg DO not differ on tllls question snas,a
5lrofl my orr. :8 Il.
a lslthst wo.,la I hays III 1,,.sla