The Irish standard., 1897-12-04
BEFORE A PATRIOTIC SOCIETY
Stirring Grafton by the Rector of
st. Agnes Church, N. Y,
FOR IRISH SELF-GOyERNMENT
The Capacity of the Irish for A
National Autonomy.


recently delivered before the Robert En-
met club of Greater New York by Rev,
Henry \. Hrann, d. d., the eloquent
pastor of st. Agnes church:
For my purpose and intention this
evening regret that you are all friends
of ireland. | would like to plead her
cause before nn audience of her enemies,
instead of an audience Of friendly Amer
leans. or men and women OF Irish birth
and descent. | would like to lay before
Lord Salisbury, Mr. Chamberlain before
the Tories and Orangcmcn, the facts
and arguments which | shall present to
YOU. 50 that they might be convinced
that the Irish people have a right to
national Independence.
The very facts that confront us in
Ireland today prove that right Why
should any nation be held in bondage
by another? ireland was Il sovereign
ana independent nntion with Il ctviliz-
alton prior and superior to that of
England Ireland is now held down by
Il foreign garrison of English soldiers,
hilletch in barracks from Belfast 10
Cork, from Galway to Dublin; she is
ruled by All English Lord Lieutenant,
she is governed by laws made in for
r!sn country. by foreign legislators, some
of whom know no more about ireland
than they do about Alaska. This con-
Il ~ Tr.;
to tho wishes and aspirations of 'he
people, who would change it if thoy
could. Superior force is employed to
prevent the Irish people from ASSERT
ing their rights. Now when a man has
well established right to a house or a
piece of land. he does not need to fiji
1t with soldiers to protect his property.
His ncghhors leave him i'm peaceful
possession. But when he is Justly Sis
pcrtcd. he is afraid to trust to mere legal
defense, and has recourse to the sword
and mllskct
AS with individuals. so is It with ma
tions II England were not conscious
that she is Il usurper who has accom-
she would need neither the garrison
nor the penal laws with which she gov
crns Ireland.
Brute force, nor mere cOnuucst, does
not give title to ownership or possess
| sion. If It did, then in the last Franco
German war. the Germans might claim
France, because they beat the French
armies and took Paris. The consent of
the conquered is required to give title,
particularly when tho invasion is un-
just
Hence, whenever for successful gov
elnment, the conQueror is forced per-
manently to garrison the conquered ter
ritory, to disfranchise and Cypress the
people, he admits that he is an unjust
posscssor. Judged by these principles,
the French had no right to govern
Spain. when Napoleon l. conquered that
country, and made his brother Joseph
king; the Russians have no right to gov
crn Poland; the Turks have no right to
govern Crete; and the English have no
right to govern Ireland.
"Nor florid prose. nor honeycd lines of
rhyme
Can blazon evil deeds, or conseorate a
crime"
The English themselves admit these
| principles In their own country. The
| majority of the people rules in Eng
land BY mere parliamentary majori-
ties, they have changed kings and dyn-
| asties. They did so in the Middle Ages.
| They did 1t SO late as the year 1858,
when they dethroned their legitimate
king, James H., and gave the crown to
a foreigner, William Of Orange Why
then will they not admit this right in
Ireland? The immense majority of the
Irish people are opposed to English
rule; a majority Of their representatives
in the British parliament attests this
fact. If then the English wish to be
| considered just or a logical people,
| they should withdraw the English gar
rison, and allow the people of Ireland
to govern themselves, by Irish votes,
| Irish soldiers, Irish laws and Irish rul-
ers.
There are certainly enough of the r.
ish left in Ireland yet, to know how
| to take care of their country. There
are still in 1t four and half millions
of people, almost as many as there
were in England during the glorious
| reign Of Elizabeth, when the population
OF that country was only little over
| five millions.
Even since the Battle Of the Boyne,
the Irish in spite of emigration have
increased at home. For instance, there