The Irish standard., 1898-10-01
A LITERARY METEOR EXTINCT.

An interesting obituary Of the defunct
United Ireland. which suspended publi-
cation On Sept. l6, after chcckcred life
OF seventeen years as an outspolien Or
gan of Irish Nationality. has been given
by the editor of the Philadelphia Stand
ard and Times. who was formerly a men,
Der of its staff. In the course of a long
, article he says:
What the famous novel of Mrs. Harriet
Beecllcr Stowe was in the ca,ise of anti
slavery. that a hundredfold replicatstl
WAS United Ireland to the emancipation
OF the irish farming classes from sys-
tenn that was in several aspects far more
repulsive than the institution of slavery
as 1t existed here. Travellers who visit
ed the South before the war. and who
had also seen for themselves the social
degradation of the Irish peasant class,
the direct result of the landlord system
had no hesitation in describing the lat
ter as infinitely more unjust in opera
| ton. and more inimical to the national
wcll-bcing. 1t killed all hope. chiefly by
reason OF the prevalent system of max
ing the tenant pay additional! rent in
proportion as the land WAS improved by
his labor. The unlimited power Of evic-
tion which the law gave the landowner
made him the absolute master Of lie and
death over his tcnants--not infrequently
over the honor of the family as we'll.
This was the system which United Ire
land started out to break down by aruus-
ing the moral sentiment OF the outside
world against it. In this hcrculean task,
with the assistance of the Irish people, it
succeeded. 1t effected Il revolution. in
pont Of fact. IL accomplished what no
other public organ in Ireland ever az
complishch. It. is not fitting, then, that
the disappearance of this literary comet
should be suffered to happen without a
note Of regret.
The paper came to deliver 4 message
and it did deliver it. in tones that will
long be remembered. The peasant started
from his s!upOr of hOpeic&Sllpss, the me-
chanic from his bench, when they heard
The note. The landlord started. too,
from his sybaritc reveiry. for there VAS
no mistaking that uminous sound. 1t
was the in,imation of the end of his; inl-
memorial tyranny, the trumpet blast of
a challenge to combat. And soon the
war began Before many months were
over parliament was at work hammerine
out new mahacics for people and press
in Ireland. and United ireland WAS put
under the British ban. But il had ii
charmed life. Though ii was penal to
publish it, it was published sometimes
in London. sometimes in Paris when it
could not be published in Ireland. 1t
was penal to sell it. penal to buy it,
! NcwsboyS were sent to Jail again and
again for selling copies of it in the
streets: nrwsdcalcrs in the country were
forcibly shut up and sent to Jail again
and aguin-oftcn ruined in their business
| for lifc--but still the paper was circulat-
ed. II seemed to lead Il charmed life
After few months of this sort of con-
| INV, VIZ EOh u uillchl SiNc IL up. WI
Forster. the coercionist chief secretary
was recalled from Ireland and his policy
dropped. The land act was introduced
and for a time the game lay to the credit
of Urtcd ireland.
The influence of United Ireland began
to decline after the death of Mr.. Parnell
1t suffered from the chickering's OF the
unhappy period which has since super
vened. Isatterly. under the edtorship OF
MIR. r. Harrington, NJ. p. it had devoted
itself to the commendable task of heal.
ing the wounds left by that contest ant
bringing about reconciliation between
the recalcitrant pretenders at leadership
The tale Of its premature demise is suf
ficiently eloquent of the results of thai
well-meant attempt. Mr.. L. NJ. Heal,
and Mr.. John Redmond still cling to thu
chimera of leadership. and until there /.
fresh general election nothing can bt
decided.
Mr.. William O'Brien, who was appoint