The Irish standard., 1898-07-16
ON THE ANGL0-sAx0N HOBBY
A High Secretary of the Catholic
Order of F0resterS.
THE HON. THEODORE B. THIELE
Makes an Able Argument Against
the Proposed Scheme.

The Hon. Theodore B. Thiele, high
secretary of the Catholic Order Of For
esters, speaking recently at Callaghan's
hall in Chicago, made the following able
argument against the proposed Anglo
American alliance:
We have met this evening for the pur-
pose of giving to the national reprcsen-
tatives OF the people an expression of
our wishes with reference to one Of the
most important questions that has agi-
tated the minds Of the American people
in lato years. In coming here we have
left behind us all feelings of prejudice
which we may have as representatives Of
any nationality or party, and we have
assembled as American citizens, who
have IL right to dictate to our represen-
tatives at Washington what we desire
them to do in matters of Importance to
lis.
When some six or eight months ago
the representative of the English gov-
crnment first gave expression to the
sentiment that the people cf England
and the people OF the United States ell
ter into an alliance it was little thought
by the readers of the newspapers that
In this grand country of ours there
should be any one of national reputation
who would deem the words of the Eng
lish representative worthy of considera-
tion. And yet the developments since
| that date seem to indicate that these
words were not spoken by accident, but
| that they were the first public expression
! of program carefully prearranged, and
based upon an understanding between
the officials of this and tho other colln-.
try. Tho manner in which they hnve
been taken up by tho public press. and
tho enrnestness with which this alliance
has since been advocated indicates, not
the great interest which must be taken
In this matter by the people, but rather
the great interest which must be taken
in this arrangement by the leaders Of
both nations. For 1t is not to be pro-
sumed that tho press of this country
would SO unanimously support a PROPOSE
tion which they well know is distaste-
full to great majority of the people were
1t not that for advocating these plans
and principles they had received ade-
quatc remuneration.
There can bc no question that the
American people as such are opposed to
any alliance with any foreign country at
this time. In any step tending to unite
two nations, which would be so far
reaching in Its importance that 1t would
make the cause of one the cause of the
other, 1t would seem that pure and simple
business principles would necessltate q
! careful Weighing Of every point, In Or
der to determine whether such All alli-
| nnco between the United States and
England would not be of benefit to the
United States, and for that reason are
opposed to entering into such an alli-
| ancc.
| But what do the advocates of the alll-
nnce give as the reasons for entering in
to same? They first of all tell us that we
are closely related to England. That
we belong to the same family. That we
are practically cousins of the English
race, and that consequently we should
welcome closer relations between the
two nations.
There is no argument which can be-
presented which is SO false as this one.
Tho revelation that the English settled
and upbuilt this country is a new one.
The American people have never known
II before. The French, the Dutch, the
Germans, the Swedes, and even the
Spanish, whose people settled the origi-
nal thirteen states Of the Union, will
be very much surprised to learn that the
descendants Of their people have sud-
| denly become the cousins of the English,
and oil these countries, Ireland, Ger
many, France, Italy and whatsoever the
! names of the others may be, will be
| surprised to learn that the thousands
! and hundreds of thousands who have left
their homes to become American citi-
zens have. by taking upon themselves
the citizenship of the United States, at
the same time entered into a relation
ship with the people of England. Ire
land particularly, where SO many have
left in order to be rid of English rule,
| will be surprised to learn that her sons
have only left Irish soil in order to be-
| come cousins of their greatest enemy.
The German government, with its love-
for all that is English. would certainly
| be surprised to find that the men who
came over to till American soil, had sud
denly entered into such relationship
with another nation. More than eighty
five per cent of our population has no
connection whatever with the English