The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-02-12
THE ARBITRATION TREATY.


ell Cremer in last weeks issue. He is
the guileless Englishman who is now in
this country as the agent of the British
government to push the Anglo-American
treaty in the Hobbies at WASHINGTON.
When his actions were criticised by the
New York Sun, this unsophisticatcd
Brltisher had the effrontery to reply to
the structures passed upon him by saying
that the proposal for the treaty origin
ated hero and not in England; that
Olney and not Salisbury initiated it, and
that there is no ground for stating that
the proposed treaty was ever intended
for a political alliance between the two
great Anglo-SaXon countries. The only
object was to preserve peace between
them, and nothing more. Salisbury did
not care button for it. He somewhat
tardily yielded to the expressed will
of the British people to enter into an
arbitration treaty with their American
cousins. The Pilot does not take much
stock in this smooth talk Of Cremer.
and asks what In the world brings him
over here if he and Salisbury are so luke
warm in the matter. Cremer is SLY
fellow, but he cannot fool the American
people with such silly twaddle The
truth is that the British people and gov
eminent and their agent at Washington
are working tooth and nail to get the
United States senate to pass the arbi-
tration treaty. Not only is that so.
but the Anglo-maniacs in this country
are lending them every aid in their
power to consummate the international
deal. Many Americans think it would
De for the best interests Of this country
to have a treaty of the kind contemplate
ed TO all such we submit the following
historic facts as submitted by the Paw
| tucket Evening Tribune:
The people in this country, whether
of English birth or descent or of other
nationality, who favor the arbitration
treaty on sentimental grounds, are hon
estly ignorant of grave historical facts
and precedents, which, if they knew Of
them, would quickly force them
to contrary view on the
matter. England is leading nation.
She has been this for centuries. In the
development Of her trade and commerce
she has been the same as a merchant in
a city. When she could monopolize she
has done so; when she could not she
has contrived to get her share Now
no one blames her for that But
any business man would be blamable
if he would give away his own trade to
a competitor and then find fault with
4 competitors success. The English
man in this country who thinks that he
would fare Better by having arbitration
between the two countries forgets the
history of his own countrymen and the
history Of the. Scotchmen who settled
in Ireland from the time of Henry III.
to the beginning Of the present century,
Is it not fact that most of the trade
and business and commerce of Ireland
from the 18th century has been in the
hands of the English ascendant party
in Ireland? Did not the successive Eng
lish lord lieutenants, even in Sponsors
time, plant large colonies of English
men in Ireland, and was not this re-
peated generation after generation till
the products of the country, the wool,
the cattle, the sheep. the agricultural
and manufacturing Industries, were in
the hands of Englishmen and Scotchmen
and their descendants? And yet what
crienn nf arbitration rop ,>opt n c;ro1o
instance in the history of the English
laws where trade, industry and product
Of these same Englishmen and Scotch
men in Ireland were not harassed and
finally smothered? Does not Spenser,
'the gentle poet" tell us that these
Englishmen and Scotchmen who were
prevented from exporting even dead
cattle or beef, were "much more stub
born, and disobedient to law and gov
eminent than the Irish"
The trade of Ireland conflicted with
hers. 1t made no difference that the
traders were of her own stock. The ex-
portation Of wool to England was for
hidden under Henry Will; under
Charles l., STAFFORD crushed the wooden
trade; the navigation act of 1863 ended
her commerce; a pastoral country, Ire
lands natural exports were cattle and
dairy product; England was her foreign
market. Yet in 1868 the English Parlia-
ment enacted that no Irish fat cattle
should be sent to England after July of
each year. In 1865 it was enacted that
none should be sent dead or alive, ia
or lean. Sheep, swine, pork, bacon,
mutton, butter and cheese were then
forbidden. The historian, Lecky, is our
authority. He is alive yet and member
of parliament Now, knowing these
facts, how can Englishmen here or any
others, be so absurd as to think that
England is not wholly engrossed in her
own welfare and that it matters not tc
her whether we be Tyrian or Trojan
when her trade is at stake"
Ash Wednesday. the first day of Lent,
occurs on February 3d..