The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-01-28
lNsIDlous MOTIVES OF ENGLAND.

Its future, guidance
I. lNsIDIOUS MOTIVES OF ENGLAND.
The great Daniel O'Connell, when
! pleading the cause of his country in
+, hostile legislature, declared that when
ever the London Times complimented
him upon his words or actions he felt
like making an act of contrition for
something of which he was involuntar-
lily guilty The late Wendell Phillips, the
sver-t ongued orator of America, was
| wont to say that it was quite safe for
the United States on every occasion to
oppose any policy advocated by the Brit
ish government in international affairs.
Many patriotic Irish Americans agreed
with Mr.. Phillips and joined the Repub-
lican party because it was opposed to
| free trade. The Republican party in
later days has abandoned it's policy of
protection as we'll as it's policy of BIZ
| metallism and is today the pro-Britis1
party in this country. The Irish-Ameri-
| cans are deserving it as rats desert a
sinking ship for they see that the grand
old party of the past which stood for
patriotism and Americanism, has chang
table destruction.
| Nobody will deny that England is
quite anxious that the United States
shall retain permanent occupation of the
Philippines. The islands have been
coded to the United States by country
whose authority was disputed at the
point of the sword and which was never
recognized by millions of the inhabit-
ants. At the suggestion of British
statesmen the Mckinley administration
took the islands from Spain for the
paltry sum of s2o,O0o,Ooo. and if the pres
ident produced his confidential instruc-
tions to the peace commissioners as re-
quested by the senate it would be found
| that Great Britain took an active part
in the negotiations. Lest the Irish
Standard may be accused of Anglophobia
for making that assertion we produce
the following from the New York
World to show the motives that have
actuated England:
Advocates of the policy of expansion,
both Of the class that endeavors to find
serious arguments in favor of the
scheme, as well as of the guttersnire
class which imagines that the case is
to be settled by childish vituperation of
opponents are equally rejoiced over the
fact that our projected advance into the
Pecifc is regarded with great favor in
England. This favor was. again ex-
pressed in Joseph Chamberlain's speech
on Wednesday, in which he congratulate
ed his hearers that Great Brtain's OPP
position to the French proposal Cor an
! extension Of the settlement at Shanghai
had been strenuously supported by the
representative of the United States
But can any one suppose that Eng
lands motive is pure regard for our
welfare? 1t is not necessary to go so
far as to assume that we should instinct
lively avoid policy that might be so
agreeable to another power. 1t is
enough to consider Englands very op-
vious motive. which is to put into the
scale of those great Oriental scheme;
the weight of one first class power that
is not her necessary and inevitable en-.
envy.
England in the East is face to face
with Russia, with Germany, and with
France. She has been almost in hos
ant wifi
They are all jealous of her. and they all
hate her for her prosperity and strength.
and if there is one point upon which
they could ever agree, 1t is that of op-
position to British schemes.
Just now, as China is about in 1T
state to be cut up and this general hos
tility is acute. an empire in islands sud
denly floats into view as somebody's
possible spoil. If we keep out of that
hurly-burly, if the Philippines are made
independent. there will be in five wears
an enormous addition to the Eastern
complications in the shape Of a dispuie
as to who shall really possess the island
empire. Out of that great naval con-
fHcts may come.
What wonder, then. that England
should be glad to see that crisis post
poned; should dssire to see the islands
administered by a power sympathetic
with her own commercial schemes. and
should contemplate with calm bencvo-
lence the spectacle of our spending
thousand million. dollars in few wears
to keep place, warm for herr"