The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-01-21

frankest possible manner that the labor
ers must have their full acre of land,
and that the workmen of the towns must
have their comfortable and decent dwell
ings and the right of becoming owners of
them, as they can do in the United
States (cheers). Y know of no better use
to which hundred pounds year Of the
two millions and three-quarters Of plum
der which England EFFORTS from Ireland
could be devoted than to tightening the
burden upon the community of making
a permanent provision for the comfort
and happiness OF the laborers and .'ork-
ers Of the south (cheers.)
But there is one question which in
wolves all other questions, both for farm
ers and laborers at the present moment,
and that is the question of the new
county council and district council elec-
tions Cloud cheers). l don't think many
will deny that the fortunes of Ireland for
this generation will depend upon how the
people conduct themselves in the revolu-
tion, for it will be a great though blood
less revolution which will come off next
March. The people by their votes can
either xiii of constitutional agitation for
many year to come or they can make
home rule as inevitable as a roof is to
the walls of house before anybody can
permanently dwell there Uoud cheers).
That revolution is only three months OIL,
and how are we prepared to meet it?
On the one side you have landlord aSso-
ciations organizing and growing; you
have the whole country honey-combed
with all sorts of intrigues and burrow-
ings for the election of men opposed to
the aspirations of the people. But in
| three out of the four provinces of Ire
land the people themselves have no Or
ganization whatsoever to secure a re-
liable Nationalist and democratic major
ity in these county councils (cres Of
Shame, shame.')
The case is even worse than that. Up
to the present we have always been able
to say truly that the Irish people have
never of their own free will and witltout
coercion submitted to the rule of the
English garrison, but now for the first
time in seven centuries We havo got the
power by our own mere vote of transfer
ring the local government of the country
from the English garrison to the repre-
sentativcs of our race, and there are ac-
tually Irish Nationalists who would ask
us by way of showing what fine Tolerant
fellows we are Qaughter to renounce
the greatest opportunity that ever tame
to our country, and by the peoples own
| votc-by a sort of National plebisclte-
! to assure England that We are only too
happy to place ourselves once more
,, under the heels of the Balfours and the
Smth-Barrys and the Sam Husseys
(great hooting)
Now, the thing really seems too all
surd. The moment that the people fully
understand what they are asked to do
they would as soon let their hand burn
in the fire as let it sign the ballot paper
that could enable the Balfours and the
Smith Barrys to boast that English rule
and landlordism are now accepted and
sanctioned by the free votes of the Irish
! people themselves. But l can tell you
without some organization to direct the
forces of the people the dangers of cilose
county councils being flooded with
Unionist landlords and with namby
pamby Nationalists, who are just as
worthless, is far more serious than those
who are trying to bypnotize the people
in this great emergency would lead you
to imagine. We are told these gentle
men will be elected .pn non-political lines.
If being non-poltical would make us
happy we were barred out of politics for
two hundred years by the penal laws,
and now we are asked to pass a new
penal law ourselves to debar ourselves
from exercising as freeinen the rights
which even a Tory government can no
longer withhold from us (cheers.) An
incident that happened in the County
Cork the other day shows what these
men mean when they say the county
| council elections should be worked on
non-political lines. Some foolishly gen.
erous Nationalists in Charcvile select
ell as a candidate on non-political plat
form a plausible young land agent, son
Of one of the worst cxterminators that
every scOurged the south, and what was
the reward of their generosity?
Before the week was over we had Mr.
Smith-Barry and the Cork landlords
meeting and growing over the selection
Of Mr.. Sanders as blow to the popular
cause, aid they actually proceeded then
and there to elect on their emergency
| committee for the purpose OF making
| war on the tenants and on the United
irish League the very gentleman who
had gulled the Nationalists of Charls
vile into selecting him on non-poI1tlcaI
! platform. That is the landlords notion
OF no politics at county council elec-
ton. Now, bear in mind l don't at all
| say that there may not be one or two
men in county unobjectionable Union
lists, whom 1t would be desirable by the
people to encourage; but this the people
can do without injury to the National
cause. Every county council will have
the right Of co-opting two members, ano
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