The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-04-08

they; and, incredible depth OF disl1on-
esty and eanness!-incredible were it
not true, no restitution OF these two
years arrears has been nooted by a
Government who promised before they
took Office, to lavish kindness on Ire
land If we are to be taxed against
every rule OF common sense and Justice
On similar scale to England and Scot
land, the wealthiest communities extant
it follows, as surely as the night the day
that Ireland, country existing by agri-
culture, alone. ought to have had agri-
cultural relief on the SAME scale and at
the same time as her plutocrat neigh
bofs, But no! another million and a
half has been saved by the British treas
ury at the trifing cost OF glazing; in
justice and breach OF faith to us poor
Irish, who are not strong enough to
resent it effectualy. We may we'll re-
echo vac victis' After all, million
and half is only an additional drop in
the vast ocean OF our wrongs. Remem-
Der that ii we calculate the amount OF
overtaxation as an annuity from, say.
1852 (when the income tax was i'm
posed upon us contrary to the letter
and the spirit OF the Act of Union,
which was a solemn treaty between two
kingdoms. and is now dead letter.,
it will tot up to a larger sum than the
indemnity paid by conquered France
to the Germans. And this prodigious
sum has been wrung from a pauper
country with only 100000 Gf there
are SO many) inhabitants. Is it any
wonder that nothing hourishes here.
and that our whole island reeks of de-
cay, when this malignant cancer OF
overtaxaton is eating into the very
vitals OF the country every year, every
month, every day. every hour? How
can any honest Irisllman support a
government refusing redress OF this
prodigious grievance? How can any
Irishnan with conscience support a
government which closed its heart and
its hand in face of the famine which last
winter devastated the West? A few
meagre doles were, | believe. distrib
uted here and there; but it is, fear. all
incontestable fact that the larger mass
OF suffering humanity went neglected
and unrelievcd. and this by govern
ment who had actually retained-ovcr
and above the two millions or there
abouts OF unjust excess OF taxation
which it annually extorts-f6oo,ooo or
100000, the amount that ought to have
been given in aid OF rates two years
ago in simple fairness. ii the poorer
country had been treated similarly to
tie richer One hundred thousand
pounds OF Our money-if we could have
got it-would have kept many a human
soul and body together during that long
and awful winter, and retained the fire
on many all humble hearth now cold
for evermore But OF what account
arc Irish human lives or Irisl, peasants
agonies OF cold and hunger when
weighed in the balance of the British
Treasury scales against golden guneas!
| declare deliberately that since the
tainted thirty pieces OF silver at the
dawn OF our Christian era there has not
been money more polluted than that
then retained by the 'Unonst Govern
ment in the face OF starving popula-
tion-our own money. too! .And-su-
pieme aggravaton-aiter the famine
came the unworthy taunts OF the Chief
Secretary about champagne and the
South OF France unnanly jecrs and
jibes launched at all hunger stricken
peasantry whom he had declined to
help, coolly negccting the economic
axiom that the elementary duty OF those
who govern is to keep death by starva-
ton away from the unfortunate people
they undertake to govcrn-and ovcrtaX.
Talking of famine, it is equally an
economic axiom that famine follows in
the train OF overtaNation as surely as
winter succeeds autumn. Ii any kind
ol proof were wanting as to our over
taxation. the last damnlng link OF dem
onstration is supplied i'll the regularly
recurring famincs in our country. Like
us Our fellow victim. India. is over
taxed to the uttermost iarthing. AS
with lis, regularly recurring famines arc
the rule in that exhausted province.
Thus Great Britain has the proud privi
lcge OF having ovcrtaNed and OF persist
ing i'll overtaxing to the strainng point
tic two poorest countries on the face OF
the carth-India and Ircland-because
they are too weak to resist--now But
IL day must arrive-in the East prob
ably in the very near future; in the
West perhaps sooner than anticipated.
when the Avcnger OF Blood will de-
mand all account OF Eng'and's steward
ship OF the nations entrusted to this
Carthage OF the nineteenth century.
Her injustice has been colossal; her
punishment will be on the same scale
P6sterty will moralizc th"s on her de-
parted glory, riches, power. and place:
We'll deserved and great was the fall
thereof have tried in my own hum
BILE way to show that | have been edu-
Gated by the Unionist Government and
nothing else into becoming a Home
Ruler, and add with all sincerity that