The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-05-05
PATRIOTIC LESSONS TO Be TAUGHT
Pres. Gen. Gargan Ridicules the
Mistakes of M'Kinley.
sen. GEO. F. HOAR OF MASSACHUSETTS
Extolled by President G. S. Hall
Of Clark University.

VI V1dFk UUlVGrSlLY.
The anniversary OF the battle of Lex
ington was celebrated by the American
Irish Historical Society on April 10 by
visiting the historical scenes in the after
noon and banquetlng in the evening.
In his address President General Thom-
as J. Gargan said in part:
To-day we commemorate the deeds of
those heroic men who on April 1o, 1775,
on the green at Lexington, won fame
as imperishable as the men who fought
at Marathon or Thermopylae. Well
might Sam Adams exclaim, "What a
glorious morning for America is this!"
AS distinguished foreigner has we'll
said, "It is their sacrificed blood in
which is written the preface of the ma
tion's history"
At Lexington was the opening scene
of revolution destined to change the
character of human governments and
the condition OF the human race. Yet
sometimes incline to the opinion, as
read the utterances of men who in our
day are called statesmen, and some of
the newspapers, that the age OF patriot
ism is gone; that an age of selfish ma
terialists, economists, calculators has
succeeded. Let US hope there is still a
saving remnant in this republic who
will rekindle the love and patriotism
whicl, actuated the men who established
our government.
Do some of our people really under
stand the meaning Of patriotism? Many
seem to imagine it means blind obedi-
ence to any administration which may
be insidiously laboring to destroy our
institutions. But l have an abiding
faith in the people of this country when
they fully appreciate threatened dan
ger. I believe with Burke THAT the
people never give tip their liberties but
under some delusion."
Are some of us laboring under the
delusion that we are called upon to
govern the world, that we are to set
forth with a few small Bibles and
large supply OF arms to force what we
call our civilization on an unwilling peo-
pie i'll another hemisphere, while
thoughtful men are staggered at the
problems of government confronting lis
on the North American continent?
Shall we not profit by the lessons of
history and recall what this day means?
II was the beginning of movement
against an empire which aspired to gov
ern the world. Yet those sixty men on
Lexington common initiated a revolu-
ton which wrested from the diadem Of
Great Britain the fairest jewel in her
crown
May we not indulge to-day somewhat
in retrospection and examine the causes
which led to our revolt?
The British parliament had passed the
stamp act. the tea tax and the Boston
port bill, yet those did not cause war;
the real cause of the battle of Lexing-
ton was the reconstruction act of 1774.
Prior to this act the councillors had
been chosen by the people through
their representatives. By the new law
the king was to appoint them, to hold
Offices during his pleasure. The supe-
rior judges were to hold at the will of
the king and to be dependent on~his
will for the amount and payment of
their salaries; the inferior judges were
to be removable by the royal governor
at his discretion, he himself holding at
the kings will.
The deepest-reaching provision of the
acts was aimed at the town meetings.
They were prohibited, except the an
nual meeting to elect officers, but no
other meetings could be held without
the written permission of the royal gov
ernor. These acts of parliament sought
to change self-government into a gov
ernment by the king and to substitute
for home rule absolute rule at West
minister and St. James palace.
Then came the military act, and in
February, 1775, parliament declared
Massachusetts, in rebellion. The in
structions of Lord Dartmouth, the sec
retary Of state for the colonies, to Gen.
eral Gage, the royal governor, ran like
this: Sovereignty of the king over the
colonies requires full and absolute
submission" What a striking similar
ity that has to some recent dispatches
we have heard since we acquired dis
tant DOssessiofls