The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-02-17

lolSc COcTclNc laws. 1t Is curious to
hear Englisllmen talk that this country
is under the same laws and has the
same liberties as their own, and vet they
dare not trust this people. The present
war, however, is opening their eyes, and
the National Rife Association would
now like to see every able-bodied man
instructed in thcusc of the rife" 1t NAV
also be said that there is not an able
bodied man i'll Ireland to-day who is
not willing and anxious to be instructed
III its use. But will they be gratificd?
Ot course not. England, as matter oi
sentiment, may think with Burke that
the best militia is an armed nation"
but she will hesitate long before she
makes Ireland all armed nation or re-
peals the acts prohibiting the carrying
OF arms here. II she trusts ireland and
regards her as a loyal portion of the
empire, as her statesmen and newspa-
pers boast when they wish to reach the
ear OF the world, why does she send
| There is no country on earth frccr
from crime to-day than Ireland. so their
mission cannot be to preserve the peace
and protect citizens But to come back
to the Royal Irish constabulary, the in
formation is now given out that the hos
pital ordcrlies in Lord 1veagh's field
hospital arc entirely taken from that
body-fifteen in all. So these heroes OF
pcaccablc meetings arc willing to 60 to
South Africa, not as warriors but as
hospital attendants. They have doubt
less been reading about the deadly aim
OF those Dutch burghcrs and Ignorant
farmers Several Irish officers who
| have sent home accounts OF the fights
under General Mcthuen say that al
though, the Bocr fire is most deadly and
accurate "wc all have seen a Bocr only
now and then" One OF these Irish
officers letters gives new reading and
meaning to the famous threat of Prcsi-
dent Kruger that the price of England's
conquest Of the Transvaal would Stag
scr humanity" He says that it refers
to the determination OF the Bocr wo-
lhcn to take the field the moment the
frontier OF their country is crossed by
the enemy. He adds that the belief is
that these women are frst-class shots
with the Martini-Hcnri rifles, which
their husbands and brothers discarded
for the Mauscrs. Should such new
complication and horror be added to
tic war, would the United States or
other great world powers stand by with
out intervening?
| The importation OF arms and anll,iu
milton into Ireland which has always
been closely watched, has been made
subject to new and more stringent rr2,,-
atlons. This looks to many as il the
authorities are uneasy at the possiI1i-
ty OF trouble in this country because Of
the few troops now here. One would
think that the regulations regarding
arms and ammunition already existing
could not be added to except by pro-
l,ibiting altogether their entrance into
this island. In all aspects the posses
sion Of either is made difficult enough
For instance, one cannot own COM
mon fowling piece without permission
from the authorities and then cannot
use it without license. Even common
blasting powder cannot be purchased
without permission, while no one not a
government official can own revolver
under any conditions. Seeing that the
ordinary garrison OF Ireland has in great
part been sent to South Africa Dublin
castle is not willing to take any chances,
but then the officials there ought to
remember they have the Royal Irish
constabulary to protect them. They are
practically a military force in all re-
spects, and they are much more nu-
mcrous than needed for ordinary police
duties. But what a magnificent chance
there is for some enemy Of England to
land an invading column in Ireland with
some thousands OF arms to put into the
hands OF the pcasantry.
A writer in the Dublin United Irish
man is indignant over the cntrapping Of
the Irish militia for the South African
war. Referring to the North Cork he
says:
According to English law, every in
tending recruit must be taken before a
magistrate, and there, in the presence
of witnesses, must have his obligations
explained, his readiness to serve asccr-
taincd and certified, before the recruit
ing sergeant can claim him for the most
urgent war What guarantees were at
iordcd the kidnapped lads and men Of
North Cork? None In the huggcr-
muggcr OF some barrack yard without
witnesses, without magistrates, without
attcstation, without the presence or
consultation OF rcIativcs-oi fathers, OF
mothers, of wives without a single
record OF the contract, the induccincnt
or the iulfllmcnt-thcsc poor fellows,
because they arc Irish. are severed from
their homes, are handed over to death.
are imprisoned like slaves. are driven
on board the slave transport while a dc
graded police foreign militia and SOL
dicrs, and even artillery, form Gordon