The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-03-10
can be inflicted on a people"

the horrors OF the Revocation of the
Edict OF Nantes of the prescriptions Of
Philip the Second and OF the Inquisi-
ton. Let them turn candidly to the
history OF Ireland from 1901 down to
1893, and they will perceive that the
diabolc prescription OF the penal laws
and the ircnzied atrocities with which
the ProtcStants suppressed the Catholic
rising at the close OF the century, are
absolutely unsurpassed i'll history" Let
us cite as last witness the impassive
Unionist Protestant historian, Mr..
Lecly: 1T would be difficult" writes
MIR. Lccky, ''in the whole compass OF
history, to find another instance in
which such various and such powerful
agencies concurrcd to degrade the
character and blast the prosperity OF a
nation"
The work so described was the de-
libcratc work for an entire century Of
the bcne6cent empire OF England. In
defiance OF solemn treaty, Catholics
were cnslavcd, plundcrcd. oppressed
and slaughtered Wholesale A price
was set upon the heads Of the priests
and teachers Of an entire people Chill
drcn were taught by the most sordid
motives to bctray their parents, and
wives their husbands. And all this was
done in the outraged name OF religion.
No wonder the Irish conception OF the
bencflccnt British empire is more fully
embodied in the lines OF Davis than in
the glowing eulogy OF the Cardinals:
The treaty broken ere the ink where
with twas writ was dry,
Our plundcrcd homes, our ruined
shrines, our womcn's parting cry,
Our priesthood hunted down like
wolvcs-our affairs overthrown."
But, it may be said, the penal laws
are repealed; why recall those unpleas-
ant reflections? Cardinal Moran an
swers in the opening chapter of his
book: Nor is it to be forgotten that
we Catholics owe the repeal of the
penal laws to no awakening of the con-
science, no compunctious visitings on
the part Of the unrelenting prosecutor.
We owe it, as the Duke OF Wellington
confessed, to the terror OF civil war,
with which the bcnefcent and mag
unanimous empire was inspired by the
agitation OF Daniel O'Connell. Cardi-
nal Vaughan owes his position to-day,
and his immunity from persecution to
the Irish agitation, which in those days
was denounced as conspiracy against
law and order Nor are more recent
illustrations wanted Of the savagcry Of
this bcncfccnt empire. In the Soudan
the wrctclcd, naked victims of cow
ardy and murdcrous attack were ruth
lessly slaughtered as they lay wounded
and writhing on the ground. slricking
for mercy. The very tombs were not
sacred from outrage by the general Of
this Christian empire, nor the dead
from insult and mutlation
But in all the bloodstaincd progress
OF the bcnciccnt empire, tramping
rutlllcssly over human life and liberty,
there is no bIackcr chapter than this
latest war-sordid, cowardly and cruel.
1t was a war prompted by greed, in de-
fancc OF liberty and justice. 1t was a
war of the strong upon the weak. The
franchise trivialitics which were made
the prctext for the war were so mani
testify absurd that they are quietly ig-
norcd. The fact that the Beers did not
choose, in the forciblc language OF Mr.
Leonard Courtney, ito die like rats in
hole" the fact that they have made
such undrcamt OF, such heroic resist
ancc, to unjust aggression, is now
seized upon by the jingo press OF Eng
land, and by Cardinal Vaughan, as an
cx post facto argument to justify that
aggression. 1t is as though high
wayman, unexpectedly finding his in
tended victim ready and able to rcpal
violence with violence, should forth
with indict him for conspiracy to muir
der.
In dispatch from London one Of
the correspondents says in last Sun
days Chicago Tribune:
The Popc's attitude toward Great
Britain and the British Catholics atti-
tudc toward the war were Interestingly
exhibited at an influential meeting OF
the British Catholic union this week,
when the president, the Duke OF Nor
folk, read some correspondence ex-
changed between himself and Cardinal
Rampolla, the papal secretary OF state.
The union had requested the Duke OF
Norfolk to intcrrogate the holy see in
relation to the anti-Britisl tone taken
by the Osscrvatorc Romano in COM
mcnting on the Bocr war; The paper
is supposed to be the Popc's official or
gan, receiving financial subsidy from
him. The Duke OF Norfolk wrote:
"To us it seems very gricvous that
any opportunity should be given to
| anyone to persuade the British people
that the holy sec regards them with
hostility or dislike. / cannot deny that
an impression OF this sort is creeping
into the public mind. When it is re-
mcmbcrcd that Catholics are in the
| minority in Great Britain it will, we
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