Washington sentinel., 1900-03-17
VICTORIA AND IRELAND.
An Insult and a Con fessiOn or
Weakness.
Editor Sentinel:


The news comes to US, with much
flourish oftrumpets, that Queen Victoria
is about to visit Ireland. This Is her
first visit since 1850. She has gone
annually to Scotland or to France or to
Italy, but never since then across the
Channel to the land that furnished her
the best portion Of her army, and large
amount of the taxes that supported
herself and the numerous progeny which
she has saddled upon the nation
Her visit to Ireland on this occasion
is not inspired by disinterested motives.
Fear for her tottering throne, and want
Of confidence IN her stupid cOuntrymen
are the controlling motives. She saw
her generals driven back again and
again in South Africa, till the brilliant
Roberts and the resour .eful Kitchener,
both Irishmen, took command. Again
she has seen the Irish mercenaries in
her army--for all her regulars are mer-
cenaues-fght as only Irish soldiers
can fight. with the dash, the courage,
the elan characteristic OF the race.
But she sees the Irish race in Ireland
and America active in the cause Of Boer
independence, casting aside all prejudice
Of race or religion and swearing eternal
friendship with the hardy Dutchmen Of
South Africa on the altar Oi liberty.
She sees France crouchiDR, ready for
the spring, and knows that If once an
opportunity is given to the Irish and
their descendants. such an army will be
formed to OverwheIm England as has
never assembled on battlefield before,
an army animated by the twin motives
Of justice and revenge. Not for the first
time has England heard the warcry,
"Reveugel Remember Limerick Dash
down the Sassen1chp' Well may she
tremble to hear it again.
We can understand therefore the
anxiety Of the Queen and her crafty ad
visers to placate the Irish race at this
time. But the ruse will not succeed A
visit at present and after such lapse Of
time, can only be looked upon as an
insult to their feelings and their inteIli.
gence. The Irish are no respecters of
persons. Their sympathy with a nation
struggling tor liberty is not to be
quenched bv the ''passlng show" of
Royalty. Ideas and principles are their
guiding stars, not the glamour OF a
personality. And while Vlctoria's lie
has been a blameless one. as Queens
go, it has been selfish and hVpocritical.
When of late years war was rumOred
between England and great powers, such
as Russia, Germany, or the United
States, the English shOpkeeper always
had the excuse pat that there would he
no war while Her Majesty lived. But
when requested by the sympathetic
women Of Holland to prevent the war
on the Boer Republics, her pusillani.
nous and lying reply was that she had
exhausted her constitutional privileges.
Il was false. The cause was that her
spendthriit son, libertlne and card
sharper, was under obligations to Cecil
Rhodes, who paid his debts, and that
other members OF the Royal family and
aristocracY we're interested in the South
African Chartered Company, and longed
for the fieshpots OF the TranSvaal.
The resentment OF Ireland Tor the class
OF Englishmen now in power in Great
Britain has been too long, too deep, too
bitter, to be allayed by any other result
than the downfall Of British Toryism.
To that end, every nerve should be bent.
every resource exhausted. While we
cannot but feel thrill OF pride in the
gallant achievements ol our race even
in wrong cause, we have only 10 say,
cursed be the fates that place them N
such positions. That misfortune car
only be prevented by giving to them a
redeemed. a disenthraIled, a regenerated
Ireland.
F. NJ DoRAS.