The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-06-02

anny-no anathemas for men who fren
zied by bitter wrong, have sought fo
satisfaction in "the wild justice of re
venge'' But individual reprisals can
not be favored-not because of any low,
for tyranny or tyrants, but because in
dividual reprisals would involve tn,
race, and, in the reign of brute force
now almost universal, determination
would ensue in Ireland.
But are the Irish people to relinquisf
all hope and to yield at last to dumb
despair? Are there no roces present.!
available and equally potent at oul
disposal? For long years the people o.
Hungary rebelled and fought, ant
again and again were beaten to the
ground. Under wise direction, the
Hungarian policy was changed from
active to passive resistance; and, as 6
result, Hungary today not only has ma
tional autonomy, but she practically
dominates the policy of the Austrian
empire.
In the Land League days a similar
policy infused virility into the peas
antry of Ireland, and brought the &C
cursed system of landlordism to its
knees. Through the Land League
! policy, Ireland commanded the admira-
ton of the world, forced the followers
of Salisbury to pause in their cruel
career, compelled the Liberal party to
| espouse the Irish cause, and changed
from a prosecutor to a friend and
champion the greatest statesman that
England has ever known. In the Land
League days English legislation was at
a standstiII because of Irish demands:
the democracy of Great Britain were
warm in support of home rule for Ire
land; and the Great Commoner him
self, Prime Minister Gladstone, rose in
the House of Commons, stood by the
ranks of Ireland's patriot band and in
a speech of wondrous eloquence and
power denounced the system that had
perpetuated centuries of outrage in
Ireland, and demanded that his Eng
fish countrymen should, at last, give
TO Ireland that liberty and that justice
of which she had been so foulIy
robbed.
AS THE United Irish League" the
old Land League is born again in Ire
land. The manhood of the nation are
already enrolled and Irelands sons the
world over viii rally to its flag. Let
the people of Ireland lift up their
hearts! Let Salisbury's brutal threat
be but the clarion call to a world-union
of Irish hearts and of Irish hands!
Everywhere the masses are beginning
to feel the quickenins of Gods law, are
beginning to realize the wickedness and
the weakness of tyrannical rule Aye.
in England itself, the masses are in
array against the arrogance of the
classes, and in the Land League days.
that lreland's liberation means Eng
lands disenthralment from the terrible
sway of consecrated wrong.
Why, then, should not Ireland again
form an alliance with the democracy
of Britain, that, working together they
may build federation of republics
upon the ruins of hereditary rule? 1t
needs but the bugle blast of brother
hood to align the masses of Britain
with the people of Ireland in com
mon struggle for their common de- |
iverance. To be an ally in the cause
Of freedom is no denial or abatement |
IF Irish right, no abandonment of one |
jot or little of the God-given. inalien-
able right of the Irish people to be
governed by their own laws, made by |
heir own representatives, in an Irish |
parliament, and upon Irish soil
The great evil to be avoided is dis
lnion. The great remedy to be applied
S the American idea of majority rule.
From the moment the old Liberty Bell
n Philadelphia sent the keynote of
reedom surging through the land till
he English flag was struck to George
on the victorious field of
yorktown, there were but two parties
n America-the Patriots and the
Tories When Ireland wins her indie
'endence-then,. if they will, let Ire
and's sons separate into parties, but,
n the Ireland of today as in the
of '76, let there be no parties
tut Patriots and Tories till the final
1ctory is won. Leadership is no mans
rerogative. It must be of the people.
rom the people, and by the people. The
naJority rules. This is the American
lea; and from this idea terminates the
ope of Ireland's resurrection.