The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-06-16
No Freedom Of the Press in the
Poland of the Ocean.
BLUNBERs OF FHB BRITISH DEsPoT
Irish Officers not Promoted for
Bravery in the Field.

The United Irishman, the weekly pub
lication which was suppressed during
her majesty's visit here because of an
article written by Maud Come, entitled
''The Famine Queen" has been pounced
upon again and seized by the authori-
ties, says the Dublin correspondent OF
the Chicago Chronicle. This time it
was not for lese majeste, but what its
offense was the police who made the
raid on the paper would not say-in
fact, they did not know, by their own
admission.
Doubtless it was for what Artemus
Ward would call general cussedness,
which in this country means lack of
reverence for the powers that be and
outspoken criticism of their lawlessness
and contempt for national feelings and
aspirations. The boast of Tennyson, in
which he sung that England, including
ireland, of course, was land where
every man could speak what he will,
was pretty poetic flight, and excusable
from the viewpoint of patriotism, but it
was all the same untrue.
Even in England there are broken
heads today, and demolished homes
and stores, because some people will in
sist in proclaiming that the war in
South Africa is unjust. Jingoism suf-
fcrs no opposition.
This being the case across the chan
mel, the suppression of a newspaper
here is, of course, a mere incident in the
routine duties of our authorities. It is
such simple thing to them that they
are astonished when any fuss is made
about it, and the demand that before
seizure be made some charges should
be preferred or warrant shown is re-
garded as disloyal impertinence.
The castle il this instance did not ap-
prove of something in the United Irish
man, and so it sent policemen to the
Office to seize every copy of the paper
they could find, and sent others to ram
sack the shops of newsdealers for other
numbers of the offending publication.
The publisher of the paper very natu-
rally, but courteously, asked to be in
formed in what the offense of the paper
consisted, but all the policemen could
tell him was that they were sent there
to seize and suppress the paper, and
that order they were bound to obey.
Yet some people are astonished that
the Irish are dissatisfied with constitu-
tional government as administered to
them by the predominant partner"
The idea that body of policemen would
walk into newspaper establishment in
London and without warrant or charge
or explanation seize its entire issue
scarcely can be imagined, but such law
lcssness and tyranny is deemed natural
and necessary in this country.
Under our GLORIOUS British consti-
tuition" the principle Of the thing is or
should be the same in both lands. The
right or wrong of the thing is not af-
fected by the fact that the political
views of Dublin's little weekly differ
from those of, say, the London Times.
The liberties of the press in the eyes
of the law are as sacred here as there.
"Did such an occurrence" says the
Independent, take place in St. Peters
burg all England would ring with de-
nunciations of the czar and his ad-
visers. Did the German emperor ven-
ture to suppress the organs Of social
ism in his empire his conduct would be
mathematical by England's newspapers
as a proof OF mingled despotism and
blundering."
But what is tyranny in St. Petersburg
and stupidity in Berlin and what would
be criminal folly in London can be
effected with impunity in Dublin, and
the bureaucratic oppressors receive not
reproof but commentator from their
superiors. Even Kruger never attempt
ed or even suggested the suppression OF
the papers in johannesburg which de-
nounced the laws, the constitution and
the rulers of the land in which they
grew rich and arrogant.
Dom Paul was an ignorant tyrant
and brute because he would not sur
render his power to greedy carpetbag-
GERS. hut Lord Cadogan, our Irish .ex-