The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-27
NOT SO VERY FUNNY.

tt is funny. sometimes. to see the
American lrishmauS devotion to mother
land He could not be driven back there,
TO live. with q whip of scorpions If he
had always lived there he would have
had but poor fare and no possible OppOT-
tuElty for expansion or 90 snow the e.e-
ments of strength within him. And still
each one is ready TO get Up q fight for old
Observation-Disclosures
What is there about the American
Irishmans devotion to Erin to amuse
our Anglicized contemporary? Is this
loyalty absurd? Is it unnatural? Is
it incompTehensible to those who be-
lieve in conquest. the right of might
the justice of enforcing an unwelcome
government upon an unwilling peo-
pie?
For nine centuries IreIand's claims to
national independence have been
scorned by English rulers and English
sympathizers. In 1172 Henry II de-
scended upon Ireland as the English
army has descended upon the Trans
vdal-claiminS the divine right to gov
ern because of an alleged superiority
of race and government. In those
AtlAhAfAt NAAAAfS the AelA4I W etS NtAtAActei
and the population Of the island
reduced TO a condition little better than
slavery. But nothing could destroy
the independence or fetter the proud
spirit Of the people which remain to
this day their chief characteristics.
They were starved. maligned- op-
pressed. tax-ridden, robbed. slaugh-
tered held as subjects and treated as
aliens century after century. but
never hUmbled. never driven to a re-
nunciation of their rights. never CO.
creed into a surrender of devotion to
their native land. Step by step they
have striven TO repel the tyrant power.
Rebellion after rebellion has been be
gun and ended Emmett and others
were crushed beneath the wheels of
the imperial JusgernaGt. but every sac
rifce brought concessions and the Irish
people were patient. patriotic, hopeful
ever.
The devotion of Irishmen. not only
in America, but everywhere, 10 mother
land, i1 one Of the most pathetic and at
the same time charming stories in hui
man experience. The martyrs to the
cause of that motherland have shed
their blood i'm her defense. wasted away
their lives in English prisons. laid
their heads upon the block Of tyranny
singing of her grandeur, the glory of
her achievements. the justice of her
demar5s. Exiles driven from home by
cruel edicts or more cruel circumstances
. have wandered or prosPered in foreign
/ lands, unwilling or unable to return To
the captive island of their birth which
imperialism guards with a mailed hand
But the exile from Erin never yet. for
got tie Emerald isle. no matter when
OF where he worked or wandered.
For his country he sighed, when at twi-
light repairing
To wander alone 10y the wiud-beaten hill,
And the day-star attracted his eyes sad
For it rose DER his OWE native isle Of the
Where once in the fire OF his youthful
He sans the bold anthem of Erin 60
Erdgh.
Because Ireland Is poor and helpless
offers no excuse for a true son to de-
sert her. He may have suffered in pow
erty there. his fare ray have been
scant and poor he may have had no
OPPORTUNITY to show what was in him
under a government where the guinea
stamp is more honoTed than the gold.
But his devotion does not wane. :be
true man does not forget his mother
because she is poor and broken. The
true patriot does not forget the prin-
ciples of liberty in the sight Of power.
And so these men. whose devotion
amuses our Anglicized contemporary,
are lovers of liberty wherever it. is
found. whether in labor or in life. and
friends of the oppressed on every con-
tinent