The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-03-10
WILL NOT VOLUNTEER FOR THE WAR
Words of Praise in Behalf of
the English Militia.
The UTTERANCE OF AN IRISH PAPER
Its Bold Editor May Be Punished
for His Disloyalty.


1t is fact curious and extraordinary
enough to merit special mention that
the English militia regiments now in
Ireland are the first of that arm of the
service which have been seen in Ireland
since 1898, when several corps we're
sent over to assist in queling the men,
orable uprising OF that year. They re-
manned in the country until the close of
the struggle, and to their credit, be it
said, they acted generally throughout
those bitter and bloody days with the
humanity of brave men and the de-
cency of self-respecting soldiers. The
same may be said of the Highlanders
and of the regulars when guided by
their own officers, but like credit can
not be given to all of those employed
by England to quench in blood the rev.
olutionary flames that burst forth so
hotly and suddenly in Wexford and
other counties, says "Owen Roe" in
his Dublin correspondence to the Chi
cago Chronicle. The Irish militia
corps, particularly those of Cork, and
the yeomanry have left memories of
their brutalities and fendishness which
can never be erased from the national
mind, and the contrast between them
and the English militia of those days
brlghtens, probably, the true colors of
the latter Anyway, there is no linger-
ing and transmitted hate and bitterness
against them, and so it is that, if not
welcomed, the armed Johnny Bull in
Our midst is not detested from per-
sonal standpoint. OF course, he is de-
tested as symbol of tyranny and of
arrogant and heartless repression, but
SO, likewise, is every other agent and
representative of the despoiler. To
supply the places of the English militia,
sent to us, our Irish militia regiments
have been sent over to England, and
the friendly manner in which they have
been received recalls somewhat wildly
the treatment accorded to like bodies
in days now long past When lanes
lI.-he whom the Irish have branded
with an epithet so daringly contemptu-
Gus that Victor Hugo would call it
sublime-was struggling for his throne,
the duke OF Tyrconncll sent, in 1858,
some Irish troops to England, and
wherever they appeared they were at
tackled as enemies and invaders, and
some who were caught Struggling were
even murdered. They had truly a hot
time of it, and after James, the coward
and trimmer, took flight from his king
dom to seek safety in France, Tyrcon-
nell's Irish troops in England had to
fight their way to the seacoast and get
back to Ireland as best they could. 1t
was probably what they deserved, for
one OF the follies OF Irish loyalty was
their devotion to the migrate and
treacherous house of Stuart.
The militia business has curious
phases and gives rise to strange sug-
gestions. Recently the County Louth
militia battalion of Royal Irish fu-
sileers was asked to go to the front
and, although almost all of them had
previously volunteered, when it came
to the word to go, 176 out of total Of
414 refused to be commanded. The
excuse was that the organization had
volunteered by a mistake and now
comes the reasonable Dundalk Demo-
crat boldly announcing that the people
of Louth county will heartily sustain
and commend the militiamen if they
refuse to go to be shot down, wound
ed or taken prisoners while English
regiments are kept safely in the rear, as
they have been in all the engagements
in South Africa when there were Irish
or Scotch battalions to push into the
front" This comment, surely, out
RACES every loyal sentiment and
wounds every jingo heart, and the Lon
don Globe properly denounces it as
"dastardly," and shows the enormity Of
the crime of the Dundalk editor and
the penalty he is subject to by quoting
the following from a lawyer CORE
spondent:
Everyone commits felony and is
liable upon conviction to penal servi-
tude for life who maliciously and ad-
visedly endeavors to seduce any person
serving in her majesty's forces by sea
or land, from his duty and allegiance
to her. majesty" A legal opinion like