The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-06-09
THE SALISBURY SPEECH.
Editorial Correspondence.l

splendid opportunity of gauglnS pup
lie sentiment abroad on the effect
the sledge- hammer speech of Lord Sal
isbury's on Irish affairs.
1 have got to find an expression o
opinion in its favor.
An Irishman from the North, who
had looked upon the Queens visit a!
an opening for reconciliation, because
being an Orangeman, the wish va:
father to the thought, told me tina
even his class regarded Salisbury as
"blundering old fool" The warm
hearted, conservative, peace-lovins
Catholic Irish. who had confidently
looked forward to an era of good VII
between the Irish and the English,
was informed by DR.. Leighton of Dub
lin had suddenly veered from con-
sentative tendencies to become thor
oughly en- rapport with ultra radical
sentiment such as the extremists in the
nation of separation have always ad-
vocated.
There are no Irish political prisoners
at present in English jails, but L miss
nv guess if SalisbuFy's speech does
| not in the near future drive some hot
headed individual to overt acts that
will land him in a British dungeon and
| thus give the British premier an OPP
portunity to justify himself for having
made charges of disloyalty against the
Irish, as well as for the announcement
| Of repressive measures.
On board the North German Lloyd
steamer Lolln, that cosmopolis of the
seas. where men of all nations congre-
gate and pass the time in settling the
worlds affairs, l ventured to jot down
a few opinions advanced by men OF no
ordinary intelligence when the ques-
lions Of current English politics came
up for discussion. 1t was a noticeable
fact that regarding the war in South
Africa there was a unanimous concen-
sus of opinion to which only one man
dissented. and he was brushed aside as
incompetent to express a fair or I'M
biased opinion, because he was Eng
lish.
If the men on board the Lohn-citi-
zens of the leading nations of the world
voice even approximately the gen
eral opinion of their respective coun-
tries then. indeed, does England stand
alone. a veritable Ishmaelite among the
nations That England is feared for
her supposed prowess on the sea is
certain. and while some may think
that as a sea power the English navy
is very much exaggerated, no nation
cares to expose the bluff bluff 1t be.
Today the hand of every nation is
raised against England and the United
States stands ready in popular senu-
ment. although for diplomatic reasons
our government perseveres in a posi-
ton of neutrality This seems to be
generally understood the world over,
for foreigners everywhere seem inn
pressed with the conviction that the
real American sentiment, not as OIL
cially expressed by the authorities at
Washington, but as it exists in every
state in the Union, is firmly and ir-
revocably anti-B British Intelligent En-
glishmen, who have visited America,
have not failed to note this fact. Nor
is it supposed for a moment that ottl-
cial England misunderstands 1t. not
withstanding official expressions of APP
probation to the contrary. From the
sources of opinion of Which / am writ
ing comes the intelligent conviction
that Germany, regardless of the Kaiser,
is hostile to English pretensions. so is
France while the world knows that the
Russian bear would squeeze the life
out of the lion at the first opportunity.
Italy, among the nations, is a cipher,
while Austria is but little better. No
wonder, therefore. that England would
have it appear that there was at least
an implied alliance with the United
States. But that the nations are in
the least disturbed by the English bluff
seems to me an absurdity which can
find credence nowhere except in few
crude and dense English intellects.
There is little doubt that the nations
looked upon Victorias visit to Ireland
with anything but pleasure. For, if
properly managed it was obvious,
that. should subsequent events be col
ored with stateman-like qualities, a
powerful irritant to British supremacy
might be greatly lessened if not prac-
tically removed. The world seemed to
coincide in the view of the situation
which was the more accentuated by
the reports Of the immediate effect of
the Queens visit on the Irish people.
The early hope of the Irish-which had
become a firm expectation among the
nations-that a degree of home rule,
to present needs would be
granted and thus further reduce Irish
hostility was a disquieting considera-
ton TO nations having no interests in
common with England. but united for
many reasons against her.
There would indeed have been cause
of surprise, therefore, if the enemies
of England had not reioiced when they
read Salisbury's TRADE against Ireland
and the Irish-informing them that
all hopes of home rule were but de-
fusion and a snare-and that those who
them were but deceiving
themselves, for never would the pres
ent British government consent to a
larger liberty to a people whose loyalty
could best be assured by acts of CO.
ercion and oppression. And why should
not the enemies of England rejoice
thereat? Did they not see that it
meant a renewal of Irish hostility to
British misrule and rapine in Ireland?
Was it not a national sequence of this
that the Irish people would forever be
a menace to England in time of trouble
and that they would welcome any en-
calculated to harass what
are pleased to denominate
the dominant partner" but which
Irishmen are prone to justly consider