The Irish standard., 1900-02-03
Rev. j. NJ. Cleary Exposes the
Hypocrisy of England
mid Cheers.
Mayor Gray, of Minneapolis.
Pays His Compliments
to John Bull.
Judge Prentiss, Of Chicago,
Makes Eloquent Speech
for Liberty.

The great mass meeting for the Bocr
cause came off last Sunday at the Ex-
position building, as per announcement
Owing to the very cold weather many
kept away who would have been pres
ent ii the day had been fine. AS it was,
about 1900 persons or over wendell
their way to the big hall and cheered
the speakers enthusiastically. Frank
Larrabee, the chairman, in his opening
address, referred to the dcclinatlon OF
Republicans to preside or speak at the
meeting. Il was not the first choice
for chairman" said Mr. Larrabec, nor
the second, nor the tenth, nor the for
tieth. The committee applied to forty
two Republicans and received as many
destinations. 1t cannot be that these
Republicans have not formed an opin-
ion in regard to this matter. The most
charitable view to take OF it, | believe,
is that they declined because they had
not the moral courage to express their
convictions upon subject upon which
their party has not yet declared itself. But
those OF us who are here are met in an
effort to influence the administration at
Washington to act on behalf OF the
Beers, or not to act i'll any manner
which will aid the English
He then introduced II. S. Golf, who
recited a poem OF his own composition,
which was pertinent to the occasion and
rapturously applaudcd. He was fol-
lowed by Mayor Gray i'll forcible adj
dress. Though born under the British
flag, he did not spare England in her
unjust war on the Beers. He said, in
part:
I'VE are met to-day to extend our
sympathy to the Beers. And why not?
Are they not worthy OF Our sympathy
and moral support? And ii they can
not get moral support IRON the admin
istration, shall they not have it iron,
the American people? Because we
have secretary OF state imported
from London, who refuses to receive a
representative of the Transvaal, while
he sends his own son to wait upon the
British prisoners in Pretoria; because
the state department is llopelessly Eng
lish, don't y know, is that any reason
why we should skulk to our tents in
scared silence? No; the American peo-
pie will speak out against this CHASTITY
war that diamond kings and deviled
politicians are waging in South Africa
The American people will not suffer the
policy OF the state department to suffo-
cate their opinions.
There was time, when Daniel
Webster was secretary OF state, and in
that time America extended her sym
pathy to Greece and to Hungary il,
their struggles for liberty. 1t is need
less to say that Daniel Webster is nc
longer secretary Of state. Little
Brooches sits in the chair OF Webster
Seward, Blaine and Olney, but we mus
bear it patiently. Accidents will hap
pen. From the birth OF the republic
the United States has at all times ex
tended its good offices towards promot
ing peace in the world. 1t has done
this by the simple process OF public
opinion influencing the administration
to act. Our protest against the war ii
South Africa is not taking sides witt
either party. We do not expect to die
tate or even suggest the terms of peace
but we do, as a people, assert tina
peace is for the good of both sides ane
for the good of the world. We main
tain that all of the avenues of peace
were not explored before this deplor
able conflict began and we believe it il
not too late to call off the dogs OF war
We address DIR appeal to Great Britain
because she is the aggressor.
mo one doubts that the burgher.
would stop fighting tomorrow on any
decent terms They are not warlik<
people. They do not ask extension O
territory. They ask only to be lei
alone in one of the most obscure cor.
ners of the world. Shall they not have
their little country, and their language
their religion and their laws if they
choose? Who will deny it them? Will
the descendant of the Puritan who fled
from England to Massachusetts,, for
conscience sake, deny it? Will the gen.
&c
were taxed out of Britain by the intol-
cradle burden of the Napoleonic wars,
deny it? Will any American citizen,
north, south, east or west, who has
tasted European militarism and who
came to America because here all men
have the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit Of happiness, say that in South