The Irish standard., 1900-03-03

III 1900 when you abolished the Irish
parliament, because twenty years be-
fore, when you were engaged in your
wicked American war, which particu-
larly compares with the present war,
you were confronted with this same
phenomenon of the Irish seeking to
take advantage OF your difficulties and
sympathizing with your foe. Why was
Ireland prone to these views, then, as
now? 1t does not lie in the cussedness
OF the Irish; it is due to the simple fact
that Ireland, 100 years ago, felt that she
was treated with systematic injustice
and deprived OF her few rights.
She had the same feeling before, and
the same cause will at all times produce
the same result in the history OF ma
tions. Some day, not perhaps far off, in
that ireland you are about to create for
yourselves in South Africa, you may
find that people rejoicing in the em-
pire's difficulties and sending mes
sages OF sympathy to your foes. l
would urge this country, before it is in
volved more deeply in this ill-fated war,
to endeavor to learn something from
the history of your own experience in
Ireland and the American colonies, and
beware of pursuing to the bitter end the
chapter which, whatever way the mill
tary operations go, whether you sue
ceed III this war or not, can only be a
story OF misfortune and disgrace.
I admit, therefore, in the frankest
manner, that the feeling of the mass OF
the Irish people is hostile to the empire
at this moment 1t would be hypoc-
risy for me to deny it, and it would be
the utmost folly for you to attempt to
minimize it.
Mr.. Redmond then went on to quote
from the late Cardinal John Henry
Newman some of the reasons why
Irishmen are hostile to England, clos
ing with the quotation, 20, daughter of
Babylon, blessed shall he be who shall
repay thee as thou hast paid u.s."
(Cheers.)
Continuing, Mr.. Redmond said: The
sympathy of Ireland with the Beers is
to certain extent, due to the feeling
l have described. But, having said so
much, entirely deny that the attitude
of the Irish people toward this war is
governed wholly or even mainly, by
that sentiment. Irishmen are just as
capable as any one else Of 5haging a
policy and the merits OF. tlie tfnflicts in
which the empire chooses to embroil it.
self, more especially when, as in the
present instance, an impoverished and
oyertaxed country is called upon to pay
SO heavy proportion OF the cost, and
when so many thousands of Irish fam
lilies, rich and poor alike, are called up
on to pour forth the still more precious
treasure of their childrcn's blood.
Mr.. Redmond declared that he could
not rejoice because so many Irishmen
we're fighting in cause that he believed
to be unjust, but said it was accounted
for to great extent by their love OF
the soldiers calling. And their return
for it was that, Notwithstanding the
tributes paid by the newspaper corre-
spondents at the front to the bravery of
these Irish lads from Rose ,mmon and
Galway, not mention of it it had beer
made in the official reports of Gen.
Butler.
The reasons why Irislmcn were capa
Bile of judging of the right and wrong
of the war, he said, was that they were
not subject to those passions of impe-
rial greed, pride and arrogance which
tabitually obscure the judgment Of
Englishmen on such occas ons and they
'have, moreover-what has often been
accounted one of their Weaknesses
they have what is called sympathetic
temperament, faculty for understand
ing other races, for seeing that no pol
icy which is not morally sound can be
just, which is not possessed by the ave-
rage modern jingo.
By this means, said MIR. Redmond
the Irish people by perfectly natural
and, as I think, an uncrring process,
have come to a genuine abhorrence OF
this war and to genuine admiration
for the heroic little republics that are
facing and thwarting your effort to de-
stroy their independence. Our sympa
thies would be on the side of the inde-
pendence of these republics, no matter
what was the power that was attempt
ing to act the bully to the oppressed in
South Africa.
Go back for a moment to the history
which lost you America, and the men,
ory of which is the real reason why to-
day you cannot win the friendship and
alliance of the United States. (Cheers.)
Who led the opposition, who inspired,
who planned, who worked through
steadfast years in opposition to that
luckless war? An Irishman, and in do
ing so he poured forth wealth of po-
litical wisdom which has been the nour-
ishment of your wiser statesmen ever
since, and which, if it could be only
understood and acted upon by your
statesmen of to-day, would induce you
even now to retrace your steps and by
an early peace to retrieve to some ex-