The Irish standard., 1901-08-24

the United States not to return, but
to remain. Allowing half of these to
have been men, the loss to Ireland and
the gain to the republic would be a
quarter of a million of the youngest
and brawniest of our manhood; that is,
eight times the number of men of an
other race, who for the last two years
have for time beaten one of the
greatest empires in the world in the
field, and who are still unconquered,
and, I believe, unconquerable by the
same power which has been mainly
instrumental in forcing our people
from their own to other countries.
This fact, my friends, only lends a
terrible emphasis to one of infinitely
larger Importance. namely, that in all
human probability as many more
young people will follow in the foot
steps of these already here during the
next sixteen years. and that by the
end of this generation, unless the dead
ly drain is arrested, the Celts in Ire
land will be in a minority, which
means that the conquest of our cOun-
try after it's hundreds Of years of re-
sistance will have been all but con-
summated.
TO grapple with this deadly danger
to our country is, may say, the chief
aim and object of the United Irish
League. The League antagonizes no
Nationalist principle. however extreme,
nor refuses the help of moderate men
in it's work of winning the land of
Ireland back for its people. 1t is alb
solutely right in Il policy as rational
as it is opportune, and if it obtains
from our people the support which its
work and its enlightened program en-
title it to receive, it will unquestion-
ably succeed in forcing on a final set
Element of the land question. Tho
whole country, north and south. VI
ster as we'll as the other provinces. is
now united in insisting upon the COM
pulsory appropriation of the landlords.
Mr.. IT,. w. Russell, Il very able man
and one-timc vehement opponent of
Home Rule, is as energetic and rs Ell
thuSiaStic in q crusade against the
manifold evils of the landlord system
almost as Mr. William O'Brien. who
has founded the United Irish League
There is no more advanced Nationalist
alive today than O'Brien; Il man who
would willingly mount the scaffold in
the morning if he could by such IL
sacrifice as that of his life remove
every remnant Of foreign rule from
Ireland.
Ihe notion obtains in many minds
here in America that nothing would
have been or could have been done at
home during the past twenty years
We're 1t not for the unStintcd monetary
support which has flowed across the
Atlantic. That is a ridiculous delll.
sion. l venture TO say that orr people
at home. poor rs they are. have sub
scrbcd five dollars for every one given
by our friends and kindred here 1t
is not America that has been pouring
it's treasures out to Ireland. but the
other way about. Forty thousand of
our young people come here from the
old land every year to add to the
wcaltf-produring power of the States.
1trt,,n,,,innI1,- ~,
are worth one thousand dollars each
to the Industrial assets of Uncle Sam.
This amounts to the tidy sum of $40
100000 annually. contributed TO the
United States stock of wealth-produc
ing energies by one of the poorest
European countries. Since spoke
here last Ireland has in this manner
enriched this country to the extent of
six hundred million dollars worth of
an unearned increment of wrnlth-pro
ducing power. We. surely, are en-
titled to Il modicuml of return sym
pathy from the land which Irpland'S
offspring have benefited to this rnor-
nous extent.
And now what are our own kith and
kin doing. anyhow, for the cause Of
the land of their birth? Unqucstion-
ably you are helping England thou
sand times more than yon are aiding
us, though you are doing it not with
that motive or intention. Every boy
and girl encouraged to come out here
is a loss to Ireland and IL gain to
England politically is, there is ~
weakening of our resisting forces, II
lessening Of the Celtic volume of our
population which lessons also the
strength with which we arc still to
carry on the struggle for nationhoud
Every ocean passage paid for here
and sent to Ireland. is so much money
paid to induce Il young man or woman
to desert the country. and leave Eng
land with IL weaker Ireland to krel
down. Please to bear this in mind
when you may feel inclined to criti
else leaders and parties ut home fol
the slow progress which they are max
ing in the national movement. II is
also right you should remember thai
with this eternal drainage of the yer!
best of our youth away from thu
country. there is the double injury
done to Ireland of causing her to LOSE
her wealth producers Just when she
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