The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-09-14

The union between Great Britain and
Ireland took effect on Jan. 1, 1901, and
there are few chapters in Irish his
tory more scandalous than this, writes
a Highlander named Richard William
son in a Scotch periodical. The ac-
QUESTION of Ireland is a pitiful tale of
fraud and bribery, and the misgovern
ment of the country since the passing
of the act of union constitutes the
gravest possible reproach on British
administration. Mr.. Gladstone on one
occasion said, Il know no blacker or
fouler transaction in the history Of
man than the making of the union be-
tween England and Ireland" and DR..
johnson never spoke truer words than
when he said, "Do not unite with us,
sir. 1t would be the union of the
shark with his prey; we should unite
with you only to destroy you," and
that Ireland is not already destroyed is
certainly not the fault of the English
government, but may he attributed ra-
ther to the persistency of the Irish
people themselves in refusing to be
come a party to their destruction.
Lord Byron said: eff it must be called
a union, it is the union of the shark
with his prey; the spoiler swallows up
the victim, and they become one and
inseparable. Thus has great Britain
hn All ooVot 41,o
stitution, the independence of Ireland" {"
With the, opening of the century the
style and title appertaining to the
crown of Great Britain and Ireland
were changed from George Ill, by
the Grace Of God, of Great Britain,
France and Ireland, King, Defender
of the Faith," to George Ill, by the
grace of God, of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, King, De-
fender of the Faith" with the rose,
shamrock and thistle as emblems. At
this time George III. abandoned his
empty title of "King of France" and
the feur-de-lis no longer appeared on
the armorial flags and banners.
The following excerpt from the
Glasgow Courier is not without GER
tain interest at the present time: "By
order of His Grace the Duke of Hamil-
ton and Brandon, the First regiment
of the Royal Glasgow volunteers will
parade in st. Andrews square at 10
o'clock on Thursday next, Jan. 1, 1901,
in full dress uniform, with fints fixed
to fire a feu-de-joie in celebration Of
the auspicious and happy event of the
union between Great Britain and Ire
land taking place on that day." In
Edinburgh the same ceremony was
gone through, and in Dublin the act
Of union was announced by the hoist.
ing Of the imperial standard on the
Bedford Tower in the castle, and by the
firing of royal salute by the guns
in the Phoenix Park.
On June Z, 1900, the doors of the
House Of Parliament in College Green
were closed for the last time upon the
Irish members, and Grattan's parlia-
ment was at an end, after having last
ed for eighteen years. Grattan's last
appearance in the Parliament House
was a pathetic spectacle. The rising
of '9S had caused him great agony of
body and mind, and sick in bed as he
was he felt that he had duty to per-
form to oppose the fatal union with
his dying breath-to defend the coun>
try of whose independence he had been
the founder in 1852, or, if God willed
it, to fall with his country. He was
taken from his bed, thin, weak and
emaciated figure, wrapped in blan,
ket, and put in sedan chair, and taken
down to Parliament House. Being un-
able to stand, he asked permission Of
the House to address 1t from his chair,
and, this being acceded to, he proceed
ed to make one of his last and greatest
speeches on behalf of his country. The
eighteen years of Grattan's parliament
were pregnant with the most benefi fetal
results to the Irish people. Notwith-
standing the delAorable condition of
the country, the progress made during
these years was marvellous. The reve-
nue. of the country was largely In
creased. A great impetus was given