The Irish standard., 1901-06-29

sons it is a far more desperate under
taking to trample down the Boer race
than it has been to bring into subjec-
ton the Catholic population of Ireland.
But into this stupendous folly, into
this abominable crime, the British ad-
venturers in South Africa have induced
our government to plunge They rig
ged the political market, they gave
commissions" to leading politicians,
they hired the press in Africa and at
home, they poured out on the public
ear a torrent of calumny and sensa-
tional falsehoods, they organized foul
act of piracy they bullied and black
mailed the department" they made
the representative of the Crown their
creature.
This responsible governor of self
governing colony stopped to play the
part which some noble chairman of a
rotten company performs as the figure
head of board of guinea pig directors.
liz UCudNcu as al AllSA NlSS4Oy
would behave, if he made himself the
grand master of the Orange faction,
bounded them OH to insult, misrepre
sent and attack their Catholic fellow
subjects, and personally labored to
bring about civil war.
He mouthed out rhetorical abuse Of
the government with which he was
sent to negotiate; he insulted and detied
the constitutional ministers he was
bound to consult; he resorted to his
old journalistic epigrams to mislead
and irritate people at home; he con-
cealed from them the feeling of the
inhabitants Of the colony he governed;
he deceived his chiefs at home by false
accounts of the perils before them and
of the means Of compromise at hand.
And, when he saw the possibility Of
peaceful issue to the imbroglio he had
famed, he took care to make a settle
ment impossible and war the natural
result.
War, indeed, did result, and it is
only one of the same electioneering
tricks to pretend that the Beers began
it. When they saw the empire armed
and heard the open menaces Of the Off
cial dispatches, their invasion of Natal
was mere strategic move, as a man
threatened by a gang of armed bur
glars might give the first blow to pro-
tect himself.
And now, when wasting and saw
age war has gone on for nearly twenty
months with no visible result except
the slaughter of myriads of men, the
waste Of f150,00O,OOO, ruin, devasta-
ton and famine broadcast over the
very country we pretend to call part
Of our empire, and deadly hatred plant
ed in race of men that never forgets,
whom we pretend to call our fellow
citizens-now we are asked to join in
the mock triumph Of the author of all
this shame and confusion of this ghast-
ly anarchy and never dying source Of
future strife. This worst enemy of
his country, this contriver of incalcula-
BILE ruin, is called away from the chaos
into which he has plunged his colony
to receive the honors of victorious
soldier. Let us not join in this squalid
electioneerng farce, the same kind Of
advertising trick by which bold trades
men try to rouse n boom in their tea,
or their wines or their miraculous soap
Not only are We being ruined, hu-
inflated and made ouiouS as Il nation,
but we are being made the laughing
stock of the world. This grotesqua
foolng for party ends is transforming
us into race of blackguards.
The disgusting orgies of Mailicking
and carnlvals were encouraged and
financed by politicians and advertising
tradesmcn. They We're blessed by the
clergy of that church which assures
us that God made war" Soldiers who
have violated the law of nations, and
have left the field of their so-callcd
conquests Il scene of chaos and confu-
sion, swept by inccssant and aimless
fighting, are hailed as if they were
the saviors of the country.
Generals who have suffered humili-
ating defeats, over which the civilized
world has made merry, vapor about at
bazars and garden parties as heroes
and hcaven-born commanders.
No one denies the splendid courage
shown by our soldiers, officers and men
alike; nor do we fail to honor the pa
tience, checrfulness and tenacity of all
who have borne the heat and burden Of
this long and cruel day. But to swag-
ger cover the deeds of men who have
done their duty as English soldiers al
ways have done, to shout about the
world With this immoderatc buster
over campaign which, considering
the petty enemy and their narrow
means, has been one long tale of rebuff.
disappointment, miscalculation, disas-
ter and perpetual "regretablc" Incl
dents, including more British soldiers
taken prisoners than ever happened in
OUT long history before--this, l say, is
more like the tone Of the Hoolfgans out
Mafficking than of the Englishmen
who beat Napoleon and saved Europe,