The Irish standard., 1901-11-09

merit and receive the sympathy and adj
miration Of all liberty-loving people.
1t is true that discretion is often the
better part of valor, and that a rash
movement may end in disaster, intlict
unnecessary miseries on a struggling
people, and make the object which was
sought to be attained more difficult of
accomplishment. Many noble cause
has been sacrificed by the over-zeal Of
it's promoters. Prudence in all great
movements is an essential characters
tic. A prudent general Of an army be-
fore~engaging the enemy will attempt
to ascertain its weak parts and there
concentrate his efforts.
Ii Irishmen the world over are not
cognizant Of the weakness and, might
add, decadence Of their inveterate and
blood thirsty foe, England, it is because
they have not read the censored dis
patches from South Africa Of the red
handed murderer of Omdurman. Nor
was it necessary for the student of cur
rent history to wait for the result of
the seemingly unequal contest between
Briton and Boer to demonstrate the
weaknesses and degeneracy of the for
mer; that was plainly manifested in
the Venezuela controversy. 1t was
again manifested after the battle Of
Manila bay, when England, desiring an
ally to thwart the designs of Russia
in Manchuria and Corea, prompted
the great liberty-loving American ma
ton to ''hold on to the PHILIPPINES" an
act which future ages will record as
me uf the greatest crimes OF the nine
teenth century. 1t was again exempli-
fled in the repeated attempts made by
England to form an alliance, offensive
and defensive with this nation, but
thanks to the united efforts of the Gel
ic and Teutonic races her plans were
frustrated. Recent dispatches even aver
that she seeks an alliance with her old
time foe, Russia. But the willy Rus
sian is conversant with the duplicity of
English diplomacy, as are the other
European statesmen and no doubt she
viii be compelled to remain in that
position of splendid isolation, as one
of her statesmen termed it,
A nation is like an Individual. There
must be an end to its, crimes and pun
islrment melted out therefor. 10 deny
this lis to deny the existence of Eternal
Justice. To prove 1t we need only
glance over history and see the end
of Rome, Venice, and other nations of
antiquity. History repeats itself. In
the words of Lord Byron
History with all its volumes vast
Hath but single page.
The blood Of the myriads of innocent
victims Of her misrule rapine, and
plumber cries to Heaven for vengeance
just us did the blood of the martyrs i'll
the Roman amphitheatcr. Already the
handwriting is on the WALL 1t is in
delibly written by the brave burghcrs
in South Africa who are successfully
defending their homes and their nation
Ill existence against tremendous odds.
Surely if few thousand Beers can
successfully combat 100000 British
soldiers armed and equipped with all
the modern implements of warfare no
better proof Of England's military de-
cadence can be adduced.
If England's difficulty is Ireland's
opportunity that opportunity is now at
hand and it behOoves Irisllmen to take
advantage of it. The elements of dis
cord and disunion should be forever
eliminated from the ranks of Irishmen.
The willy politicians WHO aspire to lead
ership for the PURPOSE Of enhancing
their own prestige should be relegated
forever to oblivion, as also should
that other class whose policy is to rule
or ruin. The cause is greater than
men. In union there Is strength.
Once united the Irish race would be
invincible as they have been in every
battlefield, the independence Of their
nation would be assured and the
epitaph Of the immortal Emmet would
assuredly be inscribed.