Washington sentinel., 1901-03-23
British RnIetnIrcIand.

a little over two months ago. says
Patrick Egan, former United
States Minister to Chill, in the New
York .701rNak, marked the centeu-
nial OF the day upon which the in
famous Act OF Union between the
Par,Iamsnts oi Great Britain and
Ireland went into eflect--a union
OF which Saurin said: you may
make the union binding as law;
but you cannot make it obligatory
on conscience. II will be obeyed
as long as England is strong; but
resistance 10 it will be in the alb
stract a duty, and the exhibition
OF that resistance will be mere
question OF prudence"
The past century Of the union
has been Tor Ireland a terrible ex.
perience of broken pledges, whole.
sale plunder, commercial, agricul-
tural and financial ruin. the des-
truction Of her manufactures, the
paupeTization Of the masses of her
people, resulting in famine, mil
lions of deaths from famine, fever
and starvation, and the scattering
Of millions OF the Irish race all
over the globe; unceasing strug-
giles tor freedom, described by
Disraeli as "a perpetual condition
OF either veiled rebellion or open
insurrectiOn," resulting in prose-
cutions for sedition and treason,
life long imprisonments, transpor-
tahons, public Aoggings and vari-
Gus other tortures, hangings and
jlbbetiugs; while within the CEN
tury there were over thirty coer-
cIon acts and suspension OF the
Habeas Corpus Acts passed tor
Ireland, under which tens Of thou
sands OF her sons, and even some
other dauPhters, were arrested and
imprisoned without any form Of
trial whatsoever.
Is it any wonder, thsn, under
these conditions, that the popula-
ton OF Ireland, which a century
ago numbered over 5000, 900 OF
people, and in 1916 had increased
to S,7oo, 900, should TODAY have
dwindled down to less than 4,s soo,-
oooa And is it any wonder that
the overwhelming mass oil the Irish
IN Ireland and oi the immigrants,
OF whom the London Times exult-
antlY proclaimed, They are going
with vengeance, ," and OF the sons
OF these immigrants in this coun-
try, should be the bitter, unrelent
ing foes OF Britain and British ruler
The Irish people at home and
abroad we're never so thoroughly
united in sentiment and action as
they are at present. They recog-
nize the full truth of the old adage
that "England's difficulty is Ire |
lands opportunity" they have laid |
aside all differences and come to- |
gether, as they have never done |
before, determined to avail them
selves to the utmost Of such occa-
iions as NAV offer.
From the new King Of England, |
Edward VII, Ireland can expect
- iavorsj indeed, his reign bids
air to be even more imperialistic
han that OF Victoria, and the
brutal manner in which the Irish
members OF Parliament were the
'ther day trlcked by Balfour, Dul.
led and assaulted upon the floor
nd dragged out Of the British
House Of Commons by British
'olicemen shows how little Ireland
nay expect from that quarter.
The dream OF the overwhelming
lass OF the Irish race all over the
'oTld is to see Ireland under a
epublican form OF government
modelled after our own, eliminat-
lg, OF course, the imperialism with
'hieh It is at present tarnished,
nd as there are strong grounds
'r the belief that some Of the
uropean powers would not be
verse to seeing an independent
'eland standing as a sentinel ar J
ngland's western door, there is I
'ery hope that out Of the coming
uropean struggle, il Irishmen be
ert and push their work OF Of
and preparation, their
cam will be realized, and that we a
all see arise across the Atlantic v
young and vigorous Irish Re. q
Iblic. o
hentucky InVolSes Young Men.
Let the young men Of the Com >
onwealth, says the Louisville g.
'a1se' 10A1aak come to the front er
d take the helm; the intelligent, al
brave and the ardent young "a
N. rIlr harh haln,rna ....Ll IL. oIl