The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-01-19
THB CENTENARY OF THE UNION.

The centenary Of the infamous Act
OF Union between Great Britain and
Ireland was celebrated by Dublin Cas-
tie on the first day of the new year by
the attempted suppression of a meet
ing at which Irishmen gathered to dis
cuss their wrongs. The first amend
ment to the constitution Of the United
States declares that congress shall
make no law "abridging the freedom
of speech or of the press, or the right
Of the people peaceably to assemble,
or to petition the government for a
redress Of grievances"
The subjects Of Queen Victoria in
England, Scotland and Wales enjoy
freedom Of speech and of the press and
can meet peaceably for any purpose
whatsoever. In Ireland it is different.
1t is common occurrence for Irish
men to be arrested and cast into prison
for speaking and writing, and meetings
have been frequently dispersed at the
point of the bayonet.
The opening Of the twentieth cen
fury and the centennial Of the odious
Act Of Union was fttingly celebrated
in the county Of Mayo by an attempt
Of the British chief secretary to pre-
vent John Dillon from speaking to his
own constituents at public meeting
The Dublin Fireman tells the story as
follows:
The attempted suppression was a de-
libcrate outrage on the right of free
speech held sacred in England. To
test the difference in the government
of tue two countries, let us imagine
this meeting held in England. Let us
imagine member of parliament. lib
eral or Tory, preparing to address his
constituents in some peaceful district,
and imagine his meeting suddenly pro-
claimed as illegal by hostile govern
ment and the people who attended
attacked and dispersed. The strongest
government that ever sat in England
would not survive such an outrage on
popular feeling by a week. But Ire
land does not count. Ireland is the
corpus vile on which such experiments
may be safely made.
The meeting which the Castle deter
mined happily in vaim to suppress
had for it's object to rescue the people
from a condition of chronic starvation,
an attempt to stem the tide Of emigra-
ton which is draining away the life
blood Of the country. Such protest
the Castle declares to be treason which
must at all costs be suppressed. Just
n little while ago our new chief secre-
tary, Mr.. Wyndham, passed through
this poverty stricken region. His Ian
guage on the subject was stronger than
anything used ut the meetings which
he vainly endcavored to suppress.
Tuesdays proceedings were as wanton
and gross an attack on the right Of
free speech as ever disgraced Castle
government in Ireland. Mr.. Wynd-
ham came amongst us full of express
sions of sympathy. He deplored the
grievances of Ireland. He promised
the remedy. He proclaimed himself
an Irishman, and processes to be proud
that he is the great-grandson Of an
Irishman whom all the race delights
to honor. This is the inevitable re-
suit. The great-grandson Of Lord Ed
ward Fitzgerald makes a cruel and I'M
warrantable and wholly unsuccessful
attempt to suppress free speech in a
remote district of that ireland which
Lord Edward Fitzgerald hundred
years ago died to save.
The contempt which this piece o
ordid tyranny excites in renegad'
descendant Of the Geraldines is tenn