The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-12-21

land. Let them recede and they would
win the applause of Wing orators;
but France would placard them as
towards, and America indict them as
swindlers. 1t was to the young men
of Ireland, the trustees of it's pros
perity, the tempters offered the chalice
of corruption.
"'Young men, said they, "a long
life is before you-the Injuries Of Of
flee and the privileges of place. To
taste the former, to assume the latter,
you must qualify by recreaney, re-
nounce the manly duties, reject the
pure honors of honest citizenship,
cease to be the unpaid servants of
your country, become the hirelings Of
party. You have read the history Of
Ireland; disclaim the doctrines of Graf
tan and Flood; accept the maxims,
emulate the perfdy of Castlereagh
and Fitzgibbon. You are scholars
/, and have read the histories of Greece
i and Rome. From the story of Athens
!, learn nothing but the story Of the
Helots. From the chronicles of Rome
learn, if you like, the imperial ambi-
ton of the Caesars, but forget the
stern patriotism of the Scipios and
: the Gracchi. Thus will you climb to
power, gain access to the viceregal
table and be invited to masquerades
at Windsor. Thus, if your ambition
be parliamentary, will you qualify for
Mclbourne-Port and other convenient
Wing borougs, and when ut length
removed from that country. whose
wretchedness would have been an in
eessant drain upon your resources. and
= when mingling with the lordry society
of London. or sitting on the treasury
bench beside your patrician benefac-
tors. you will bless the government
that patronZed servility and thank
God that you have country to sell {"
This speech so faithfully. though
sarcastically. pictured the only ALLAN
ces which England was ever ready to
make with Ireland, and exposed s.,
thoroughly the false programme which
John O'Conncll was endeavoring to
foist upon the Repeal Association,
that the latter resolved to expel the
Young Irelnndcrs from it's ranks.
1t was with this intent that the
so-called "Pcace Resolutions" were in
troduced in tho association. One of
these resolutions embodied the prin-
ciple that Ito promote political amel-
1oration peaccaIle means alone should
be used to the exclusion of all other
methods'-that. in fact, the winning
OF tho freedom of any country was
not worth the shedding of one drop
Of human blood.
These resolutions were entirely I'M
called for. because up to that time no
one even dreamed of a resort to physi-
cal force. But John O'Connell well
knew the Young Irelanders would
never subscribe to them. If they did
adept them they would cut the ground
from under their own feet and destroy
their usefulness. If they did not
adopt them he could drive them from
the association and run it himself as
q placc-llunting machine.
Accordingly. they were brought up
on July 81, 1S4G. That and the sue
ceeding day witnessed the most mo-
mentOus occurrences that ever tran
splred in Cancellation Hall. The Lord
Mayor of London presided. In the end
Smith O'Brien, Meaghcr. Mitchell. and
their friends We're compelled to leave
the hall. Secession was accomplished.
Thenceforth the great Repeal Associa-
ton was a mere chattcl of the English
Wing government.
1T was at the close of this memoir
able debate that Mcagher delivered
the greatest effort of. his lifc-now
famous throughout the world as '"rhe
Sword Speech" And we must pause
here to give our readers some of it's
magnificent periods:
"But we, my lord. who are as
sembled in this hall. and in whose
heart the union has not bred the
slaves discnse-wc who have not been
1mperialiZed-wc arc here to undo
that work of union which forty-six
years ago dishonOred the ancient peer
age and subiugated the people of our
country.
My lord, to assist the people of Ire
land to undo that work came into
this hall. l came to repeal the act of
unfon-1 came here for nothing else
Upon every other question feel my.
self Mt perfect liberty to differ from
each and every one of you. Yet more
my lord, l maintain that it is my right
to express my opinion upon all minor
questions. if necessary. The right of
free discussion l have here upheld
In the exercise of that right I have
differed sometimes from the leader
of this association, and would do SO
again. That right shall not abandon
Il shall maintain it to the last.
an doing so let me not be told
that seek to undermine the influence
of the leader of this association and
am insensible to his services. NV
lord. l am grateful for his services
and will uphold his Just influence
This is the first time have spoken IN
these terms of that illustrous man