Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-04-03

By Michael Davltt.


thus upheld. Just hundred years
and day after the passing of the
act of Union British rifles and bayo-
nets are employed to prevent the
common right of free speech, and of
public meeting being exercised by
even Member of the Imperial Par
lament because he is one of the
leaders of the United Irish League.
1t is impossible to measure the
abysmal stupidity of suoh an act at
such time. Even when we make
every allowance possible for any
technical error in the mode of sum-
moning league meeting, there was
still the exercise of suppression and
coercion on somemorable a date an
evidence of governmental insanity
which can only be reconciled with the
presumption of political lunacy in the
minds and methods of our English
rulers.
There is, however, a still more
marked degree of Grass ignorance
exhibited by these "model" governors
in their relations with Ireland in fol-
lowing up an injury with what would
be an insult if it was not so hope
lessly grotesque> in itself and its pur-
pose. We are promised another royal
visit; nothing less? We do not know
what we want ourselves-that ia evi-
dent. This care of thinking out our
needs and requirements is England's
paternal concern in our regard. She
knows it is not home government, or
land reform, or better dwellings for
our working classes that go to make
the Irish question. These are semi
seditious aspirations.
This degenerate form of constitu-
tional nationalism is the more repug-
nant to Irish patriotic feeling at
present, because of the part England
is playing in the drama of the Anglo
Boer war. Any toadying to Eng
lish royalty is repellant at all times
to true Celtic sentiment, but it is
doubly so now when we see all that
is base and brutal in British power
and authority let loose upon the
bravest little nation that has ever
fought for freedom. All our sympa-
thies go out warmly and enthusias-
tically to the Beers, and any act of
an Irish public body that would
belle our popular feeling while this
infamous war is continued by Eng
land will be gross libel upon and
insult to the predominant national
opinion of Ireland. Dublin, there
fore, is fully expected to redeem
itself from the discredit of last April
by relegating the loyalist home rulers
who voted the address to the queen
back to their former obsourity.
On the whole Ireland's political
outlook is full of hopeful promise.
Her enemy is decadent and his pres
tige is falling daily. Nothing in tho
history of civilized warfare compares
with the utter failure of British arms
in the conflict with the little rustic
Boer nation. An empire against a
opulation less than that of Boston
an army of quarter of million of
drilled troops pitted against $4,000
undisciplined farmers with result
of 10000 British casualties, after a
fourteen months campaign. What
collapse of the once great power
which succeeded eighty-five years
ago in sending the greatest military
genius that ever lived to die the
death of Gagged eagle in st.
Helena
On every side England's perfdy is
earning its mcrited nemesis. Even
in the United States there is only
rebuff and humiliation instead of the
acceptance Of the Hay Pauncefoto
treaty. And the editor of leading
London journal laments and weeps
over England's friendlcss isolation
from China to Peru as follows:
eff Lord Salisbury lets things slide
he causes another miserable loss to
our honor and reputation. If he
refuses, what force has he to back up
refusal ? Our army is shut up in
South Africa and China; our navy
is needed to protect our communica-
tions with both, or would be needed
in it's entirety the very moment trou-
bic began with any considerable
naval power like the States. 1t is
not at present obvious what third
course lies open to us between nm
conditional refusal of the new amend
ments and dishonorable acceptance"
Thus doth our enemy's failures
minister to our political content.
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