The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-03-29
After the War in Africa is Settled the
Irish Question will be Of
Greatest Moment.
Home Rule for Ireland Must be Conceded
or Military Despotism is
the Alternative.

A great public demonstration in aid
Of the Irish party was recently held
in the English metropolis. The prin-
cipal speaker on the occasion was Mr..
John Redmond, NJ. p. In the course
of his address he said:
If we turn from parties to causes.
then think we can congratulate our.
selves upon the position in which the
Irish cause stands. We have been ac-
customed for some years past to hear
the statement repeated that Home Rule
was dead. But we have quite recent
ly within the past few weeks wit
messed an extraordinary phenomenon
on this question. We have witnessed
the old enemies of Home Rule conspir-
ing together to push the question once
more into the very forefront of great
imperial questions. The other day
Lord Salisbury declared TINT impor-
tant us the war was aud the problems
arising from the war, after all, the
most important question of all was the
Irish problem (cheers). Apparently
Lord Rosebery and Mr.. Asuuith
(hisses) find it impossible to select any
subject on which to speak with any
clearness or definiteness at nil except
the Irish question, and while that is
going on in England, Mr.. Wynd-
ham, by having recourse to coercion
(groans), is proving our case for home
rule afresh (hear, hear). Therefore,
looking Mt this matter broadly. l say
the declarations of Lord Salisbury,
Lord Rosebery, Mr.. Asquith, Sir Hen
ry Campbell-Bannerman (chccrs), and
Mr.. Wyndham, to the effect that lie
cannot govern Ireland except by the
coercion act-all these things taken
together have the effect of pushing the
home rule question once more to the
front So that we know, after the
questions and problems arising out of
the war have been disposed OF, the
first domestic problem coming up for
consideration and settlement is the
Irish question (cheers). AS far MS we
Irishmen are concerned, it is, after all,
matter Of comparative indifference
to us what for the moment these Eng
lish pnrties are doing and English
statesmen saying on this question.
We are bound to no English party.
The cause Of home rule depends on
no English party. 1t depends on no
English statesmen or combination of
statesmen (cheers). The success of the
home rule cause depends upon the
forces Of the Irish people as the forces
Of nature themselves, and whether
this question is finally settled by n
Liberal government or by Conserva-
tive government or settled in the in
terests Of England and the empire by
agreement between the two English
parties, we at any rate can rest per-
fectly easy in the confident assurance
that the triumph of this cause is inev-
liable (cleers) Lord Rosebery speaks
Of putting this question of Ireland up
on one side. say he might as well
talk Of putting the seasons upon one
side, as well talk Of putting winter
upon one side, Of altering the ebb and
flow of the tide. This Irish question
will remain in spite of anything Lord
Rosebery may say, in spite of any
thing any English statesman may say
will remain to confound, to confuse,
and to defeat English parties. 1t will
remain to wreck English governments,
to ruin English statemen, to haunt and
paralyze English parliaments, to
weaken the power and blast the moral
influence of England before the world
(cheerD. 1t will remain until the day
when it is settled by the concession Of
the just, moderate, and constitutional
demand made by the Irish people.
Lord Rosebery has sought to Justify
what l may call his recantation on this
Irish question by alleging that Ire