The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-06-28
'Nationality VS.. EMPIRE is the Topic and
1t Proves Very Interesting
to His Audience.
In His Peroration He Makes an ELOQUENT
Plea for Human Liberty All
the World Around.

dent front to the North Sea and tha
Baltic and peacefully pursues her ca.
recr as Il commercial and pastoral M.
ton.
Holland and Belgium have the re.
Spcct Of the world, although among
the smallest of independent states. be.
cause of their thrift, their industry.
and their genius for the arts of peace
us well as of war
Switzerland has no colonies and no
subjects; no standing army; no navy:
no national debt. Like an eagle, she
perclles on the Alps and bids Europe
contemplate, with wonder, Il successful
government Of the people surrounded
by medieval dcspotisms. (Applause)
And there she has been for centuries,
and there she will remain for centuries
to come. (Applausc)
Greece, although she turns her face
longingly toward Macedonia and other
OF her ancient c0nfcdcrates, still re-
tanned by the sultan rests calmly be.
meath the flag which guarantees her
independence ana shadows the dust Of
her heroes. ...
Norway celebrates the free constitu-
tion that makes her the equal Of Swe.
den, and the king of both nations has
just extended to the Swcdcs that man.
hood suffrage which the Norwcgians
in 1914 cXacted from Bernnd0tte before
lie assumed their crown.
Portugal like Holland, has colonies
and commerce which do not distress
her, because slc also, has the Alexan-
drinn genius for good government.
Spain has proiitcd ny the loss of
about the last of her colonies which
were, for the past hundred years Mt
least, a curse to her, and we now enjoy
the very doubtful privilege of CARRYING
some of them on our unduIy- y-burdcned
backs Mpplause)
The citizen, or subject, of Switzer-
land, Holland, Belgium, Greece Portu-
gal or Denmark is, in reality better of
than the citizen or subject of the big
nations. staggering under mountain
Of debt and maintaining millions of
armed idlcrs to keep the people in sub
lection. If there were more Of the
small nntionnlities the world would be
better off, just as it would be if there
were more people doing a small busl-
ness instead Of being swallowed up by
trusts, which have become the curse
and penalty Of the poor in the United
States. Great applause.)
lie (Mr Finerty) believed in the
small nations and dcspised those who
would cngulf them. Applause.) He
was opposed to the idea of u universal
language, laws, literature, and 80
called civilization, "Anglo-SaXon" or
otherwise. The English language was
a splendid, mobile tongue, made up by
clever stcalings from all other tongues
0aughtcr), and Lord Macaulay, in his
Introduction to his History Of Eng
land, had expended the resources Of
his wonderful vocabulary in praising
it, but who would wish to see extin-
guishcd the seductive tongue Of France,
the sonorOls tongue of Spain, the HON
eyed accents of beauteous Italy, the
stormy periods of the impetuous Celt,
the masculine power Of the Teuton
speech? What a miserable, m0noto-
nous world it would be If all thl ught
alike, il all spoke alike, if all believed
alike! There was Il beauty in diversi-
fled nationality as well as in diversi-
fed scenery. God had in view the
highest interests of humanity when lie
spread the confusion of language at
Babel and covered the apostles by the
shores of the Galilee with the tongues
of pcntecOstal fire. Great applause)
We must not interfere with the
providence of God, which had estab-
lisled nationality to check the unholy
lust of empire. (Applause.)
The great powers would have far
less of taxation and poverty undsr
their flags If Russia conceded full self
government to Poland and Finland;
Germany to Posen; Turkey to Arme-