The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-08-23
IRISH DIsLOYALTY TO ENGLAND.

brltalH anu llS SSlI-SONefnlNS colonies
We're celebrating the coronation Of
King Edward. Ireland stood aloof and
refused to participate in the demon
stration. Not a single Nationalist rep
resentative attended the ceremony at
Westminster. To show their dissatis-
faction with English rule the parlia-
mentary leaders of Ireland assembled
in Dublin to protest against the laws
under which they live and the injustice
and oppression to which they are sys-
tematcally subjected by the kings
representatives in Dublin Castle. To
the king himself there is no hostility
ON the part of the Irish people; he is
personally popular iii Ireland, because
>le is supposed to favor Home Rule:
and the Nationalist are not disloyal
to him by any means. They are dis
loyal to his government and laws as
administered by his functionaries in
Ireland rather than to himself, and
had they the same laws that prevail
in other parts Of the empire the prob
ability is that the Irish would be
loyal instead Of being disloyal to Eng
land.
Away back in the days of Elizabeth
an English jurist named Sir John
Davies declared that no people under
heaven valued just and equitable laws
| more than the people of Ireland, and
that loyalty from them could not be
reasonably expected while they were
being treated as pariahs in the land
of their birth. What the Englishman
said 200 years ago is true of the Irish
people today. They love justice and
fair play, but they are treated as
serfs by alien landlords who are
backed up by the kings representa-
tives in Ireland. The British constitu-
ton is suspended and the best men of
| Ireland are cast into prison without
trial by jury because they exercise the
right of free speech and demand a
| redress of gigantic wrongs
The only remedy for Irish disloyalty
to England is national self-government
| While jury packing and coercion
courts exist in Ireland, and the vice
roy and chief secretary trample on the
rights Of the people, how can England
or King Edward expect anything but
disloyalty? While the Irish do not
| hold King Edward personally re-
sponsible for the evils from which
| they suffer. he is the titulm repre-
sentative of the odious system of mis-
government enforced by the officials
in Dublin Castle. That is why the
Irish on the day of his coronation re-
Trained from joining in the celebration
either at home OF abroad.
In the speeches made by the Irish
parliamentary leaders in Dublin on
August 9 we find cogent reasons for
Irish disloyalty. John e. Redmond
John Dillon and William O'Bren pro-
claimed in eloquent tones that they
were disloyal to England and would
continue so until justice was granted
to Ireland. In his able address on the
occasion Mr.. Redmond said:
Lord Roseberry the other day de-
clared that if Ireland We're only loyal
he would be willing to MFR upon
her a colonial constitution. Loyal
loyal to what? (Chacrs.) Why, there
is no race in the world which, 1 be-
licve. by instinct is more inclined 10
sentiments Of loyalty than the Irish
Why do not these English statesmen
give us something t. be loyal to?
What claim has such a system as that
to loyalty? Grattan said that loyalty
without liberty WAS corruption
(cheers) What public liberty exists
in Ireland today? The constitution is
suspended. The most trusted and hon
ored men throughout the length and
breadth of Ireland are being sent as
common criminals to English iails on
vague charges Of conspiracy, sent
there by degraded tribunals consisting
of paid and removable servants of the
man who brings the accusation (hear.
hearO In Ireland there is neither lib
erty. prosperity, nor loyalty (hear.
haarD There is oppression and pow
erty and misgovernment,, and deep
seated and justifiable disloyalty (ap-
plause). and today, if may take it
upon myself to speak the voice of this
party on this historic occasion--I say
to England in our names, "Y,u may
proceed with your coronation iubila-
tons and celebrations, you may as
semble all the nations of the world
in London to witness an exhibition
OF the loyalty, and what you call the
unity of the empire, but you cannot
hide from yourself the skeleton at
your feast loud applause) You can
not disguise from the world that one
portion of that empire, and portion
which, all things considered, had
probably as great part in building
up that empire as England (applause)
J "A portion which was the home of n