The Irish standard., 1902-07-19
THE CORK EXHIBITION.

A correspondent of the Baltimore
Mirror named d. j. Scully has visited
the Cork exhibition and written rather
disparagingly of it. He says that
there is nothing Irish about it, save
and except that it is held in ,he rebel
city by "the pleasant waters of the
river Lee" He makes the following
accusations:
The promoters are not Irishmen of
national spirit. They are Cork mer-
chants who arranged the exhibition OH
business lines simply. The contract to
erect the buildings was given to Il
Scotch firm Of builders. The managers
solicited and received donations Of
cups for yacht and other races from
the King of England, the Lord Lieu
tenant, and the notorious anti-Irish
judge, yclept "Pether the Packer"
The directors promised to have
Gaelic department.. No such depart
ment exists. Some of the main feat
ures are exhibits of the glorious adj
vantages of Canada and Australia as
places to emigrate to. And this de-
spite the fact that every national
agency Of any responsibility is endeav
oring to keep the people at home. The
managers have hired a British mill
tary band from London to give a
series of concerts at the rate of $500 a
week, and ignored Irish musicians.
English or Scotch attendant or SUPER
intendent for the exhibition the man.
ayers have done so. The contract
even for the caps Worn by the exhibit
tion employees was given to an English
firm.
We assume that everything said by
solutely true, and yet the exhibition
appears to satisfy the Irish people, it
we are to judge from the advertising
given to it by the Dublin papers.
Whether the promoters of the enter
prise are destitute of national spirit or
not makes but little difference if the
aims and objects contemplated are
achieved. The merchants of Cork are
naturally interested in the success Of
the undertaking. They hope to sell
much more merchandise this year than
last year because of the exhibition,
and they certainly will do so if stran-
gers in large numbers visit the city
and spend their money freely. The
contract for the erection of the build
ings was presumably given to Scotch
men for the reason that they were the
lowest bidders and not because they
are North Britons. Scotchmen are
quite enterprising and have all facili-
ties for the construction of buildings.
They can buy building materials
cheaper than their Irish competitors
and get lower rates Of transportation.
| There is nothing wron;s about re-
ceiving donations from King Edward
and his Irish yiceroy, and even prize
from ''Pether the Packer" should not
be declined on account of dispensing
British justice in Ireland in a high
handed manner. The king, the Vice
roy and the chief justice can afford
to give prizes for yacht races. The
lord lieutenant is paid a salary of
100000 a year by the Irish people for
misgoverning them and Sir Peter
OBrien the lord chief justice, is hand
somely paid for packing jurics to con-
vict them of boycotting landgrabbers.
We repeat that the managers of the
Cork exhibition are amply justified in
taking all they can get from the King
of England and his representatives in
Ireland.
AS for hiring a London military band
instead of Nationalist ban', why
John Daley when mayor of Limerick
was accused of a similar charge,
though he had served term in a
British bastile and posed as patriot
Of the first water. Here in the city of
Minneapolis they import foreign bands
to give concerts at Lake Harriet and
ignore the local musicians who may he
as good players as Italians and Mexi-
cans. The superintendent, however,
should be Irish provided they under.
stand their business as we'll as the
Scotch and English, but probably they
do not.
The correspondent of the Mirror says
that the contract for the caps worn by
the employees OF the exhibition was
given to an English firm. No doubt of
it. The fact Of the matter is that
there are no hats or caps manufacture
ed in Ireland. The only hat of Irisl
manufacture is the beaver or plug hat
and to the best of our knowledge there
is only one factory that turns then
out. The hats and caps Worn by the
Irish people in general are of British
manufacture. Their clothing is prin
cipally imported from across the Irsl
Sea. The few factories in Ireland are
not patronized as they ought to be by
the Irish themselves. They have new
er taken the advice of Dean Swift who
told them to "burn everything that
comes from England except the coal'
Even the Irish members Of parliament
wear nobby English clothing in pre-
ference to homemade suits. They dc
not copy after O'Connell who wore