The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-18


signal for continued cheering and shout
ing, which showed that Irish history, al
though not so often written and so ire
quently found in American libraries. is still
fresh in the minds of the Irish-American
citizens of Indianapolis. Mr.. Sweeney
struck a keynote when he alluded TO
"Cromwell-that name which scorehes the
mouths or lrishmen to utter-CromWell the
accursed." Mr.. Sweeney said:
81 am greatly pleased to be with you this
beautiful afternoon TO raise my voice IN
consoDance with those of thousands OF
other Irishmen the world over, to recount
for the thousandth time the sad history or
the land of our forefathers. Very dear to
every Irishman is that unfortunate island
That sun which shines so resplendently
through yonder windows has shone to-day
upon thousands of gatherings like this, as
he passed from meridian TO meridian. and
he Will shine on many others before ne
completes this days circuit of the globe.
THE traveller from America to Europe,
after he has been buffeted by the pillows
of the Atlantic for days, and has become
soul-tired and eye-weary of viewing the
monotonous expanses of sea and sky, Is
anxious 10 rest his eyes once more upon
mother earth. The first spot that greets
his willing gaze is that emerald island of
tragedy, sweet lnnisfail.
"Our meetings this year call to mind a
great event in Ireland's history, for on
Sept IL next occurs the centennial of the
murder of the immortal Robert Emmett
Ireland's greatest patriot and martyr. He
was arrested, tried, convicted and beheaded
lightly under the forms of iawi By the
irony of fate, / believe that the first long
step toward the writing of his epitaph will
occur this year.
HER RIGHTEOUS CAUSE.
Much has been said. and much remains
to be said, and centuries of protest are not
wanting to bear testimony to the wrongs
that ireland has endured. Her righteous
cause is like Banquo's ghost, it will not
down at Englands bidding. Is 1T not re-
markable that this island, which was the
first home of Christianity and enlighten-
ment in western Europe; this land of saints,
scholars and sages; this land that sent its
Christian missionaries to convert the rest
of Europe; this land that was advanced
in learning when England's Druidic oaks
resounded to the songs of her peoples
pagan worship, buried in the darkest depths
of idolatry; 1 ask again. is it not queer that
a country so favored by kind heaven should
be thus singled out to become the Niobe
of nations, TO be preyed upon, TO be
scOurged by her unjust neighbOr to whom
she brought the torch of faith? Why is it
that the Irish are so unsuccessful in the
land of their birth? Why is it that the
Irish succeed better everywhere else than
there? They have become chieftains in al
most every nation on earth. Her poets,
orators and statesmen are paragons, and
this Celtic constellation is composed of
stars of the first magnitude. In this, our
great Republic of the West, they have sue
ceeded signally. From the battle of Lex
ington to that of Juan hill Irish valor
mage, and Irish blood has flowed copiously
in furthering the interests of this land of
their adoption.
1.-THE over-shadowing question at the
present time in Ireland Is the land ques-
ton. The only solution of that question
is the restoration of the land to the rightful
owners from whom it was taken by fraud
and force and doled out to the fawning
sycophants of royalty During
Queen Elizabeth's time, the good Queen
Bess' 1900 acres of Irish lands were con-
fiscated and doled out to her favorites.
James 1 confiscated and parceled out three
millions of acres to his fiunkies. Cromwell
who said he would send the Irish to hell or
to Connaught. was authorized to distrib-
of acres. Williams invasion took from the
rightful owners another million of acres
which he gave to his adherents. Every
tyrant who reigned in England, and who
wished to reward some cringing lick-spit-
tle that kissed the hem of the robes OF
royalty, would give him and his thousands
of Irish acres. from which lands the right
full owners were removed or were permit
ted to try to exist on the poorer parts, il
they would pay an annual rent equivalent
often to the purchase price thereof. In
this irihuman, illegal and unchrstian way
nearly thirteen millions of acres, and these
the best, were confscated by England's
monarchs out of the twenty millions OF
acres that comprise the island. When tC
this YOU add two centuries of warfare with
the Danes what black pages are writer
in the red ink of Irish blood to constitute
the fearful history of the land of our fore.
fathers.
A GREAT EVENT.
zone of the greatest events in the history
of the British empire is about to happen in
this year of 1903, the centennial OF Emmett's
murder. That is the passage of an act
whereby the Irish tenant farmers will be-
come the owners of the soil, even though
they come into possession of 1T by such un-
Just means as those to which they are
willing to submit. Many of the landlords
the more liberal hearted, are gladly SUBJ
hitting to their inevitable fate. At last
they see that the drift of public sentiment
is against them the world over, and that II
an administration more liberal than the one
now in power should be elected the next
time, they are liable not to fare nearly SC
well they are at the present time. The
proposed law resulting from conference
of landlords and tenants, is to compel tht
sale of lands at a fair market price allow.
ing a period of five years for the landlord.
to make the initiative, and granting tenant.
about eighteen years in which to complete
the payments. 1t is sad comment on hu
man justice and equity when you thinl
about a people who. for centuries. hav,
labored on those lands, paying an annua
rental virtually equivalent to the purchas,
price, now being anxious again to purchase
| with the labors of eighteen years the Iane
which their forefathers bought with rack
| rents so many times in the past. Ii is gall
| ing to pay the thief who steals your purs,
when he returns it to you, but such is tn,
| fate of the Irish farmers while in the pras,
| of the thieves who confiscated thei
when the compulsory land purchase ar
| is passed England can at once withdra y
| from Ireland her vast machinery of subjec
| ton, her thousands of constabulary ken
there for centuries to keep peace betwee,
| landlord and tenant. BY this mean
millions of pounds sterling can be saved Z,
| England, part of which savings she oueh
| to apply to the general purchase of fb
| lands, for 1T was she who first fastened tn
| curse of landlordism on Ireland In the la
| century IL is not unfair to estimate tina
| England paid to enforce her coercion Ia w
| and for police protection to hold the out
| ragged farmers back from the threats n
| the landlords over $500 100000
| 1.-THE horrors of England's maladminis
/ tration in Ireland have never been full,
| recorded In all their turpitude, enormit'
| and extent in the annals of time, and the
| never will be fully known until the trumpe
/ of Gods thunder smites the nations of tn
| earth into silence and orders the sea to sur
| render up our martyr dead. When He shal
! summon all mankind to appear before Hi
| Judgment seat then and not until then vii
| the full truth of Irelands desperate hstor,
be known"
FATHER BYRNE'S TALK.
The last speaker of the afternoon was tn
Rev. F. ]. Byrne. Father Byrne devote
his attention to the spiritual good of 81
| Patricks presence in Ireland and to tn
| patron saint of the Emerald Isle he CAV