The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-01-31

impossible. 1t is as natural for Ire.
land to yearn for an Independent ma
tlonu existence as for the sun to
shine. With wilful blindness akin
to that Of the ''flannelled fools" and
'muddied OATS" at Spion Kop, they
essay to dam this aspiration-now by
a bayonet, again by a Bible, again by
an extra platter of food, and, lastly
by a simultaneous application of all
three. They are really to be pitied,
ana men given to note the memorable
operations of cause and effect do, in
fact, pity them. During the awful
famine, In 1S47, the London Times
gave show Of grave concern. "Soon,"
it exclaimed in goulish glee, sit will
be as difficult to find an Irishman in
Connemara as red Indian on the
shores of Manhattan" If this SIMS
ter prophecy had force then, how much
greater force has it now? What Ire
land wants more than anything is
I'VE can no longer fence Or skirmish
with the question; we must come to
close quarters with it; we must go to
the root of it" This was the OPEN
ing sentence of Gladstone's immortal
speech in introducing the Home Rule
Bill in 1886. 1t was therein provided
that Ireland should have the same con-
troll over her own affairs as the State
of New York, for example, has over
hers. Who helped defeat that meas
ure? The Right Hon. Horace Plum
kett and his Tory allies and friends.
Home Rule would kill alien landlord
ism; it would check emigration. A
recent Parliamentary paper gives the
number Of eviction notices filed dur
ing the quarter ending September Both,
1902, as .848. According to Gladstone,
an eviction in Ireland is equivalent to
a sentence of DEATH And this evic-
ton sore he plasters over with the
same cure-all as the emigration sore
cooperative creameries and loan
banks.
What would have Mr.. Plunkett do
in order to prove his sincerity? would
have him join with the people of his
native country and espouse the Ma
tional cause. Let him begin by being
a real Irishman, and discard his make
believe disguise, which deceives no.
body. He went over to Galway from
Dublin this year and engag ed in a spir-
tied contest for the representation of
that borough in Parliament. lie was
defeated by a crushing majority of
more than . to 1. BY whom? BY q
man who at that moment was bearing
arms against the Crown of Great Brit
ain and, who, at the moment, is on
trial in London for high treason! In
no GOvcrnn ent where real statesmen
rule would the significance of such
tremendous protest against wrong as
that go acknowledgement alone ex-
ccptcd. While Mr.. Plunkett and men
of his stamp hold aloof, the struggle
for Repeal of the Union is an uphill
struggle. With them, the victory
might be won in a year. But, with
them or without them. the fight must
30 on.
Edmund Burke was IL Dublin man
and a Trinity College man, as l believe
Mr. Punkett is. IF you mean." says
Burke. ito please amy people. you must
give them the boon which they ask;
not what YOU think better for them,
but of Il kind totally different" Thorn
as Davis was another Trinity man.
THE mobiles and gentry of every other
country are the champions of patriot
ISM said Davis. I'm Ireland they
are it's disgrace. They were the first
to sell, and would be the last to re-
deem it, Treachery to it is daubed
on many an eScutcheon Of it's heraldry.
1t is Il foul thing, this dignity emanat-
ing from the Throne to gild the filthy
mass of national treason that forms
the mans part of many an Irish lord.
They feel no personal debasement in
the dishonour of their country. These
are called representatives of the prop
erty of the country, and, therefore, it
is said that all the wealth of Ireland
is opposed to the Repeal of the Union.
1t is an ignorant and false boast.
The people of the country are it's
wealth."
There is great weight in those words
Of one Of the most high-minded and in
fuental of the leaders which the lat
ter-day history of Ireland has pro-
duced. In the stress and eagerness at
tendant OH his present enterprise, it
may we'll be that Mr.. Plunkett has for.
gotten them. My purpose, in the
main, in this present writing is that
those who heard him on Monday eve
ming shall not be suffered to stray into
Il like intellectual lapse.
THE CLAN-NA-GAEL.