The Irish standard., 1903-02-28

They, the intruders, have confiscated
even the very sanctuaries Of God,
which even among the pagan ancients
were considered sacred and inviolable.
They have despoiled our national
museums and destroyed even the pre-
cious mementoes of our former great
ness.
They have ostracised and banished
our best countlymen and made it inn
possible for them to work for the ma
tion's welfare; the steppes Of Siberia
are white with the bleached bones of
our patriots, driven in chains to spend
their natural life at hard labor, worse
than slaves.
They drafted recruits from the
flower of our youth and made them
fight even against their own country
men; they drove them at the front of
their armies to bear the brunt Of the
fiercest battles and sustain the most
awful carnage, while they remained in
| the rear to pick up the laurels of
victory. Our brethren were thus made
to serve double purpose-victory for
their oppressOrs and death and eXter-
mination to themselves. In a word,
our enemies have shackled the sons Of
liberty and made them serve despot-
ism itself.
| What wonder then if we flee from
our native land until the day of ma
tional retribution and European eman-
cipation?
Our rights to the blessings of lib
erty in this land are clearer than those
of any other people that come to
these shores. No Pole ever stood in
the ranks Of the English against
American freedom; no Benedict Arm
olds among us, and no "Hessian-mer-
cenaries-in-the-pay of England" among
us. Rather the majority of immi-
grants from those two nations should
be debarred from this country, be-
cause they still profess, secretly and
even publicly their allegiance to the
roue by-the-grac ce-of- Cooking, or to
the Kaiser-by-divine-right. We Poles
lfhold allegiance to none but God, as
taught in the Catholic church, and to
humanity, as exemplified in the Con-
stitution.
If the people Of this republic cherish
at heart the high ideals which they
profess upon their lips, then should
! they welcome us with open arms as
com-patriots in the struggle for hu-
| manity's rights; they should receive us
as their most sincere allies in the
] cause of freedom; they should hail us
| as refugees from the battlefield Of
unhappy glory. Reaction from present
conditions is imminent. Poland, that
unhappy land, where despotism is
thrice intensified and rules supreme,
shall be the cradle of European dem
ocracy and the fountain head of the
freedom of nations. No one nation
has such claims upon the gratitude Of
the human race as the Poles, and her
past is the best guarantee. Of her de-
votion to humanity in the future.
Let not our fellow citizens Judge us
by our present status. We are un-
fortunate. We bear upon our national
body the marks Of the oppressors'
| ruthless hands. We confess, we are
ashamed of our present appearance.
But the shame is not ours, but dis
| grace to our oppressors. We are
ashamed of that which is not ours.
Given reasonable chance, we soon
cast off the Objectionable and imposed
exterior and disclose our national
traits of mildness, brightness and
energy. Our whole history is a glor-
ious testimony to our credit; contin-
ual struggle for ideal equal rights.
Our achievements in this land are
surprise to all who stop and think.
We come handicapped on every side
and almost unequal for the struggle;
but who will say that we have failed?
Look about: "Polish" this and "Pol-
ish" that meet your gaze in every
large city in the northern and central
states