The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-06-20
THE UNITED IRISH LEAGUE.

THE UNITED IRISH LEAGUE.
No American, whose good fortune it
may have been to hear Mr. Joseph Dev-
lin during his recent trip through the
United States can doubt the justice
of the Irish cause as now conducted
by the Irish Nationalists in parliament.
Those who have heard him know as
they never knew before just what are
the aims and aspirations Of the Irish
people. He has set forth in a clear
and convincing way the practicability
of the methods and the reasonableness
of the policy of the United Irish
League. The Irish people have had
more brilliant leaders in times gone by
than are to be found among the pres
ent Irish members Of parliament, but
never has there been a better organized
or more consistent fight maintained.
The demands made have appealed not
only to united Irish people, but to all
reasonable, thinking men. The de-
mand of 'the land of Ireland for the
people of Ireland" which now appar-
emily seems reasonable to England, was
considered an idle dream twenty-three
years ago when Parnell and Davitt
launched the old Land League. Mi
chael Davitt has lived to see that idle
dream being put into practical opera
ton. On the day that Secretary
Wyndham introduced his land bill in
the House Of Commons, Michael Da-
witt sat in the distinguished strangers
gallery and witnessed a tory ministry
adopting his ideas. What a trans
formation has taken place! What
greater vindication could have come to
him? The success and failures Of the
old Land League, the first fight for
Home Rule, for the present struggle
cannot be considered in any other light
than as step in the second fight for
Home Rule, are now trite history.
More than forty efforts have been
made to settle the Irish land question
and all have failed. At no time dur
ing the past century was the Irish
cause in greater despair than it was a
little over three years ago when Will
liam O'Brien organized the United
Irish League and began the work Of
again uniting the Irish people then
torn into factions because Of the de-
feat of Gladstones Home Rule meas
ure. The Irish landlords had fought
Home Rule because they thought it
would result in confscating their prop
erty. Many Irish Protestants fought
Home Rule because they thought it
would result in Catholic domination in
Ireland. Today Catholics and Prot
estants, tenant and landlord, Parnell-
ties and Anti-Parnellites, Nationalist
and Unionists are all united in favor
of a bill which if enacted will transfer
the land of Ireland to the Irish people.
England has decided to loan few mill
lion pounds to aid Irish tenants in buy
ing back their lands in order to save
many millions in trying to keep peace
in Ireland. In speaking of the work
of the United Irish League in his last
speech delivered in Boston, Mr.. Devlin
said:
"There was never in the history of
any movement so magnificent a vindi-
cation of the men who guided the
movement and Of the movement itself
than is to be found in the record of
the practical work which the United
Irish League has done since it was
established in ireland little over
three years ago.
when Mr.. William O'Brien COM
menced the great work Of internal pa
ctication the Irish cause was stepped
practically in the slough Of despair.
English ministries neither had the de-
sire. nor did they deem it expedient, to
pay any attention to Irish claims for
| national concession. Disunion pre-
vailed in Ireland and retrOgression, as
consequence, was the order Of the
day in the English parliament.
This movement has evolved order
out of chaos, it has established an Or
ganization where disorder prevailed be-
fore. 1t has brought on common
platform men who held diversified
opinions OH matters Of personality and
method in the conduct of the public
movement. 1t has restored the Irish
cause to it's old position Of prestige, it
has subdued Irish patriotism, and it is
responsible today for the opening up
of brighter and happier era for our
unfortunate country. That is the
organization that we have started here