The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-12-24

judgment Of your leaders that with
out home rule the gates of hope will
be closed upon your people and your
land will be doomed to ruin and DESC
lation.
Remember also that you are under
no obligation to your oppressors for
the relief that you have obtained and
that your gratitude is due only to those
immortal men who, ignoring every
selfish thought and worldly considera-
ton at the loss Of home and liberty
and life, have devoted themselves to
your cause with a spirit Of self-sacri-
flee and immolation that on earth has
made despotism recol with terror and
that will deck their brow with
crown Of immortal glory.
'Since the union. eighty-six clercion
bills have been offered, all having one
common object in view, and that is to
destroy the individuality Of Ireland
and to crush the spirit of her people.
70 anyone who has followed this con.
flict as 1 have tried to do there can be
but one feeling that it can awaken.
and tnat is the strongest detestatiol
for the policy of government that
has concentrated all it's strength to
provincialze the territory of Ireland
and the warmest love and sympathy
for the gallant band of frcemen who
have sworn by the memory Of O'Con
nell and of Curran and upon the grave
of Emmett that though England may
by penal statute impair the right of
trial by jury, restrict the liberty OF
| the press and limit freedom of speech
that the suspense is only temporary
and that the day of deliverance is at
hand when the rights of your country
men shall be restored, home rule shall
be established and under the guidance
of God the bonds Of a union conceived
in iniqulty and cementcd by fraud
shall be lOosened and the Irish people
shall have Irish laws enacted by an
Irish parliament in Ireland assembled.
Il know that the dominating nations
of the earth have long since issued a
manifesto that the people whom they
dominate are not capable of governing
themselves "a manifesto that we
thought had been shivered into frag-
ments by the thunders Of the Ameri-
can Revolution. This is yet however,
the war whoop Of every tyrant who is
trampling with an iron heel upon the
liberties of the human race This is
the justification for every throne that
yet stands upon the bowed bodies of
it's subjects. This is the battle cry
under which letters have been forged
around bondmen and serfs and VOWS
of fealty and allegiance wrung from
them in their dens Of captivity. But
it is also the battle cry that has fire.
quently called into life the latent
forces of liberty, aroused the slumber-
ing courage Of the subjugated and
converted whole nations Of slaves into
nations Of freemen.
Remember one further thing, and
that is that the thought should not
prevail here tonight that this is the
last appeal that you will make to the
generosity of America. 1 do ncl look
upon the aid that this country is ex-
tending to your cause as an act of
charity or benevolence. 1t is the duty
that one body of freemen owe to a
people who are making a supreme
effort to trample to the earth the
audacious proclamation that God has
rendered them incapable Of self-gov-
eminent. The country whose heroes
have struck the harp to victory upon
many field Of English triumph, and
the blood of whose people has GRIM