The Irish standard., 1905-09-02
Campaign of the Party to Redress Their
Wrongs Cannot be Called Disloyalty
to the Dominion.
People Of Ireland the Only People in the
Empire Denied the Rights and Priv
ileges of Democracy.

of every great nation. They are a
masterful race of rugged character
a race the qualities of whose woman
hood have become proverbial, whilst
its men have the elemental, the indis-
pensable, virtues of working hard in
time of peace, and fighting hard in
time of war;
One of the leading American papers
truly American-echoing his senti.
ments, and publishing his words, adds:
"The president paid one of the high
est tributes to the Irish race which
human tongue can express, deserved
tribute, and one fully justified by the
history of this great people, who are
such important factors in the Ameri-
can world of politics and business
Brave in war, and strong in peace,
warm hearted and loyal, ambitious and
devoted to this country of their adop-
tion, they have taken foremost place
in our national AFFAIRS"
I cite the words to refute the fallacy
that sometimes we hear advanced in
the public press, and on platforms,
that being loyal to the country of our
birth, we cease to be truly loyal to
this land of our adoption. Now, 1
would ctafo +hof tho rovorco of +b;c ic
precisely true. The more earnest we
are in loving our motherland, the more
earnest, too, will we be in devoting our
services, our strength, our energies to
promote everything that tends to the
welfare of the land we have made our
own.
And sometimes, too, we are told, and
| mention it specially addressing you
Hibernians, that when we aid the par
liamentary party that is advocating Ire.
lands rights at home, that we are dis.
loyal to the throne, and I say l men.
tion it, addressing you, for sincerely
congratulate you on that enthusiasm
with which you have volunteered in
your societies throughout the length
and breadth of Australia, to collect no
less sum than $4,000 yearly to aid
the Irish parliamentary party in the
campaign in which it is engaged.
say it is a fallacy to assert that the
parliamentary party is disioyal in its
campaign. It seeks to redress the
wrongs that are thrust upon their ma
tive land, and who will say it is dis
loyal to redress those grievances that
are in truth disgrace to the empire?
During the past few weeks the life OF
General Gordon, the hero Of Khartoum
written by brother in arms, worthy
of the task-General Butler-has been
published, and in this biography let
, ter of General Gordon's is published
He visited Ireland in 1880, and on his
return to England he addressed let
ter to friend. I am not going to
give at length that letter, but every
sentence of it may be well pondered
on by those who are at the helm ot
state in the British empire, but he con
cludes by saying that: "The state OF
our fellow-citizens in Ireland is worse
than that of any other people in the
world" These are his precise words
and lest it might be said that he was
referring to Europe only, he says: 81
do not say of Europe, no, 1 say of any
people of the world, as far as my ex
perience goes" and he concludes that
such state Of things is disgrace to
the empire, and every sensible man
must do his part in redressing those
grievances"
And why should the Irish parliament
tary party be called disloyal because
they would redress those grievances
and remove that blot from the escutch.
con of the empire? Surely, no one
would be guilty of such folly to accuse
them of disloyalty for fighting in such
a cause. In that same biography the
statement is given of leading land.
lord in Ireland who at the time OF
General Gordon's visit to ireland was
asked what he would suggest to remedy
the grievances of Ireland, and he gave
it as his deliberate opinion, F'Emigrate