The Irish standard., 1906-10-20
Seventy Thousand Dollars Pledged to the
: Irish Cause at Philadelphia in
Twenty Minutes.
The League Goes on Record in Favor Of the
Policy, the Means, and the Methods
of the Irish Party.

Every feature necessary to make a
demonstration in behalf Of the cause of
Ireland a splendid success was con-
spicuous In, and in connection with the
United Irish League convention held
last week In Philadelphia. says the
Irish World. There were numbers,
there was earnestness, there was en-
thusiasm and there was the character
istic generosity Of Irish Americans
manifested in the practical form of
substantial aid for the great Irish
struggle now being carried on in the
old land, and in "the enemy's country"
as well, with such bright promise of
speedy victory.
Over 100 delegates were present at
the conysntion. They came from nearly
every sscttops Of the United States. all
Of them at considerable sacrifice Of
time, and most If not all of them at
considerable money cost either to
thsusslyss or the Organizations they
Represented. Yet by being there those
Irish delegates had nothing to gain for
Themselves In The present or. to expect
In the future. The freedom Of ireland
was their sole motive in giving their
time and money to the undertaking.
But the freedom Of Ireland when it
$eomes VIII be of no profit to them or
theirs. was there ever such disinter-
sosted devotion shown by any people to
Gify cause as is and ever has been
.nanifested by the Irish out of Ireland
IN the cause Of the emancipation of
their fatherland?
The Irish convention Of last week,
then, was oonspicuously successful in
the numbers who came from far and
near to attend it, spending their time
and money under no other prompting
than the love Of Ireland, which now az
ever Is intense in the hearts of the
Irish race wherever scattered through
out the world. But much more and
stronger proof than this did the con-
.vention afford Of Irish love of Ireland
and its cause. It is good to attend
aneetings and make and listen to good
speeches in aid Of that cause. Good
words are good but there is something
better. and there was plenty of that
something at the Philadelphia conven-
tion. We read in the report of the
second days session that no sooner
had the new president, Mr.. Ryan, made
mention of the matter of money as
needed for the work in Ireland than a
check for $500 from Chicago was
passed on to the platform, followed by
IN announcement of $4,000 more in
thu course of a few weeks" from the
sGnls place. Then up sprang a Boston
delegate with a pledge of $4,000 from
shiss town, and a New York man with a
promise pfsthe same amount from the
big city, corrected by another New
Yorker with cry, I'VE will make it
$4,000" after which came several
sries Of sums over a thousand, INCLUDE
Ing n voice from Canada" in connec-
tion with pledge. Of $4,000. 1mmedi-
ately the situation became very active
financially, and, as the report goes on
to say. individual contributions to the
fund began to come in so fast that
President Ryan and Secretary O'Cal-
laghan had difficulty in keeping track
OF them.'' the outcome Of this part Of
t1e business being that "after num-
yBer of smaller contributions had been
sreeeived the secretary announced that
the total sum pledged amounted to
more than 100000
Facts and figures like these speak
too plainly to admit Of misunderstand-
1inS by Ireland's enemies. The London
anti Irish press knows perfectly what
They mean, and the hostile editors not
sing the $4,000 subscribed at Philadel-
pliia "in less than twenty minutes"
sohserve, Of course, with distress and
Indignation. that the Irish question