The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-06-15

w nat VIII become VI us IL lIlt IL 1871
keep on gaining control of affairs?"
says the Roston Republic.
Recently a bigoted enemy of the Celt
asked this question through the pub
lie prints. The retrograde scion of a
pampered house was alarmed. and thus
gave voice to his fear. There was no
question of ability or fitness; no rec
ognition Of the human qualities that
win; no hint Of public peril or social
menace but merely the lamentntion Of
a weakling outdone in the race for the
lofiier and bolder achievements Of life.
II is not designed in this limited ar-
probation of the lrishman in free
America to commit the folly of lauding
all lrishmen because of their nation
ality and regardless nf personal worth
and conduct. Such wholesale esti-
mates of people, however praiseful
cannot fail TO ultimately rebound to
their injury. While the Irish have
survived by a scheme of tyranny that
would have doubtless crushed any
other civilized race, and while the
saviours of Erin have at the same ime
honors and riches in foreign lands,
having forged. unaided. their way to
the very forefront of the affairs Ut
progressive mankind, yet not every
man of Irish birth or Tish ancestry is
worthy of The name.
For the traitor and arostate who.
in the darkest days of intolerant os-
tracism, rendered life the more mser-
able for those brave Irish souls ever
loyal in their love of the mother coun
try, ever steadfast in the faith of their
fathers, Irish gentlemen have only
loathing and contempt, And thus they
hold the renegades of this day and
generation who traffic on the name
and the honor Of 1rishmen. For hui
man frhlties the Irishman owns a
matchless wealth Of charity: for the
rest he is resolute. resourceful, vigi-
liant and unafraid, as the account he
has given of himself during the past
century goes to show. And as the
public estimate of a people is meas
ured by their yield of the things that
are useful for good. the Irish Ameri
can has made a record of which the
race may he forever proud.
But little while ago in the reckon
ing of years the Irish immigrant was
barely tolerated in the United States:
and in many enlightened (?) sections
his religion was not tolerated. II
was the fashion in those dark days
pecially intolerant New Englanders
and English sympathizers in other sec
tions. to deride the "Paddys" and
"Riddies;" and on every hand the
struggling sons and daughters of Erin
were forced to face suspicion and
abuse. These hard terms but mildly
tell the truth Of those times.
Not content with her unspeaka BILE
carnival or carnage and desolati in
the mother country, her monstrous en-
deavor to destroy the race by cruelty.
coercion and dishonor unmatched for
infamy in modern times, England's
government and Englishmen must
pursue the fleeing fugitives to these
shores, here to harass them anew with
the poison Of falsehood and misrepre-
sentation. A righteous role. truly for
a nation and a people boasting Chris
tian charity as an attribute. But so
it was. The Irishmen who came early
to America landed upon an inhospt-
able shore. They came among peo:
pie prepared to doubt and distrust
them; ready to deny them an equal
chance: anxious to see them fall be-
meath the atrocious ostracism and in
justice of inherited prejudice and in
tolerance.
Huddled in mean lodgings; crowded
like sardines in box because Of their