Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-26
OTHER LANDS THAN orns.

THE LANDS TRAN oUHs.
-
A record Of substantial results and steady
progress toward the goal Of home rule is
the cheering message brought by John r.
Redmond. NJ. P, to the friends OF ireland
In America. Mr.. Redmond Is the leader of
the Irish nationalist party in the British
Parliament, and is attending the annusl
convention of the United Irish league in
Boston this week. Step by step the country
Is advancing toward self-Eovernment. and
the people are more united than ever be-
fore TO attain that end. The north. hlther-
TO aggressively opposed to home rule and
home rulers, has been convinced against
its will by the remedial legislation OF re-
cent years, and Is Joining hands with the
south and west in demanding legislative
control of Irish affairs. Mr.. Redmond
shows that in addition to the laws re-
storing, the land TO the people and county
government by elected representatives, the
last session ST Parliament was fruitful Of
beneficial legislation. Provision was made
for the better housing Of workingmen by
building modern homes with government
funds and selling them at cost, on the in
stallment plan, at an interest rate Of 81
per cent. The restoration of homes to
tNlNltu ltldllS was mace compulsory, IL
reduction of the sugar duty was effected,
the pay Of teachers in the national schools
Increased and appropriations made for the
establishment of two universities. Ireland
will also participate in the old age pensions
which 60 into operation next January.
These results are encouraging to the real
friends Of Ireland and justify confidence
in the assurance Of Mr.. Redmond that
home rule will be achieved within a dozen
years. Martin I. ]. Griffin. a noted his
torian of Philadelphia, who is now visit
ing Ireland, in a letter to the Philadel-
phia Ledger, expresses joyful qualification
over the beneficial changes noted. Ire
land is getting her own again" he writes.
1T is indeed marvellous the changes
wrought in the social and political aspect
and condition Of the people the last quar-
ter of a century through the endeavor and
successes of the Land league and Of the
present National league, the Gaelic league
and kindred associated movements. Any
American who has given a dollar or an
hour Of endeavor for Ireland may rest as
sured he has been helpful to this great but
unfortunate people. and in the great strug-
gle for the social betterment and the polit-
ical uplifting Of the Irish people he can
with a CHEEKY satisfaction declare 7 helped
a little"
While the American warrior Hobson is
sounding the tocsin of approaching war
with Japan, the Yankees of the Orient mock
the Alabama fire-eater by heroically lop-
ping off expenses for its military and naval
establishments The government budget
has been reduced 800, 0OO,OO a year, one
half of which comes out of the army and
navy estimates. The chief cause of the re-
duction is the inability of the country to
stand the strain and the pace of the world
powers and meet the burden Of debt
created by the war with Russia. Japan
alone comments the New York World,
has shown the moral courage to pause
and take a step backward-Japan of all
nations, whom the jingoes of politics the
world over have made a pastime of using
| for the creation of fresh war scares, and
the jingoes of the press still utilize in in
venting false runners and melting fresh
animosities. These jingoes sat bolt upright
with amazement when they heard that
japan cut military expenditures In two,
spread her naval program over eleven in
stead of six years, and decided to pay off
some debts instead of creating more" In
the light Of these facts, jingoes of the
Hobson stripe present a ridiculous spec
tacle.
Russia distances all corners as a feature
of the first page of International news.
Four wears and three years ago 1t was war;
three and two years ago 1t was revolu-
ton: last year 1t was famine; now 1t is
cholera. IF you count in the loss of the
flower of her eldest born whom she had
sent to the scaffold. the mines and the
prison CELL" comments the New YORK
Evening Post, 'Russia's deliverance, If 1t
comes, will be even as lsraefs through
Egypt. 1t is this loss of her eldest porn
that the plague-stricken country may come
to regret very soon. Should the cholera
spread from the towns into the open coun-
try, It will find a fearful harvest to reap.
The Zemstvo. or provincial councils, which
in previous epidemics did valiant work
among the peasants, are now crippled and
in incapable hands. The Zemstvo doctors
and nurses constituted an important ele-
ment in the revolutionary army; large num-
bers of them are dead, in exile, or in
prison. inexperienced hands will have to
carry on the work under the supervision
Of reactionary Zemstvo officials and gov
eminent agents. In the cities the prisoners
are fearfully ov~ercrowded; already there
nave DeSn " pllDlu cIluClliNS IiiaN i"NN $50
red even the government conscience to
anxiety. What would happen II the infec-
ton should break out in the prisons can
easily be conJectured.
Ra
A diplomatist in Constantinople writes to
the London Times to direct attention TO
certain remarkable and significant Incl
dents Of the recent revolution, which, he
thinks, ought to moderate popular impress
sIons of the 'bloodthirsty fsnsticism'' Of
the Turk. Referring 70 the declaration OF
Sir William whittal president OF the
Turkish Chamber OF Commerce. that the
Armenian massscres were the work OF
Kurds and Lazes rather than OF Turks, he
continues: 1T Is superfluous here to dwell
on where lay their ultimate responsibility.
Suffice TO say that the regime which was
guilty OF such atrocities is over. II allu-
sion is made thereto II is merely to bring
out certain scenes lately witnessed here OF
close fraternity between Turk and Ar
menian. The presence Of numerous Turkish
officers at Armenian churches, Young
Turks going in numbers to a cemetery
where victims OF the massacres lay buried
and kissing their graves the cadets Of the
military school requesting an Armenian