The Irish standard., 1908-10-10

land by abolishing trial by jury, sup
pressing free speech, and introducing
military rule.
1T is true we have not yet gained
complete home rule, but we liza Je not
only overcome an adverse majority Of
$50, but during the last session of
parliament resolution introduced by
me, recommending the granting to Ire
land of a full measure of home ruto.
as demanded by Gladstone and Parnell
was carried by a majority of 200 votes.
Held Back by Lords.
'The present government Of tre lib
eral party is made up almost entirely
of home rulers, and the party itself is
at least nine-tenths home rulers. But
because of the opposition of the lords
they have not yet had the courage to
force the measure through. Instead
of that, they presented last year what
they considered IN installment toward
home rule. thes Irish councils bill. But
we saw in it no 'founaattoasse i witch
full home rule could be bflt, and we
did not care to mike an issue Of q
measure that did not grant home rule,
or admit Of growth to home rule
Two Obstacles Removed.
II am here to tell you in the name
of Ireland that 1 sec absolute.y no
serious obstacle in the path that leads
to full home rule. Since I las. saw
YOU the two great obstacles, tn. ones
that have hampered the cause TO- CEN
turtles. have been overcome, and am
going to tell you how.
'Thesc two obstacles were the land
lords, the garrison class. and rel gi:us
strife. There are remnants of both
left. but we have struck at their roots.
''The landlords feared that should
home rule become fact that people
would at once rob them of their lands.
So they fought it bitterly with all the
power Of the English officials and aris-
tocracy behind them.
But by the land purchase act tho
landlords are being bought out. They
are losing even the little interest. the
pecuniary interest, they had !u Ire
land. The ownership of IrelI,t il
passing out of their hands to .'.ax Of
$IaA 70 >Sl
third Of the land Of Ireland has passed
from the landlords to the farmers.
Within a few years the landlord class
will have disappeared from Ire :al.
1.-The second great obstacle to home
rule was the religious hatred which
allied part of the Inhabitants with a
common enemy against their fellow
countrymen. But in the north. where
religious intolerance and sectarian ha-
treds flourished, a new spirit has aris-
en- as you may see demonstrat ID on
this platform. There sits Joseph Dew
lin. a Catholic. and a nationalist
elected to parliament by the woes OF
his Protestant fellow citizens Of Bel
fast, the Protestant stronghold OF the
north.
Blow Struck at Poverty.
Poverty and ignorance have becn
England's great weapons Of oppres-
sion in Ireland, more terrible than bull
let's and bayonets. and at these we
have struck. A prosperous. con mer-
cial. economically independent Ire-
land. and tolerant. intelligent ireland
will be followed inevitably by horc.
ruling Ireland.
"At the curse of ignorance . killing
blow was struck two months age. On
Aug. /. when the Irish universities bill
was passed. 1t provided for many mil
lions of dollars for endowment. and
building, but the monetary WAS the
least of the benefits. 1t means that
Ireland is to have free national uni
versity. It means that there is to se
opened to her sons the advantages Of
university education which have beea
denied them. For 500 years tbs onl,