The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-08-28
n.ved that it wa. a disastrous mistake

NDARD, SATURDAY, AUGUST 20
nsved that 1t was a disastrous mistake
70 break loose from England's apron
strings. but the patriots held out with
the aid Of France until the last British
redcoat had left these shores forever.
A century and a. half has since passed
away, and a degenerate American has
the audacity to say that the parting
Of the United States from England
was a disastrous mistake. This is
what Mcclure is alleged to have said:
we made a disastrous mistake in
parting from England at the time of
the Revolution and should, as nearly
as possible, return to the conditions
that would have existed if we had not
made it. The United States should
secure dominance in the British EN-
pire, and this in the present condition
OF that realm can be had merely for
the asking. The present situation of
England and Germany is that Of two
farmers living side by side, one Of
whom is flrst-rate prizeaghtsr, has
trained his people to be prizefighters
and says to his neighbor, who has been
peaceably engaged in cultivating his
estate, I want some of your property
and I'm going to have it, The pos
sible destruction of the British En-
pire, which this means, is the most
terrible problem before us today"
Now, who has been the prize1ghter
and the bully among the nations
England or Germany? Has John Bull
been peaceably engaged in cultivating
his estate or has he been Selling the
estates of others who could not offer
resistance? What has John Bull been
doing in Asia and Africa but robbing
weaker nations of their estates. Ger
many in the Franco Prussian war only
took back Alsace and Lorraine, which
originally belonged to her, and made
France pay the. cost of the war. Ger
many cannot be appropriately called
prizefshter, though she has dig
standing army. She is waging no war
on little nations nor selling their
lands. She is not going to destroy the
British empire II John Bull behaves
himself and keeps out of her path. She
is simply commercial rival of Eng
land and wants markets for her wares.
No danger that she will invade Eng
land with her soldiers, but she will
invade that country with her manufac-
lures, as she has been doing for many
years. Germany cannot be reasonably
blamed for soaring the English people
with her airships. She is minding her
own business, what England has never
done.
war? Why should this country inter-
fere? Are we under any obligation to
England for past favors? What did
she do during the Civil War? What
did she pay the Alabama claims for ?
What did she try to do during the
Spanish American war? She did her
utmost to array the European powers
against us in bahalf Of Spain. Eng
land is a hypocrite who is not capable
Of fair dealing with other nations. In
the day Of her decrepitude she turns
to the United States for sympathy and
gets it from the Anglomaniacs, but
Americans Of the type Of Mcclure are
in the minority in this country and are
utterly unable to bring about an Anglo
American alliance against Germany or
any other power while there are mil
lions Of the sons Of Erin and of Ger
many to oppose such movement. The
most that could be expected Of the
United States in the event of hostilities
between England and Germany is to
observe strict neutrality or tender
its good offices in the cause Of peace. 1t
cannot afford to embroil itself in inter-
national quarrels.