The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-05-01


(jority. People who talk of the history
Of those days, as if they knew it like
A B C really never took the trouble
tc read that history and appreciate it.
In the year 1898 the Home Rule Bill
was again introduced. What hap
pened? We carried the Home Rule
Bill through the House of Commons
with Gladstone's assistance, and but
for him, may say, it would not have
had the slightest chance of passing
through the House of Commons at
that time. 1t was really his influ-
| ence and magic power that carried it
through. We carried it through the
House of Commons by majority Of
thirty eight, not a very large majori-
ty, and entirely composed of Irish
Home Rule members.
If the Irish members had been with
drawn Home Rule would have been
beaten. as far as Great Britain was
concerned, by a majority ofs forty two.
1t went to the House Of Lords, and
there it was beaten. Then there was
another election, and the question was
defeated by an immense majority,
largely, I think owing to the influ-
ence Of Lord Rosebery. Then followed
that long period to which we. Irish
men Of older generation hardly like
to refer, namely, the ten years of the
Split and that unquestionably gave
a big setback to Home Rule. I say
! that the cause of Home Rule, since
| the reunion of the Irish. Party, has
gone forward by leaps and bounds,
| and although we have suffered, as
we are bound to suffer, by the death
Of Gladstone, with his mighty influ-
ence and by the death Of his success
sor, still we have made enormous pro-
gress during these eight years. What
occurred last year? When the question
was brought UP again last year-true,
only in the shape of a resolution-it
| passed through the House of Com
mons-it was resolution fully up to
the mark of Gladstone's Bill of 1886
by majority Of two 1lundred-that t
is to say, by a sweeping majority of
the representatives. of Great Britain
without counting the Irish vote at all.
| Now, what are the obstacles to
Home Rule? Remember that until the
last election the obstacle to Home
Rule was this, which we had never
forgotten, that the great majority of
the constituencies in this country had
declared against it. But now we have
got over that obstacle. The great ma
jority of the constituencies in this
country, apart altogether from the
Irish vote, have declared for Home
Rule. The House of Lords is very
difficult obstacle. But in my study of
English history have never been able
to discover one single case in the
whole history Of Great Britain in
which any great cause which had been
taken up by the people and the demo-
cracy was defeated by the obstruc-
ton of the House Of Lords Frequent
ly it has been delayed, but never de-
feated; and therefore say that the
obstacle of the House Of Lords re-
gard as an obstacle powerful to delay,
but utterly powerless to defeat. It is
an obstacle we can overcome.
The program by which Ireland is
to be saved, the only center on which
the true force of Nationalists in Ire
land can be united is that center
which has secured today not only the
confidence of our people in Ireland
! who were fully represented at the
Mansion House few weeks ago, but
the confidence of our people In this
country and in America and in Aus
tralia. What Is the platform and sys-
tenn Of our Party? 1t is the most dem
ocratic party in the world. In 1t you
are at liberty to state and maintain
any opinion. and are at liberty even
outside that Party to express your