The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-03-06
them to the utmost Of my strength
voe, NS,,. ..o;,uy,kr,r,n. .he,,,a ~

wise you to meetsthem upon the. beach
with sword in one Hand, and, torch
in the other. Il would meet them with
the destructive Fury of war. Il would
animate my countrymen to immediate
them in their boats, before they bad
stepped on the soil of my country. If
they succeeded: :inSlanding, and If fore.
ed to retire. before superior, discipline,
l would dispute every inch of ground,
burn eyery.blade.et grass. and the last
intrepchment ofsAberty should be my
grave. What I:could not do myself, IL
should. fall, rI.sshould leave as
charge to. my, qountrymen to accom-.
plish; because Isshould feel conscious
that life, any more than death; is un-
profitable when g. foreign nation holds
my country in subsection. But it was
not as an enemy that. the succors Of
France were to land. looked, indeed,
for the assistance of France;. but l
wished to prove to France and to, the
world that, IrisAmen deserved to he
assisted-that, :thay were indignant at
slavery, and reaaY,to assert the indie.
pendence and liberty Of their country;
1 wished to. procure for my country the
guarantee which: Washington procured
for America-to procure an. aid which,
by, it's example, would be as important
as it's valor;, disciplined, gallant, preg.
nant with science;and experience: that
of "a people who's would perceive the
good, and polishsthe rough points of
our character. They would come to us.
as strangers, and leave lis as friends,
after sharing insnllr perils and elevat'
ing our destiny.. These were my .ob::
jects; not to receive new taskmasters;
but. to expel old tyrants. II was for
these ends l sought aid from France;
because .France.#even ias. an enemy,
could net he moIp phnp placabie than the
enemy already I'M: the bosom Of my
country. - ti'S 80
/ (Here' interruption by the .court.)
have been charged with that i'm:
portance 4ns taaa espsFeqtp a \ AtiMont, II ,;0f- my
colntry as ttSshfft daefeds the key.
stone OF; the combination of lrlshmen;
or; as your. lordship expressed 1t, '"fhe
life and blood OF the conspiracy you
do ME honor over much, you have
given to- the. subaltern all the, credit
qf- superior. Fhere are:fmen en-!
, gagedsin IN this conspiracy whD arefnot
only superior tonne, dnlt even to your
own conceptionsoof' yourself. my lord
men before thdG sptandor. of whose
genius and virtuR ! should DOW with
respectful. Differences snnd who. would
think themselves dtssbaced by shaking
your bloodstained hand -
.(Here he was lnterrupted)
What, my lord! shall you tell me, on
the passage to the, scaffold which that
tyranny OF which you are only the IN
termediate executioner has erected for
my murder, that i am accountable
for all the blood that has and will be
shed in this struggle Of the oppressed
against the oppressor-shall you tell
me this, and must be SO very slave
as not to repel it? / do not fear: to
approach the Omnipotent Judge Ito
answer for the conduct of my whole
life: and am to be appalled, and
falsified by mere remnant of mortal
ity here? BY you, too, although 1t 1t
| were possible to collect all the inno'
cent blood that you have shed in your
unhallowed .ministry'.in one great res
ervoir your lordsn,p might swim III
it.
(Here the judge interfered)
Let no man dare, when l am dead,
to charge me with dishonor; let no
man attaint my memory by believing
that I could have engaged in any
cause but that OF my country's liberty
and independence; or that ] could
have become the, plant minion of
power in the oppression and misery