The Irish standard., 1910-02-12

With such men it were useless to ar
sue, useless to appeal to their patriot
ism. They know NJ patriotism but
self-interest, no argument but iron
bolts and paving stones. cloud cheers.)
But there is a large class Of Union
lists who honestly believe that home
rule would be a bad thing, and who
consequently oppose :t. Now ! have
read good many Unionist speeches
in search Of arguments against the
doctrine Of home rule. Well, the re-
suit of my inquiries has been that all
arguments against home rule may be
reduced to these three First, that
home rule would injnre Ireland gen.
orally. Second, that home rule would
injure the Protestants of Ireland
Third, that home rule would injure
the empire.
Now the first argument is at once
refuted by the universal experience Of
the world around. and by the history
Of our own country since the Union.
We had home rule here in Ireland for
only 1S years, from 1882 to 1900, and
short as the period was, and bad and
corrupt and unrepresentative as the
Parliament was nevertheless, as at
the touch of a rnagician's wand. q
great waRess of prosperity swept over
the land Industries revived. COM
merce Unlicensed, tH!s population went
up, taxation went down. and nothing
was wanted to make that Parliament
really representative of the Irish peo-
pie to build up great and prosperous
nation. Then came the accursed
Union. blighting the hopes OF the ma
ton like q plague, and .tarting Ireland
down the long slope of financial ruin.
over which since she has been pro-
ceeding with increasing velocity, and
for which there is but the one cure
the ere-establishment Of her native leg
islature. In that year Ireland only
q hundred years later. under the bles-
sed Union, she is paying over E2 pei
head. royal commission appointed
| by England herself unanimously found
that Ireland has been bled since the
| Union of nearly three millions q year
more than her due share of taxation
Mr.. knights party wants to know
where the money for old age pensions
would come from under home rule II
could come out of that three millions
and leave 21 millions behind to be
spent on the Industrial development
Of the country.
| Now for the second objection, tina
home rule would ruin the Irish Prot
cstants. The Papists would Introduce
q Spanish Inquisition and Protestant!
would be driven from public life, har
assed, oppressed AMI prosecuted in ev
cry conceivable way. The old war or.
that used to be directed at the Papist
would then be turned against tn
Protestants--to hell or to- Connaugh
with you, only Of course the secon,
alternative would be excluded. Now
/ confess 1t is very hard for me to dea
with this argument. There are som
statements so manifestly false, o
glaringly mendacious that they chal
lenge refutation. II one Of you sol
, emnly got up and affirmed your belle
that the moon was made Of gree
, cheese, I should not know where t
begin to prove to you that you Wer
wrong, and am in much q simila
plight in regard to this charge of In
tolerance against Irisi, Catholics.
Gods name when were Irish Catholic
ever intolerant? L. not their who'll
history one long struggle against in
tolerance and have not all their sym
i, pathies been ever with the weak an
] the oppressed against the strong an
I the oppressive? And as regards the
] Protestant fellow countrymen, haV
] they not tumbled over one another
: indecent haste to welcome and
3 honor any Protestant who takes HI
: stand for Ireland? Did not this ir
r tensely Catholic nation make II
~ founder of their present movement h,
: universal king. for a whole decad
/. Protestant though he was? Il not Il