The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-01-08


less sleeve, Michael Davitt, the man
who administered the death blow to
landlordism in his native Isle. In an
other place will be found poem for
himself and the blackbird that cheered
him up by it's company while serving
time at Kilmainham.
CHAMBERLAIN AND HOME RULE.
Under this caption in last Sundays
Minneapolis Journal. newspaper
which has always and at all times
been a friend and advocate of Irish
Home Rule, we find the following par
agraph:
quith any by his definition OF the sort
Of Home Rule which will be accepted
Ivy the Irish people, and which they
will demand of Asquith in case the
Liberals succeed. The Home Rule tina.
Redmond will be content with is not
a local government for Ireland like
that of an American state but SOW
ereign parliament like that granted the
Beers. He wants, in other words, an
Ireland as independent, as much
separate nation as Canada, or South
Africa, or Australia, or New Zealand,
or Newfoundland. Thus is created the
break in the Liberal line of battle into
which Chamberlain drives his wedge.
Is it a fatal break?"
We beg to assure our esteemed con-
temporary that what Mr.. Redmond
said in his Dublin speech of Dec. Is
will not create any division in the Lib
eral ranks. MI. Redmond is too saga
cious statesman to say anything cal
culated to disrupt the party whose
leader has promised to take up the
Irish preston and dispose of it salts
factorily' III the event of returning to
power at the pending election. A ly-
ing London cablegram gave an errone-
Gus construction to the words of Mr..
Redmond, and hence our neighbor has
been led astray. We have before us
the speech of Mr.. Redmond, stem
ogra phically reported, and this is what
he said:
1--WE are in the midst of the greatest
constitutional crisis which has arisen
in the history of the British Empire
for two centuries: but what concerns
us more nearly. we have before us to-
day the best chance which Ireland has
ever had for the last century, of tear
ing up and trampling under foot that
infamous Act of Union, which has
made Our country Impoverished, de-
populated and unhappy"
What is there in that to cause alarm
among British Liberals? Have they
not themselves called the Act of Union
Infamous" and condemned the meth
DDS by which it was carried 10 years
ago? During the eighteen years of
parliamentary independence prior to
1900. Ireland was governed by the
English king, the lords and commons
of Ireland, and no nation In Europe
made such rapid strides in prosper
ity during that period. The history of
Ireland since the Union has been one
of famines, emigration and landlord
tyranny. The government of Ireland
in the London legislature. composed
Of six Britons to one CeIt, has been
one Of rapacity and has proved fail
ure to both England and Ireland
Though Ireland is enormously over
taxed. yet the Irish government by
British officials has a deficit of five
million dollars for the last f1Acal year.
That shows the incapacity Of the Brit
ish to govern the island economically,
and Englishmen, Scotchmen and
Welshmen of the Liberal party think
it better to let the irish govern them
selves than have the British officials
there o"aw on the imperial treasury
to continue their maladministration of
the island.
John Redmond and his followers.
who arc IS per cent of the Irish people,
do not want separation from Great
Britain. They want a local govern.
ment OF their own like that of an
American state of the Union or a
colonial government like that of Can
ada, South Africa and New Zealand,
with Independent governments, though
not independent nations by any means.
Absolute independence can only be
won fo' Ireland " the sword, for the