The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-12-09
REBEL TO ENGLISH
RULE IN IRELAND
A Free Ireland, Says Dillon, Would
be Source of Strength to
the Empire.
Fight is for Liberty in British
System and Reconciliation
With England.
The Minority in Ireland Not Pro-
testant but Unionist and
Anti-Irish.
On November 81 Mr.. John Dillon was

On November 81 Mr.. John Dillon was
the principal speaker at Home Rule
demonstration in Stafford where he was
greeted by an enthusiastic gathering.
He took up some of the principal OBJ
jections to Home Rule which were up
pcrmost in the minds of the people and
showed wherein they were erroneous.
There was, he said, in the first place,
the religious objection. There was at
present In England an army of mis-
sionares. not from Ulster. but from a
corner OF Ulster. who were going about
earning n not very honorable living
Qaughter) by blackening their own
country. 1t was said by these men that
II Home Rule were given to ireland
the Professionals of ireland would be
condemned to persecution, and the
question was evoked what security
there would be for the minority Well.
II great dcul was heard of the Irish
minority, but who created a permanent
minority in Ireland? The fact was
that wherever they found in any coun-
try a permanent minority they might
be perfectly certain there was some-
thing wrong with the principles Of
these men.
There never was in any free country
a body of men who could be pcrma-
ncnt minority unless they were wrong.
II was said that the minority in Ire
land were the Professionals, but there
were fourteen Professionals in the Irish
Nationalist Party, and they repre-
scented Catholic constituencies. IL the
matter was pushed further, the COM
plant was that the Nationalists of,
Ireland would not elect to represent
them on public boards Professionals
who disagreed with them in politics.
an Irish Catholic he had to say that
an Irish Protestant who agreed with
the constituency before which he came,
had an equal chance, If not a better,
to be elected than a Catholic. Never
in It's history had that part of Ireland
elected Il Catholic to represent them.
Yet these were the men who talked
about intolerance. The truth was that
the minority IN ireland was not a Pro-
tcstnnt minority, but a Unionist and
nnti-Irish minority.
Mr.. Dillon as "RebeI."
Mr.. Dillon went on to comment on
the hnndbills put into his hands on his
way to the demonstration. Someone,
he said, had delved into a speech he
made in 1904 and an extract from it
was given on the handful. He was
there reported to have said: .. ....
~ say deliberately that / should
never have dedicated my life, as have
done, to this great struggle If J did
not see at the end the crowning~And
contamination of our work free and
Independent nation"
Mr. Dillon said he did say that seven
years ago. II have all along" he went
on, looked forward to the day when,
in the sense put upon the words, Ire
land will be free and independent ma
ton From the earliest day / entered
politics l have held the view that Ire
land could be such inside the British
system-a loyal supporter of that great
Commonwealth Of nations which is
called the British Empire. That is the
sense 1 put upon these words; and the
leaflet quoted his words that he had
been born and brought up rebel.
did say that in the House Of Commons
(Mr. Dillon sad), and think the gen.
tleman who composed the handful
might have given me credit for saying
1t there. I was born a rebel, and my
father was a rebel before me, and ]
and Mr.. Parnell, whose follower was
made up our minds that we would
show our people who were rebels
road by which they could reach lib
erty within the British system and
reconciliation with the English people.
I was rebel to English rule in Ire
land, and I am an unrepentant rebel
| today. So long as the present system
of government is maintained in that
counting r ropoo}n roho1 Init 7