The Irish standard., 1911-01-14
Political Prosperity is Assured if
the People Only Stand by
Their Guns.
Nationalist Organization Should be
Maintained at Full Fight
ing Strength.
Power Exerted by United Forces
Will Assure Satisfactory
Home Rule Bill.

GladstOneS memorable words about
the coming conflict between Peers
and People had come true. The vital
issue Of the peers veto mad to be de-
cided once and for all. Despite all
efforts to devise way out without
fight, the fight came this December,
says the Weekly Freeman (Dublin).
The issue was: Shall the peers veto
go? The people have said in the most
unmistakable way: Yes, and now.
The coming parliament will do the
rest. Within very short period that
tyrannical anachronism will have been
added to the curiosities of the past.
Now this great conflict has most
intimate bearing ON the welfare of
the people of Great Britain and Ire
land. The year that has seen it car
ried to Its present stage, almost the
stage of completion, is a memorable
year. Especially is it memorable for
Ireland. If the Democrats of Great
Britain have their bitter quarrel with
the peers, surely Ireland has an even
more bitter, more serious, more right
eous quarrel The peers have been
our. worst foes. They have stood in
the way of Irish amelioration, of Irish
reform; of Irish progress, of Irish lib
crty. The House Of Lords has always
been the final hope OF Ireland's enc
mics. Now the abolition of the peers
veto in the coming year will make a
very happy New Year for Ireland, for
disappears one of the chief obstacles
to Irish freedom. With the abolition
of the veto, Home Rule is assured
if the people of Ireland stand by their
guns. This "if' brings us back to the
point from which We started, and it
is essential to consider what Ireland
must do to ensure that the New Year
shall be politically prosperous for her.
Now, a very considerable cause OF
failure is that people grow slack, re-
miss, lethargic in the hour when they
seem to have almost finished their
work. In the hour of adversely many
men can be determined, vehement, un-
firing, courageous, irresistible, who, in
the hour Of prosperity become limp
and easy-going, and let the fruits Of
victory fall from their hands. It is
precisely the same with nations.
Sometimes nation is seen at it's best
in the days of crisis, at Its very worst
in the times of good report. 1t must
has too much to lose in this hour of
golden opportunity should she grow
slack, or remiss, or one whit less en-
ergetic and determined than in the
days Of stress and storm and strife.
First and foremost, the National or
ganization must be maintained at full
fighting strength and with full fight
ing equipment. Our enemies in the
coming year will be preparing them
selves for the last fight in the cam.
paign. They are powerful enemies.
as We we'll know; powerful in wealth
for one thing, powerful in the rami-
fications of the anti-Irish organiza-
tons which they have spread abroad.
They are able to supply the sinews
of war, and they will do so lavishly,
for they know that this is to be the
supreme effort, that on the result
nearly everything depends. You may
be quite sure that they will not spare
cash to influence the decision. They
will use their cash to SANDER Ireland
and Irishmen, to poison the minds of
people at the other side of the chan
mel, mayhap also endeavor to dissent
nate factionism here at home. OF
all this the Irish people may be GER
tain; but Of this, also, they may be
assured-all this campaign of faction
and slander will be powerless if they
themselves hold their ranks steady,
equip the National organization ef-
( fecttvely, and show by their deter
mined unity and unfaltering loyalty
to the flag that they are resolved to
have full Home Rule. 1t is the first
essential of the situation that the Unit
ed Irish League should be supported