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
iections to Home Rule which were up
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-
sionaries. not from Ulster. but from
corner Of Ulster. who were going about
earning not very honorable living
Uaughter) by blackening their own
country. 1t was said by these men that
IL Home Rule We're given to Ireland
the Protestants of Ireland would be
condemned to persecution, and the
there would he for the minority Well,
IL great deul was heard of the Irish
minority, but who created n permanent
minority In Ireland? The fact was
that wherever they found in any coun-
try Il 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
n body of men who could be Il pcrma-
ncnt minority unless they were wrong.
II was said that the minority in Ire
land were the Protcstants, but there
were fourteen Protestnnts in the Irish
Nationalist Party and they repre-
sented Catholic constituencies. If the
matter was pushed further, the COM
plaint was that the Nationnlists of,
Ireland would not elect to represent
them on public boards Protestants
who disagreed with them in politics.
Was there ever such an absurdty? AS
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 a 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-
tcstant minority. but a Unionist and
anti Irish minority.
Mr.. Dillon as "RebeI."
Mr.. Dillon went on to comment on
the handbills put into his hands on his
way to the demonstration. Someone.
he said had dclvcd into a speech he
made in 1904, and an extract from 1t
was given on the handbill. He was
there reported to have said:
II say deliberately that should
never have dedicated my life, as I have
done, to this great struggle If J did
not see at the end the crowning 1lnd
conslmmation of our work A 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 l 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. I
did say that In the House of Commons
(Mr. Dillon said), and I think the gen.
tle1nan who composed the handbill
might have given me credit for saying
1t there. I was born 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
read by which they could reach lib
erty within the British system and
reconciliation with the English people.
I was a 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
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