The Irish standard., 1912-02-24
SOME POINTED FACTS
On the Question Of Blgotry and Homo
Rule

kS~AVA43 L OAAV L ILL., l. nv l. ~
On the Question Of Bleotry and Home
Rule
| The old, evil spirit Of religious ami
| mostly is being invoked from the
abyss in Great Britain to prevent
Home Rule for Ireland. When one
reads the infinitely stupid things of
bigotry written or said by Unionists
i'll England and Ireland, ones faith in
the radical goodness of human nature
diminishes. The only cry lifted today
against Home Rule is the cry Of the
bigot, and unhappily that is loud in
Ulster Orange throat, says the Denver
Catholic Register.
For the sake of some of our readers,
let us consider the matter.
Ireland was deprived Of her Parlia-
ment in the last days of the Fifteenth
Century by unparalleled bribery and
fraud. Since the first day of the Nine
teenth Century, although represented
in the British House Of Commons, she
has had no more to do with the gov
eminent of her own internal affairs
than If she were not represented at
all, except in SO far as she could
coerce or persuade English members
and grant scant justice to Ireland.
At the beginning of the Nineteenth
Century Daniel O'Connell arose in the
splendor of his mighty intellect and
moving eloquence; he could not enter
the British Parliament, for he was
Catholic; but he could and did array
the Irish people until Catholics were
granted emancipation by an lntimi-
dated England and unwilling king.
O'Connell raised also, the banner of
Home Rule or, as it was known then,
Repeal Of the Union. Many Irish Pro-
testants were among his supporters;
some of his greatest companions in
the fight were not Catholics; but, all
Of Catholic Ireland was with him.
What did he and they demand? Sim
ply the right to control their own af-
fairs; not the affairs of the British
Empire, but of little Ireland. O'Con-
nell was laughed at and scorned; the
greatest, truest man of the day and
century; the finest intellect and most
generous heart was flung to ridicule'
by every English newspaper and Eng
lish speaker. He saw his people rack
rented by the landlords of Ireland, who
were largely British lords; he saw
them flying from their own country
and the horrible laws that oppressed
them, across the Atlantic. He pleaded,
prayed, in the British Parliament for
justice and was laughed at. His best
lieutenants, recognizing the hopeless
ness of the appeal, gave themselves
to the wild resort of arms and were
arrested and banished. The cruel
famine of AZ had covered, like huge
shroud, the whole land and broke
O'Connell's heart and his country's
heart; the old gladsomeness of Ire
land fled and to q great extent forever
before the Famine.
There was a new cry for Freedom
in the sixties, which eliminated in the
abortive rebellion of 81. The modern
revival of O'Connell's cry began in
1870. From then until now the flag of
Home Rule has been flying and gen.
orally in victory's van. Since the great
Englishman. Gladstone, in 1885 made
Home Rule an English cry also-an in
tegral part of the Liberal cry. it's final
success has been assured. The Lib
eral Party, which has large major
ity in Parliament, will very soon in
troduce a Home Rule bill.
And against it is being raised =
what? Nothing except the wretched
spirit Of bigotry and the evident lie:
IF you give Home Rule to Ireland the
Catholics will prosecute in all manner
Of unmentionable ways their Profess
And this is said of people whose
right to pride themselves as being the
only people in the world that never
prosecuted stands unquestioned in
history. And 1t is said by the des-
s s32S} .sjs35 s v 81 Ss