The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-08-31
TORIES CHARGED
WITH TREASON
A Quintet of Leaders Said to be
Guilty of Inciting the Lawless
Element.
The Duke of Norfolk Has Never
Displayed Qualities of the
Born Leader.
The Tories Hold Party Interests
More Sacred Than They do
Law and Order.

1t is very desirable that attention
should from time to time be drawn to
the curiously irresponsible spirit in
which the Tory leaders are toying
with treason. The appeals to law
lessness In which the titled plebe:nn
leaders Of the Conservative party In
dulged at Blenhem are symptom
of very grave disease in the body
polite. The Marquis of Londonderry,
the Duke of Norfolk, Sir Edward Car
Bonar Law were each enthusiastic In
favor Of defying the Home Rule bill
when it becomes law, and rebellion
| against the authority of the Irish Par
lament, which will be opened by the
king in 1914, writes w. 3. Thompson
In a dispatch to the American press.
Up to the present. at least, public
opinion has attached some import
ance to the declaration of this pre-
| cious quintet, though not too much.
Three Of the five derive their infu-
ence from the mere accident of birth,
and not from any inherent qualities
Of their own. For example, the Mar
quis Of Londonderry is genial noble
man whose contributions to public
discussion are notoriously feeble. He
has filled high Office in the state, 1t
Is true. but always through the favor
of the few ruling families" who DOM
mate the inner councils of the Tory
party. Had he been compelled to
earn his living in the open market,
the range of his talents would prob
ably enable him to fill with some de-
gree Of efficiency the post of a butler
or q footman.
The Duke Of Norfolk is not quite
such nonentity as regards charac-
ter and gifts. but. whether acting as
postmaster general or as command
ing officer Of Yeomanry on the South
African veldt, he has never displayed
exactly the qualities you find in a
born leader Of men.
Tho Third "Blus Blood"
The third blue blooded" aristocrat
in the quintet is the Duke of Marl-
borough, whose only achievement in
life has been his pursuit and capture
Of Vanderbilt heiress. The provcrb-
ial habit of the English aristocrat of
living on money earned by other peo-
pie is not characteristic which will
commend even a Churchill to the re-
spect Of men who still cherish vrile
conception Of manhood.
The two plebeian members of the
quintet were Sir Edward Carson ana
Bonar Law. Without their speeches,
indeed. the Blenhcim demonstration
would have excited even less interest
than an ordinary croquet tournament.
They are the lighting" leaders of tho
aristocratic party. The one lis sue
cessful lawyer, and the other a Glas-
gov iron master-both members of
the Celtic fringe SO much sneered at
on Conservative platforms, and both
members of the privy council, which
is the constitutional body of .he
kings political advisers. Quite OPEN
ly, in the presence of reporters. who
flashed their speeches over the tele-
graph wires to every part of the coun-
try, both Sir Edward Carson and
Bonar Law incited Ulster to refuse
to acknowledge the authority Of any
Irish Parliament that is set up. They
sought to cloak the full gravity OF
what they said by using some rather
wild language. They accused the gov
eminent Of fraud, and alleged that
!, Ulster ought not to fall in with the
rest Of Ireland as regards Home Rule
because the government had not "con-
suited" the country on the measure
> 1t is true that both of them har-
, angued the electors at the last three
, general elections on the horrors OF
Home Rule and on the certainty that
! the Liberals would. IL returned, pass
Home Rule.
!, Appeal to LawIessnsss.
, They both knew in their hearts ol
hearts that all this suggestion OF
fraud and so on is mere rhetorical
fustain. poured forth only to appeas