The Irish standard., 1913-03-22
For One Hundred and Twelve Years
the Irish Race Has Been
Struggling
For Its National Rights and De-
manding a Parliament
Of Its Own.
The Cause of Home Rule Has a
Long and a Most Inter-
esting History.

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Do the Irish in Ireland want Home
Rule?
They want it passionately, says the
Providence, r. l., Visitor.
Over three millions of Catholics are
nationalist to the very core of their
Irish spines. A million or more Prot
estants in Ireland clamor for con-
tinuation of the Union. The great
mass OF the Irish people have fought
for political autonomy since the very
moment they lost it when Grattan's
parliament voted it's own dissolution
in 1901. Daniel OConnell wrested for
his countrymen one by one, after the
struggle for Catholic emancipation
eliminating in its victory in 1929, all
tho legal concessions that restored
Catholic Irishmen to their inaliena]ole
right as British subjects.
O'Connell died, broken hearted ex-
lied far from his beloved but migrate
full Ireland The new political party,
fathered by Thomas Davis. the poet.
and fostered by Gavan Duffy and his
coterie of literary spirits, ardent ami
passionately patriotic, the flower Of
Young Ireland's flock faced the
side Of the pages Of Josephus in his
.annals Of the destruction of jerusalem
the potato famine of 1s45 crushed
out Of Irish bodies the last tattered
remnants of enthusiasm and started
melancholy exodus of starving. dis
1eartened Irishmen to the hospitable
havens OF Canada, Australia and the
United States. This exodus has never
ceased. The days following the great
Irish emigration over seas were the
most miserable, the most degrading,
and the most tragic in the sad chron-
icles OF Catholic Ireland. Hunger and
.wretched want had brought about an
external semblance of political peace.
the quiet that Tactius scourges in
his terrible irony, the calm of the
cemetery. a few fiery Fcnians troub-
led the deadly monotony: but British
vigilance found dendish means of wip-
ing out Fenian revelry in the convict
ships and in transportations to Van
Diemen's Land. Irish Latriots were
classal as virulent anarchists. Eng
llsh justice mcted out to men like
our own John Boyle O'Reilly the re-
ward Of Irish patriotism. The odious
Union was grated on Irish soil by all
the combined powers of military, po-
litical and financial methods of force
and coercion. 1t was an exotic of the
cactus variety which blooned on
desert that British misrule had Gre
atcd. Famine ridden Ireland had no
means of blghtins the roots of the
new growth. The wild Irish,'' as
their despotic masters loved to call
them had been brought to the state
Of sullen discomfort by three long cen
turtles Of penal persecution. Despised
for their stubborn adherence to the
Catholic religion, treated as aliens in
their own island, deprived of all edu-
cation, harassed and brow beaten by
hirelinz police, governed by con-
straint and compulsion, oppressed
morally and materially, was it any
wonder that these Irish rebels of Rob-
ert Emmet'st type were the bane OF
British politicians and the nettles and
thorns in JOHN Bluffs sleek hide?
Isaac Butt Talks Of Homo Rule.
About 1870. the now hackneyel
words, Home Rule" were whispered
abroad for the first time The COM
bination of familiar monosyllab!es was
q contagious expression and found in
slant and permanent favor. Isaac Butt
started the fashion of talking about
Home Rule for Ireland. a lawyer of
no mean talent, with big debts and
bigger aspirations. what device could
succeed more smoothly than to offer
him a seat on the supreme bench as
Judge, with fat stipends and oppor-
tunities for graft that sound like a
summary Of Aladdin's treasure vaults? !?
The Land League.
New lamps for old" Isaac But
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