The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-06-14
IRISH LEAGUE TO
MEET IN DUBLIN
Desire to See Old Parliament House
Influenced Selection of
Irish Capital.
Feeling That This Years Meeting
May Be the Last if Home
Rule is Won.
Quaint Charms of Dublin Tell of
Long Struggle for Irish Self
Government.

The annual convention of the United
Irish League of Great Britain will this
year be held in Dublin. The British
organization is separate from tho
Irish league which exists for the same
purpose, but confines its activities to
Ireland. The Irish capital has been
chosen to enable the delegates to see
again the old Irish Parliament house
on College Green and for the further
reason that this may be the last con-
vention as the realization of Home
Rule will mean that the purpose for
which tho league was organized has
been attained. II. p. OConnor, for
thirty years it's head. tells of the work
Of the organization in special article
in the Chicago Tribune:
Work Confined to England.
The United Irish League of Great
Britain is quite a separate organiza-
ton from that in ireland and, al
though it's purpose is the same, its
methods are necessarily different. 1t
devotes itself mainly to the organiza-
tion of the Irish vote in the British
constituencies and to active work at
election times. II is scarcely neces-
sary to say that its support is entirely.-
guided by the attitude Of the rival
candidates on the question of Home
Rule.
1t is hard to say how many constit-
uencies this Irish vote influences, but
1t is the decisive factor. unless there
be tidal wave In favor of the one
party or the other, when even pow
erful minority is swept away.
In ireland, the league has other de-
mands upon its energies. besides the
advance of Home Rule. It has been
winning the great schemes of land re-
form which have transferred the soil
of Ireland from the landlords to the
people; it has fought for the laborers
in the rural districts and transformed
their conditions; it is fighting for the
tenants in the towns and already has
accomplished much there. Thus, while
It's objects are patriotic, Its members
have gained enormous personal ad-
vantages from it's benefcent work
ings.
In the British organization the pur-
pose is purely impersonal and patriot
ic: its members gain nothing material
from the reforms In Ireland. This IL
its first claim to the extraordinary af-
fectioA with which its Is regarded by
the Irish people at home. There is
| another reason; the Irish in Great
Britain belong for the most part to
the working classes; what is more, to
the working classes who do the most
work and get the least pay. And yet
this organization of day wage earners
has subscribed in the last quarter Of
a century no less sum than 100000
and has spent over and above this at
least another $500,0o0 in assisting Ire
| land to regain her liberties
Iron Discipline.
Active. unselfish, enthusiastic, it is
a great force and it is made the
greater by its iron discipline. At ev-
cry election it's members await pa
tiently the advice of the leaders of
the movement, who are all members
Of the parliamentary party, and, the
moment this advice is given, it is fol-
lowed in ninety-nine cases out Of q
hundred by every single member of
the organization. Only once or twice
in the course of the great fight for
Home Rule during the last quarter of
century have any of It's members
broken away, even when it was an
infinitesimal minority.
The league Of Great Britain has an
annual convention. at which it dis
cusses it's rules and it's policy, and
this convention is held In different
town each year. In recent years there
has been tendency to hold the meet
ings in some Irish town and the con-
vention has met in Belfast, sin Cork.
and, finally, this year in Dublin.
The selection of Dublin for this
! year was suggested by the desire to
see the old parliament house in Col.