The Irish standard., 1914-12-05
secure and deems it expedient to send

secure and deems 1t eXpedient to send
a representative to the Holy See.
At the Hague Peace Conference,
Italy objected to a representative of
the Holy See because it was argued
that such representation would in
directly recognize the temporal power
of the Papacy. The English represen-
tative, Lord Salisbury, who was prime
minister of England at the time, took
advantage of Italy's position on the
temporal power of the Papacy and
fastened to side with Italy, realizing
that by so doing, he would be aiding
Italy at the expense of the Holy See.
In this connection the prime minister
elected to stand with Italy against
the admission of representative of
the Papacy. Thus it was that rep
resentatives Of the great powers Of
Europe who met in the name Of
PEACE, one of the sweetest words
that was ever coined in Heaven, found,
instead Of peace, that the representa-
tive of one of these powers came to
the conference with Catholic hatred
ranking in his bosom and would have
disrupted the Hague Conference
rather than see Rome represented.
1t remains now to determine
whether or not England has expe-
rienced a change of heart or whether
England is sending representative
to the Vatican merely as matter
of expediency. The situation Is self
explanatory. The enemies Of England
in the present conflict have three rep
resentatives at the Vatican, Austria
Hungary, Prussia and Bavaria. The
allied countries have two, Belgium and
Russia. France has been without a
representative since 1905. Add to this
situation the fact that there is great
unrest in Ireland, a feeling among
the Nationalist that they have been
tricked, the appointment Of pro-
Tossing Jew as undersecretary of Ire
land, the rejection of the appeal Of
Cardinal Logue for more priests in
the British army to minister to the
Catholic soldiers, it is easy to deter
mine that the envoy named by Eng
land would be named for the purpose
of expediency and nothing else. No
thought of representative at the
Vatican entered the mind of the Brit
ish ministry until the Germans be-
came dangerous and threatened the
power of Britain.
The recruiting sergeants in ireland
have been unsuccessful. The pro-
British papers in Ireland will herald
the appointment of an envoy from
one section of the country to another.
They will paint in glowing word pic
lures the love of Great Britain for her
Catholic subjects, ask all Irishmen
the world over to forget Ireland's sor-
row and Ireland's misery. They will
be asked to concentrate their minds
upon England's change of heart. But
Irishmen are proving that they are
not to be thus deceived. They under
stand the situation thoroughly. They
realize what the English army failed
to do when sent to Ulster last spring.
They realize that, so far as the Irish
cause is concerned, the men now in
charge Of the British army in the field
would mutiny before they would put
down an Orange rebellion such as was
lead by Carson and his cohorts last
spring. Why, then, should Catholics
become excited or interested over the
appointment of an envoy to the Vati-
can 1t is merely sham. There is
every evidence that the Catholics of
Ireland will not be tricked by the
hypocrisy of Great Britain in her pres
ent attempt to besmirch the dignity
of high office for mere expediency
in her hour of trouble. Her action is
nothing but a mockery. England has
sinned and sinned previously against
the Holy See. Hypocrisy will not
make amends. Her sin was far more
agreeable than her deceiving repen-
lance.