The Irish standard., 1914-12-19

sion Of the English race or have plaved
only a very subordinate part. The
English Protestants did i'm.
press their language and did bring
ireland under their own government.
Let us most earnestly hope
That we may not lose the Puritan
loftlness of soul and striving for the
right, than which no nation could
ever have more precious heritages."
speaking of those who fought against
oliver Cromwell, he says, "the man
against whom such false conventions
obtained could not be expected to see
In Its true proportions the form of
mighty Oliver, looming ever larger
across the intervening centuries.
Sooner or later, justice will be done
him; sooner or later, he will be recog-
nized, not only as one of the greatest
OF all Englishmen, and by far the
greatest ruler Of England itself, but
as a man who, in times that tried
mems souls, dealt with vast questions
and solved tremendous problems. He
strove nightly toward the light as it
was given him to see the light; man
who had the welfare of his country.
men and the greatness of his country
very close to his heart, and who sought
to make the great laws of righteous
ness living forces in the government
of the world"
These incidents should be sufficient
to put all Catholics on their guard
against the sincerity of ex-President
Roosevelt. It will require something
more than his present article to ex-
plain his former attitude. It should
require far greater evidence than his
present questionable outburst of in.
d1gnation on the Mexican question to
overcome the evidence that is against
him. One thing more and this is the
meat of the whole affair, was the ar
ticle penned by ex-President Roose-
welt a voluntary contribution to the
Mexican affair? Did ex-President
Roosevelt, stimulated by a righteous
Indignation and laboring under a
strong desire to advance the Catholic
cause, his heart big with the suffering
of the Mexican priests and nuns, vol.
unfairly take his pen in hand to re.
Duke the president of the United
States? Why did ex-President Roose.
welt wait until the eleventh hour be-
fore taking his pen in hand to write
concerning the Mexican situation?
Surely Mr.. Roosevelt had a chance
to know, If anybody in America had
chance to know, what was happen.
ing in Mexico. The situation was well
understood and the facts were known
before he spoke. Why was he not
among the first to recognize the sit.
uation and then attempt to lend a
hand before all the mischief was done!
His article was well timed. He waited
until Catholic sentiment throughout
the country was crystallized and until
Catholic opposition was we'll organ
lied in an attempt to deal with the
Mexican situation. He waited until
the country was on tiptoe, expecting
to see what would be done next and
what would be the policy of the adj
ministration in regard to Mexico. He
well understood that under those cir
cumstances with few strokes of his
pen he could command the attention
of the American people and, shrewd
politician that he is, he understood
how he could win favor among the
Catholics. He did not misjudge the
time, neither did he misjudge the re-
suit. From all; quarters came paeons
of praise. The Catholics are now
talking Roosevelt where they formerly
talked Mexico. 1t was master stroke,
He turned the trick.
During the last presidential election
the American people administered a
singing rebuke to this ex-president
as the record of the votes will show.
How many Catholics voted for ex.
President Roosevelt at the last cleo
ton and thereby expressed their con-
tidence in his sincerity of purpose?
Was he not characterized as danger
Gus man and demagog? Politics
is politics. We are not to be blown
about by every breeze of popular doc
trine or grasp at every situation in
order to establish our position. Elk
President Roosevelt has not added any
evidence to the Mexican situation so
far as horrors may add to evidence of
suffering. No one denies for a mo-
ment that the Catholic church, it's
priests and nuns, have been and are
being prosecuted in most barbarous
fashion in Mexico. But does it re-
main for ex-President Roosevelt by a
stroke of his pen to establish himself
In the minds and hearts of the Cath
Ole citizens of the country, whose
feelings he outraged and whose sen.
sibility he offended on former occa.
sion? When we have the evidence
that this article was not solicited from
Mr.. Roosevelt we will abandon our
suspicious, but we have too much re-
gard for the memory of the late Pope
Plus the Tenth to condone Mr.. Roose-
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