The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-05-23
Hon. Chas. j. Bonaparte, Formerly
Attorney General o. the United
States Discusses Home Rule,
Ulster and the British
Army.
Believes that Home Rule is as Inn
portant to England as it is
to Ireland.
Many People Profess an Interest
which They Do Not Feel.

An interesting article on "Home
Rule, Ulster, and the British Army"
by the Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte,
former secretary of the United States
navy. and Attorney-General in Presi-
dent Rosevelt's administration, ap-
pears in the Evening Sum-" of Balti-
more. In the course of the article
the Hon. Mr.. Bonaparte says:-
The vast majority of Irish-Amer-
leans long ardently for Home Rule in
ireland, and the vast majority OF
those among Americans of other de-
scent who give any thought at all to
the subj wish to see Irish Home
Rule established. and believe 1T
ought to be established.
Some public men and some news
papers, hoping to make political
capital, doubtless profess an interest
in the question which they do not
feel; and. in some cases. pretended
sympathy for ireland may serve to
mask genuine prejudice against Eng
land; but the writer thinks the great
bulk of well-informed and intelli-
gent Americans believe Irish Home
Rule would be surely and obviously
of great and immediate benefit to
both ireland and England; and,
moreover, they cannot understand
how Englishmen, or so many Of them
fail to see this. ...
The Colonial Precedent.
Canada and Australia enjoy Home
Rule to the verge of independence,
and they are prosperous and loyal
provinces of the British Empire;
South Africa, with the wounds of the
Boer War yet sore. is rapidly grow
ing like unto them under the like
treatment; it seems strange to us
that anyone should see these things
and also see, to adapt the striking
words Of Macaulay, now Ireland,
cured" for many generations, "by
the domination of race over race and
religion over religion, remains, in
deed, a member of the Empire, but
a withered and distorted member,
adding no strength to the body poll
tic. and reproachfully pointed at by
all who fear and envy the greatness
of England" without recognizing
that common sense dictates the sub
stitution of policy so successful in
South Africa and Australia and. Can
ada for a policy which has failed so
signally and so disastrously in Ire
land.
Unfortunately, there are certain
features of the situation, certain de-
plorable legacies of the past, which
render the practical application of
this policy task of great delicacy
and difficulty for British states
man, as recent events have very
clearly shown. Seldom, if ever. has
there been more, evident illustra-
tion of poetic justice than in Eng
lands experience with Ireland; sell
uOll, IL ever, Las ulSIO1y 1uluASuSu
clearer proof how true are the grim
verses
"The gathered guilt of elder
times
Shall reproduce itself in crimes.
There is a day of vengeance
still;
Linger it may, but come it will"
1.-THE Common Enemy"
For some two centuries English
statesmen strove by almost every
means in their power to make the
Protestant minority in Ireland hate
and despise the Catholic majority;
they placed all political power and
all opportunities for social, CONNER
cial or educational advancement in