The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-10-17

else. It is that we are giving back
to the Irish an old spiked, useless
gun. 1t is that we are doing some
such thing as we did when we sur
rendered our claim to our French
possessions long after we had ceased
to have any possessions, let alone any
claim to them. 1t is as, If we sent
suffragettes to France to- dispute the
Salic law that existed in the Mid
die Ages. It is as II we sent Soc
ialists to Palestine to pick up all
possible res of the unquestionably
communal system of Moses. In short
Parliament is like a heavy horse
pistol-it is simply nuisance to the
modern man. This is the only in
telligent objection to Home Rule that
anybody ever thought of. -.--,
I Thought of it, and it is wrong.
The real answer to this real objection
the only real answer to this the
only real objections that there is
no alternative to a Parliament in
Dublin. The nearest thing I can
think Of would be a real King in III
ster. with real red hand which grew
redder in battle, and a real shield
blazoned with 1t, which he carried in
battle. But even then he would have
to be an O'Neill. which might be
nuisance. .g.-..
Some time. ago a small tin shed
which happened to be opposite
small chapel in the suburbs Of Lon
don placarded itself suddenly as
pagan temple. 1t said it wanted to
continue the work of Penda"- "a
chieftain violent in his time and es-
sentially visible in ours, who hap
pened to be the last heather prince
in England-which. by the way. did
not exist then. The project of reviv-
ing the really romantic royalty Of
Ulster is one. which I abandoned with
reluctance. I quote from memory
what always seemed to me the spirit
ed start Of q ballad told me by a
Catholic priest:
Twas: a day of sorrow for Ulster
When, Conner Mackessor went
/ forth
To war with the tribesmen of, Con-
- naught. . ~ %.t.. /.
! That came to take spoil; from the
=, North. 80.
For they brought him back out of the
battle. : :z;ss,
Scarce better than one that was:
\ dead, -, .:,'s
With the brainball of someone OF
other T. =. -.
Three-forths driven into his head"
I do not know what "brainball"
was. rather suppose it was some
cannibal king of thing; but If brain
ball was anything in any way re-
sembling brain, most warmly wish
the FISHERMAN of today could get
even three-forths of it driven into his
head. think it would supply a long
felt want. For the real fact which
the Orangeman will not face is the
fact that have stated-there is no
alternative to Parliament in Dub
lin.
There is no kingdom. no clan, no
hierarchy that can dispute the au-
thority Of the great place where Graf
tan sat. If st. Patrick could govern
Ireland it might be. theocracy; if
Lord Edward Fitzgerald could gov
ern Ireland it might be a monarchy;
If Jim Larkin governed Ireland there
might even be chance Of its being
democracy. AS it is Ireland must
be ruled by modern constitutional
Parliament, and I'll never deny that
it is disgusting doom. But still,
putting it at it's worst, there is moth
ing else but Home Rule.
Even supposing party government
appeared in Dublin, it is still appar-
emily a choice between that and the
party government which cannot be
dislodged at Westminster. A man
may distfust Parliaments and repre-
sentative institutions. Rousseau dis
trusted them. Corbett distrusted
them. Rochefort and Deroulede dis
trusted them. d But any of them
would have agreed to this-th2t
native Parliament would be better
than a foreign Parliament. just as
native tyrant would be better than
a foreign tyrant. ..
To put the matter perfectly plain,
we have to choose between whether a
distinguished and very dangerous
race is to be ruled by its own Par
lament, which must rule it as best it
can: or whether it shall be ruled by
an English Parliament, which has
plainly proved that it can't.
On any showing there is at this
moment much more shance that the
Irish Parliament might do its duty
than that the English Parliament ev-
er will. I am perfectly sincere En-
glish patriot, and say it with q