The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-07-11
OUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES, is
ANTI-BRITISH.


An anti-British demonstration oc-
cured in the House of Representa-
tives last week, when Representative
Henry D. Flood, of Virginia, chair
man of the House committee on
Foreign Affairs, acting at the re-
quest of the Secretary of State,
tried to force the passage of bill
providing for the appointment by the
president of commission to make
official arrangements for the cele-
bration of the one-hundredth ami
versary of the treaty of peace of
Client, or century of peace between
English-speaking people.
1t has been we'll known in the
House for long time that there was
strong opposition to the measure,
and when put to a vote, the bill was
beaten by vote of 1885 to So. The
action of the House, it is believed,
effectually puts quietus on all pro-
posals looking to an official celebra-
ton of the treaty of peace signed
100 years ago.
In the debate preceding the vote,
Representative Thomas Gallagher, of
Illinois, addressed the House as fol-
lows:
"Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, this
is splendid scheme on the part of
some individuals who want to pro-
mote themselves as advocates of
peace. 1t is nothing but a bunco
game that is going to be worked off
on the American public, because
anybody who has read history knows
that there has never been 100 years
of peace between this country and
Great Britain. Everyone knows the
attitude of Great Britain toward this
country in every crisis that our gov
eminent has been in. To expend
$4,000 for a matter of this kind is
simply wasting the money of the
people, because the whole movement
is unwarranted by every fact.
cannot understand who conceived the
idea of trying to bunco the American
people by any such move, and hope
that the Congress will defeat this
resolution and refuse the expenditure
of money for any such purpose.
hope that gentlemen here will OPP
pose the appointment of this COM
mission. I do not believe that it is
warranted. do not believe that
the Congress ought to expend money
for any such purpose. Talk about
peace with America! Talk about
England being at peace with any
country! She is at peace only when
it is to her advantage to be at peace.
Who wants this celebration in this
country? know the people of my
district do not want it, and I hope
that you folks, who represent Ameri-
can constituencies. will oppose any
such movement to spend the money
of the American people.
Mr.. Speaker. the passage of this
law would be sham upon history;
1t would fly into the teeth of historic
fact, and proclaim to the country and
to the world a glazing lie.
One hundred years ago the Brit
ish invaders, under Gen. Ross, with
force of 1000 men, appeared in the
Potomac. captured Washington, and
before evacuating the city burned the
public buildings to the ground, raz-
Ing to the ground this magnificent
Capitol in which we assemble to
guide the destinies of the Republic.
Few more shameful acts are recorded
in civilized history, and it was the
more disgustingly shameful in the
fact that this atrocious act of vandal-
ism was done under strict orders is
sued direct from the Government of
England.
And now we hear men born in
America, and some who were not,
prating pusillanimously about hands
across the sea-, 'one blood, one Ian
guage, one race, and rot of that kind
and actually within the honored
walls asking for an elaborate appro-
priation of the public moneys to cele-
brate an alleged century of peace
peace with the nation that perpe-
trated these atrocities.
Peace! Peace! There has not
been hundred years of peace be-
tween Britain and this country. Per-
f1dious Albion has always been ready
to make war upon us-not by indul-
gence in open and overt acts of war.
but secret, treacherous conspiracies
to weaken and destroy us. When
during our late rebellion, she found
her opportunity to strike, she did
not hesitate to deliver the deadly
blow. She attempted to form
European coalation against the
Union; and If 1t were not for the de-
termined front of the Emperor of all
the Russias, her scheme would have
hoen contaminated