The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-03-20

the wars of the time of the great Ma.
poleon. Daniel O'Connell, who Ger.
talnly cannot be accused of being an
extremist, told the Irish people con.
tinually-he hardly omitted it from
single speech made to the people
that "Englands difficulty was Ireland's
opportunity" Now O'Connell did not
mean that Englands difficulty would
be lreland's opportunity to fight, but
lie did mean that it would give Ireland
an opportunity to squeeze from Eng.
land concessions which when she was
not in difficulty she was never dis.
posed to grant Charles Stuart Par.
nell. the clearest-headed leader that
ireland ever produced, If he had lived
ana mad remained the leader of the
Irish people. would certainly have put
TO practical use that great opportu.
nifty. Daniel O'Connell, with all his
belief in peace, with all his talk about
mo amount of human liberty being
worth the shedding of single drop of
human blood" certainly would have
used that opportunity to force his
favorite policy of repeal of the union
to the front.
But John Redmond after the bill had
been suspended by agreement between
the two English parties, instead of US.
ing that opportunity to get something
out OF England, to force Asquith to
throw the amending bill overheard, or
TO remove some of the prohibitions and
reservations which are more numor.
GUS In the bill than those which give
the privilege of doing anything-in.
stead OF doing anything of that kind.
"'thout even calling meeting of his
party without going over to Ireland
ana calling a convention of his own
organization, instead of doing what
any ordinary leader in such extraor.
binary circumstances would have done
Mr.. Redmond stood up in the house
OF commons and pledged the loyalty of
ireland to England during the war.
And he did more than that: he plede.
, ed the friendship of the Irish lace in
America to England until the war ia
ended. He made that pledge without
getting anything in return, without
exacting payment, or a promise of
payment, having nothing but his own
absolute faith in the honesty of Eng.
land, that If Ireland shed the blood of
her young men to the tune of 100000
ana thereby left herself helpless and
impotent, England, having the great.
est opportunity she has had in a cen.
tury OF wiping the Irish question out of
existence, would throw that orportu.
: nifty away and perform an act of un-
precedented generosity.
NOW there is no use in calling
names. I have called John Redmond
by very impolite name, but his act
speaks for itself. That act put an end
to even the pretense that John Red
, mond can any longer be accepted as
the leader of the Irish people. The
, Irish people have never yet followed a
! poltroon. and they are not going to
, follow John Redmond into the ranks
I of the English army.
/ There are now three parties in Ire.
land. the Redmondites, the Unionists
J and the real Nationalists. John Red.
mond tells you through the American
, press, that the majority of the Irish
r people are on his side, that Ireland is
: almost unanimously on his side; that
the young men are going into the
: British army in such numbers that
there can hardly be any room for the
: Englishmen. In cablegram the other
, day he said that there was mot a
= voice raised against England in Ire
= land" 1t reminds US of the dispatch
( sent by General Mowravieff to the
8 czar, "Order reigns in Warsaw" after
3 he had ensured the silence of death.
He tells us that after six newspapers
I have been suppressed with his approv-
e al and consent, and probably at his
8 request-mOre papers than had been
= suppressed at any previous period in
:, Irish history. Only one paper was sup
t pressed in Fenian times four in 1848,
Q and only one in 1898. They only sup
y pressed one during the hottest period
8 of the Land League. But now when
8 John Redmond tells you that the peo.
o pie of Ireland are almost unanimous
n in his support and loyal to England,
e they suppress six. The Defence OF
g the Realm Act, which practically
l. means martial law, has been put In
d force with the consent of John Red
II mond and with the approval of the
g so-called Irish party. Under that ACT
D. men are peremptorily ordered away
from their place of residence, where
e they are making their living, and are
g obliged to sojourn in remote parts ol
g. the country where they cannot make q
ls living. Civilians are being tried by
IS court-martial, SO that 1t is no wonder
'e Continued on page 2.)