The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-03-27
H|bERh|hhS ARE AGAINST TIE RECRUITING POLICY
National President Joseph Mclaughlin Referring
His Attitude Recruiting Policy of Irish Party Leaders
Ninety Per Cent of A. o. H. Against Irish Recruiting

l. Against Irish Recruiting
temporary head; but give public
voice to what believe to be the con.
victions of that. society. When re-
ceive criticism it may not be wholly
personal; but it is my right to make
such criticism personal matter. I
deem it advisable to reply to some edi-
torial structures, not because of the
influence of many of them, but because
they meddle and muddle in Irish af-
fairs with stupidity which breeds
disunion and a milky spirit which in.
vites defeat.
There have always been two classes
of 1rishmen-the fighting class and
the satisfied class. The satisfied class
was picking up the crumbs from un-
der the table of Dublin Castle when
the ancestors of the present members
of the Ancient Order Of Hibernians
were on the hills with pixies in their
hands. There were always high.spirited
men who declared that national free
dom alone would end the long centur-
les of oppression. And there have al.
ways been weakened folk who have
been willing to consign Ireland to the
condition of a province. The price Of
peace with them has always been bread
and butter. In this latter class, also.
are comprised the easy victims of
British Establishments. Slaves have
ever been awed by power, deceived by
promises or subjugated by force. But
the men who made the Ancient Order
of Hibernians were neither tools nor
slaves. They were not quite broken on
the rack of misfortune nor enervated
by q delusive hour of promised pros
perity.
The real guardians Of Irish liberty
for centuries have been the men who
stood faithful to the principles of ma
tional existence.
The most dangerous enemies of Ire
land have been those alleged friends
who would surrender for a spoonful of
milk and honey. When the Hibernians
Of other days were dying with arms IN
their hands, there were craven Irish.
men who had other business of safer
kind to do than to strike a blow for
their country. The whole history of
the Order has been made glorious by
combat. We have never been parlor
knights nor armchair philosophers.
Yet there are men who say that it is
time now to surrender all that we have
held dear for ages. There are men
who cry that it is time to acknowledge
that the whole history of the fight for
freedom Is a cause for shame-men
who are willing to brand their fathers
as fools, and to declare that all the
blood shed for Irish freedom was
needless sacrifice.
The "once-trusted leaders" have
been easily shaken from their purpose.
A promise of peace always soothes the
timid. Promises are passed out at
~ coChL vi LllC CdI Julu6o dUOuL W
happen, and weak men have changed
their colors from green to red in the
anteroom Of the Privy Council in Lon.
don. In every crisis in Ireland's his
tory the great things about to hap.
pen" have been used with sad success.
The lavish promises of these great
things were used to abolish the Irish
parliament in 1900; were used during
the days of O'Connell and are used
now to enlist soldiers to fight under
the banners of England against nations
with which Ireland has never had a
quarrel.
Let those who believe in suppliance
follow the "colors" which have waved
over ruined cabins and rack-rented
tenants for hundreds of years. Let
them follow the "colors'' of Cromwell
and Castlereagh. The Ancient Order
of Hibernians will still be faithful to
the colors which the Order was organ
lied to defend-the colors which were
raised above the first Conferedation of
Kilkenny-the colors which shone un.
der the eye of Owen Roe-which re-
mained triumphant on the walls Of
Limerick-for which Tone and Emmet
died, and for which Michael Dwyer,
Smith, O'Brien and millions have gone
into exile.
do not need to defend the position
I occupy. That position has been de-
Tended by tens of thousands of daunt-
less Irishmen-by statesmen like Graf
tan and Flood, by writer's like Davis
and Mitchell, by Meagher and O'Reilly,
and by every man and woman of Irish
Nationalist sentiment who has written
a line or spoken sentence on the sub
ject since '9S. If others want to chase
a gaudy phantom they will not have
me as follower. All experience proves
that the dictum, "England's difhculty
is Ireland's opportunity" is the sure
guide for Irishmen.
The British lion needs new claws on
its palsied paws and it seeks Irish,
soldiers to furnish them. The recruit
ing policy is treason. It can not de-.