The Irish standard., 1916-08-12
u. s. SENATE DEBATE ON RESOLUTION OF,
SENATOR JAMES j. PHELAN OF CALIFORNIA
CONTINUED from Page 6. J

| recall now that Webster when he
used those eloquent words to describe
the power of England, just quoted, had
reference to what? Under what cir
cumstances were they uttered? They
were uttered in order to show the
courage, the valor, and the love of lib
erty of the men of America, who, not
withstanding. the strength of that pow,
er, matched the Continental Army
against it, That is identically what
Ireland has done in our time and from
time memorial-willing to lead an
almost hopeless battle for rights which
we all concede she is entitled to, be-
cause we cannot claim any rights for
ourselves which we are not willing
to accord to Others
| But l was surprised, Mr.. President,
that there should not have been
more spontaneous demonstration in
the cause of liberty in this body.
Senator Williams.
| OF. so far as the word, rebel is
concerned, l can assure the Senator
from California that it has no terrors
for me in any country at any time.
am like him about that One of us
wore the uniform of the Colonies and
was rebel; one OF us wore the uni
form of the Confederacy and was a
rebel; and that reminds me that the
South also fought for community in
dependence. and among the bravest
and most effective soldiers that we
had to meet in battle array, and who
helped as much as any to put us down.
were the Irish Nobody has ever
blamed them for that; they happened
! to take a different view than ours
but | merely cite it to show that it
depends upon whose shoulder the wa
ter is carried. | do not remember that
at that time Ireland raised any great
commotion in behalf of southern in
dependence. nor do ! remember that
the British Parliament ever expressed
any sympathy for it. Both of them
acted properly and in perfectly neu-
trial manner, and regarded the Ameri.
can trouble, as a matter for America
to settle-and America did settle it.
We went down under the fate of war;
after that, although the North put lis
through 10 years of saturnalia arming
recently emancipated ignorant slaves
with the ballot, and disqualifying
those who were competent to cast a
vote all through the South, yet upon
the whole, with that exception, you
acted with exceedingly great reason,
ableness. considering the way that hu.
man nature ordinarily runs, and we
therefore worked out our own saliva
tion as best we could; and today it
has been wrought out, and the sections
of this country were never before 50
close together since the Missouri com.
promise alarmed Thomas Jefferson
like fire bell in the night" as they
are today
ell has no terrors for me, as said
My sympathies are with people every.
where who are contending for comml.
nifty independence. and certainly when
they are of a different race and of a
different language from their rulers.
My sympathies are with the Bohe-
in St,in
IN Turkey, with Alsace and Lorraine, in
Germany; with Poland In Russia: and
all over this world my heart beats
sympathetic to the cause of a people
who are struggling to throw off an
alien rule. Austria is much more alien
to Bohemia, Germany is much more
alien to Alsace and Lorraine, than
England is to Ireland, because there
are not, perhaps. a thousand Irishmen
who speak the Irish language. They
all speak English. So that in language
at any rate, they are one. and in the
other cases cited not even that is the
case.
Since Senators have rather unprece.
dently talked upon the floor of the
Senate about what occurred in the
committee, may be allowed to 20 a
little bit further in that direction. II
this resolution is to pass. the scope of
1t ought to be extended. There are
political prisoners held in Jail under
anticipation of death today by Austria,
score of them-Italians from the
Trentino and from the Trieste coun-
try. Bohemians have been executed,
others are in prison and may be. If
we are going to ask Great Britain to
show leniency to. political prisoners,
we ought to ask Austria to do it; we
ought to ask Russia to do it, When
poor man who speaks French, and
whose very heartstrings are tied to
La Belle France and to her republi-
can institutions, joins the French
Army he is given by the Germans no
trial for treason, can assure the
Senator from California. He is tried
If at all by drumhead court-martial;
he is shot upon the spot. When poor
little English woman In Belgium-Miss
Cavil, believe her name was-com.
mitted the fnexpiable and inexpressi.