The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-02-26

this communication was sup
pressed and what blow it was to
Irish development. The discov-
cry of America was an. important
fact in the history of Ireland. The
suppression of Ireland was, there
fore, an important fact in English
advancement. Every fact in his
tory tempered with Irish inter-
ests will prove to any individual
whether interested in Ireland or
not, that Ireland's grievances are
not merely sentimental but based
upon the absolute denial of the
assertion of every political, eco
nomic, commercial and religious
right which nature intended
should be the possession of an
enlightened people claiming the
advantages of freedom. On this
very date every Irish port is
closed to intellectual intercourse
with the outside world through
correspondence, except by secret
means. An edict of the British
government forbids Irishmen to
leave Ireland, denying them the
right of passage on vessels bound
from other lands than those TAX
ing them as soldiers to the trench
es in France. Ireland free and
independent means the freedom
of the seas. Ireland free and in
dependent means that the COM
merce of the world will not be
forced to be carried upon English
ships. The trade route of South
America will not be marked with
dotted lines between ports of
South America and Liverpool be-
cause the strategic Importance of
Ireland can make her ports as the
clearing house of commerce. By
every survey of her rivers, coasts
and the natural resources, ireland
was destined by nature to be the
home of healthy, happy and
prosperous people. Blest with soil
of more than ordinary fertility, a
mild and enjoyable climate, sub
ject to no extremes of heat or cold,
her shores indented in such a way
as to offer All opportunity for fine
natural harbors, her splendid
lakes, her rivers capable of COM
mercial development, not only as
routes of trade but sources of
power. Her resources of coal and
peat almost untouched. Her de-
posts of building stone, marble,
and granite in unmeasured guam
tity. Vast deposits of clay for
brick and pottery. With all this,
her population is not one-half of
what it was sixty years ago. The
young and the strong have mi
grated, the percentage of defec-
tives has Increased. 1t is no mar
vel that this is true, it is a nat
ural result of criminal economic
and political policy. Ireland has
no government to devote to Irish
interests. Did Ireland ever ex-
pect more from a tenanted land :?
Irish industry has not been fos-
tered and we will 60 further, we
will say it has been prevented.
Would not England have been
negligent of her own private in
terests if she would not advertise
that under the present circum-
stances she has produced union
of hearts," and that with Home
Rule on the statute book, Ireland
should be satisfied. What new
found charms, what unknown and
newly discovered value does Ire
land possess that led to Eng!and's
manifestation of love for Ireland
since the war started, as voiced
by T. P. O'Connor, whose Eng
lish love notes find their way to
the press. What newly discovered
virtues does the Catholic religion
possess which it did not have
when price was placed on the
head of a priest? What manhood
does an Irishman display that he
did not possess when an English
statesman declared that an Irish
man would be as scarce on the
banks of the Shannon as a wild
Indian on the banks of the Hud-