The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1916-05-19
Emerson Branch. r. G. MASTERTON Nor

ranks and often on both sides fighting
against each other. Whether with fist,
shillalay or sausket the Irishman is al
wsys one Of the bravest end best of
fighters.
The United States owes much to the
infusion Of Irish blood. thousands of
Irish immigrants from the earlier days
have left q marked impsession on our
cosmopolitan mixture, while on the other
hand the resulting generations of Irish
have themselves been modified largely
by the infusion of the bleod of other
nationalities. The United States has
never had.a better class Of citizens than
these resulting generations thus impreg.
mated with the qualities which stood out
so prominently in the IRISH fathers and
mothers.
The Irishman is natural born extre-
NEST. His national history is most re.
markaole for its own contradictions. He
is the most patriotic of all nationallsts
but has the most contradictory ways of
showing it. He is the man who put
both "Pat" and "riot'' into patriotism
His idea of patriotism is. largely "oat-
ROT, but is always conscientious about
it.
In Ireland today, and for more than a
century there are three: general divisions
of opinion. These divisions are mostly
founded on. religious differences, and
have been handed down from father ia
son for several centuries with an accom-.
panimeut.o of the uttermost bitterness.
Broadly speaking, there is faction
that desire complete: separation of Ire
land from British rule. and that Ireland
take its place as separate nation in the
world. We wonder. however, if this
dream could ever come true what would
happen to the Irish people who are SO
bitterly prejudiced against each other
We fear that it would be like the skill.
kenny cats" tied by the tails and thrown
across clothes line,
Then in the north of Lreland there is
another lot of extremists who not only
want Ireland to remain under English
rule, but object to even a home parlia-
ment for Ireland. These are Protestants
and their principal objection to 'Home
Rule" is that with home parliament
Ireland would be ruled by the Catholics
who outnumber the Protestants. These
extremists just before the present Euro.
pean war we're gathering arms and drill.
ing with the object of rebelling against
any law that gave Ireland "Home Rule
if passed by the British parliament.
Again there is a third faction that
have been fighting for years for Home
Rule and would be satisfied with being
part of the British Empire but want a
parliament which would govern their
own country much as do other colonial
dependencies OF the Empire, which
government has already been agreed to
by the British parliament.
The unfortunate rioting and distur.
Dances in Dublin two weeks ago. carried
on by the first described faction who
seek to take advantage of the European
var and free Ireland from the "Enelish
yoke"
Thus we have the contradictory spec.
tacle in that unhappy country that with.
IN two years time, one faction was ready
to fight against England because the
latter country was about to grant "Home
Rule" and now the other extremists are
fighting to separate Ireland entirely
from the Empire, while the third faction
is entirely satisfied with things as they
are or will be in short time.
!. Ireland may have its grievances
buttit is little wonder that England has
blundered SO often trying to govern these