The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-10-06
end. Should nv enemv invade nv

and proceed to run my affairs I might,
in throwing him out, experience GER
tain satisfaction because / didn't like
him, but the reason I should throw
him out is not that he was my enemy,
but because have right to be master
in my own house. If my friend should
attempt to do the same am bound to
treat him in similar fashion, though
might regret having to use violence
on my friend.
THE Irish democracy should be mas
ter of the Irish house, and no strang-
er people, be it friend or enemy, has
a right to usurp the management of
Irish affairs.
But the claim is made that to
bring up the Irish question now is to
embarass and weaken England, and
consequently to embarrass and weaken
the United States, seeing that we are
at war Some who make this claim
90 so dishonesty and because they
are opposed to the Irish cause. With
them we do not reason. But there are
others, sincere Americans, and sincere
friends of democracy, who say Won
surely cannot expect to win the war
II you stab at England through Ire.
land, and that if England is beaten
Germany will have everything her own
way and we shall have to suffer enor-
nous losses to make ourselves secure
against Teutonic oppression. To such
persons we owe an explanation of orr
action, and we have an explanation
that completely justifies us.
Poland and ireland.
1T will be admitted by all that in
the present war the relations of the
United States to England are precisely
the same as the relations of the United
States to Russia. We are not allies,
but associates in a common cause.
that is, the war against Germany.
Now Poland is far more necessary
to Russia than Ireland is to England
Poland is Russia's richest possession.
According to the English, Ireland is
only a source of continuous expense
to England. Take Poland away from
Russia and Russia becomes once more
an Asiatic instead of a European
power. Take Ireland away from Eng
land and it does not affect her posi-
ton among the nations. Ireland is
merely an island separated from Eng
land and the continent by stormy seas.
Poland is still what she was in the
days of the Turks, the outer rampant
OF western culture and the strong
wall of the Latin against the Greek.
Therefore there is absolutely no COM
parison between the Importance of Ire
land to England and the Importance
of Poland to Russia.
yet, mark the conclusion. Mr..
Wilson has not hesitated to specify
Poland as one of those nations en-
titled to national independence. The
Pope has not hesitated to use the
same language. If these two high
authorities believe that postulating the
independence of Poland is not stab
bling our associate, Russia in the back,
how can any consistent American hold
that postulating the freedom of Ire
land is stabbing our associate, Eng
land, in the back?
Follow the President.
But it may be objected that Rus
STA had promised of her own initia-
tive to give home government to Po-
land; but so had England as regards
Ireland. In fact the English cry has
been: Well give Ireland anything
1rishmen can agree on. It is they,
not we, that stand in the way Hence,
when Americans demand that Irish
democracy be given the right to deter
mine Ireland's future by the only
means that democracies can determine
anything, namely, by majority vote,
we are simply following our Presi-
dents lead, and taking as sincere the
utterances of the English themselves.
Indeed, those that know the record
Of the Irish in America know that if
they believed for a moment that any
action of theirs concerning the old
country were to bring even the small
lest damage to America, they would
sooner cut off their right hand than
commit it or countenance it.
About Loyalty.
II am not now and never have been
of the number of those who are always
protesting our loyalty. The pledge of
that loyalty is our oath to support the
Constitution of the United States, and
the sanction of that pledge is our duty
done in every field of American life
from the Declaration of independence
to the present day. And as I have
no sympathy for those of our own
who are continually protesting their
patriotism, so l have no tolerance for
the supercilious condescension that
gives us good character as citizens.
when some time ago certain Eng
lish agents were found guilty of break
ing the United States laws by recruit
ing, I do not remember that the judge
expressed his opinion that the Eng
lish in California were law-abiding
class. If Hollander should run away
with his neighbours wife, don't think
tho nntch in tho I1nito6 States would