The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-12-21
CARDINAL 0'c0nnELL ADDRESSES
$4,000 FRIENDS OF IRELAND

SWer, ana woe 10 the world IT that
answer be not honest, frank and true.
Surely, since the peace of the world
depends upon the answer, it is the
solemn duty of all of us, especially of
those of us whose duty it is to hold up
before all alike the great principles of
Christian morality by which alonoe
mankind can live, to speak out fear
lessly and clearly, lest, being found
faithless in such a world crisis, we
forfeit forever our right to be listened
to by honest men.
IF faith is to survive this hour of
universal cropping and striving, the
men of faith must speak. If they are
silent now, then whose the blame if
all faith perishes from the earth? Is
that, then, the real meaning Of Ma
lachy's dread prophecy-'religio depo-
pulata'?
"The deepest purpose of this meet
ing is that faith may prevail-faith in
governments, faith in rulers and con-
crosses, and all that set of divine prin-
ciples and influences and human
agencies by which the world is held
in order.
This war, we were told again and
again by all those responsible for the
conduct of the war, was for justice to
all, for the inviolable rights of small
nations, for the inalienable right, in
herent in every nation, of self-deter-
mination.
"The purpose of this meeting to-
night is very specific. The war can
be justified only by the universal ap-
pIication of those principles. Let that
application begin with ireland.
ireland is the oldest nation and
the longest sufferer II these princi-
pies are not applied in her case, no
matter what else may be done, there
will be no complete justice, no genuine
sincerity believable. All the war not
bringing justice will not bring peace.
"Who was it who by the enuncia-
ton of these great principles united
| the peoples of the whole suffering
earth? 1t was our own President
once Wilson Of America, now Wilson
of the world. Tomorrow he lands at
Brest-Brest, the very port out from
which Count Arthur Dillon sailed with
his 5000 Irish troops to aid America
to obtain from England the very prin-
cipIe Of seIf-determination which to-
day ireland demands, and which we of
America, in accordance with the prin-
ciples enunciated by our President,
today also are determined by every
legitimate and lawful and Christian
means to aid ireland to obtain. For
ireland equally with America, fought
in this conflict for right.
America has fought in this war
not for selfish aims. She has given her
best blood, her hardest toll and her
enormous wealth, and in return gets
not one foot of soil not a single ma
terial gain. She has right to de-
mand that for which alone she has
made such tremendous sacrifces-jus.
tice to all.
"Let the test Of sincerity be ireland.
Then we will be convinced that truth
still lives.
ireland must be allowed to tell the
world freely what she wants; how she
wishes to be governed. Speak up,
Ireland; make the world hear you
Wake up, England, for the world is
watching you.
MAY God grant that the voice OF
Ireland be heard and that at last
peace, entering Europe through Ire
lands freedom, bring even to England
its blessings and it's fruits.
II firmly believe that the day that
England honestly faces her full duty
to Ireland and fulfils it faithfully, Coo
will bless her as she has not known
his blessings for many centuries. For
as with the individual soul so with the
soul of a nation-a clear conscience
| is the only door to happiness.
eve want this honest and frank ex
preston of our principles, the princi
pies upon which the stability of this
nation and every nation must now rest
to be borne undiluted across the sea
that first Ireland may hear and re
joice, that England may hear and con
slider, and that our President and al
those about him at the great confer
ence of peace may hear and heed.
when those men in whose hand!
now rests the fate of all freemen arise
with their work for the welfare of thu
world completed, may one of the yer,
. first articles of that treaty of peac,
for all the world read: We mean
what we said-Ireland, like every 9th
er nation, must be free-one unitet
Ireland, indivisible, unseparated, nov