The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1919-03-29
Judging by the British Propaganda

popular one today. Judging by the
feelings of those who understand the
cause and understand the principles
Of 1t, it takes on new light and the
thing that those of Celtic blood and
those Americans who love liberty wish
is to get and understand the cause
and it's purpose. For myself it comes
natural to me. l speak tonight as an
American citizen and this question of
Irish freedom is now an international
question. 1t is now question OF
American principle. 1t is now ques-
ton whether America has the courage
to stand by the principles it has sue
cored. 1t is a question whether Eng
land is going to dominate the world
and say, 81 defy the principles that
you and l asserted when was in the
mud. Now l am on top and l will
make you take my ideas and principles
and these are the ideas and principles
that will govern the world-not those
that your children shed their blood
for" British propaganda tells the
world that the Irish have no claim to
nationality Aye! England! What
about her claim? The British went
down before the Saxons, Jutes and
Normans. They lost their nationality,
they lost their language. Their con-
querors gave them their language.
Ireland has never had hers. In 1415
Henry V was refused admittance to
an international council at Constance
because he belonged to a country that
was colony of Germany whose SOW
ereignty had never been acknowl-
edged and he got into the council by
claiming that he had conquered Ire
land, the oldest race in Christendom.
England claimed she brought her CIV
ilization. Ireland founded her laws
and codes on her own principles. Be-
fore the days of Christianity the Irish
had as high a culture and as high
civilization as any race in Europe of
those days. When Saint Patrick
preached Christianity to them the
clear-headed Celts saw the logic Of
1t and accepted it. They had the most
democratic form of government Of the
ancient nations of Europe. They &C.
cepted no rulers who did not come up
to certain standard, physically,
mentally and morally. The British
were the first who set jealous eyes
on the country of Ireland. The Scan
dinavians ravaged the coasts of Ire
land, but were beaten back in 1914 by
Brian Boru and this at the expense
of his own life and that of his son
and grandson. He had been what
cOrresponded with the President of
the United States today. He held the
office of high king, but so democratic
was their form of government that
his position was very similar to that
of our president. After the death of
Brian Boru there was no one family
strong enough to claim the leadership
and dominate the country. Before
central government was established
England got her eye on the country
and tried by every means in her pow
er to dominate it and make it a vassal
state of Europe. For 300 years the
Celt fought. About the first part of
the 10th century there was little
band of English that had taken hold
on the country. Henry VIII declared
himself King of Ireland. He called
in the chiefs to Parliament and off,
cred them English titles If they would
accept British rule. It was a slave
system that the Irish refused to &C.
cept, liberty loving people that they
were. Some of the chiefs forgot their
duty to their people and accepted q
title to which they had no right. When
they went back to their different
tribes they refused to acknowledge
them and elected new leaders and
Henry VIII had to acknowledge their
new chiefs. Before the end of Henry
Wits time the English had quite a
hold on the country. Elizabeth tried
to crush the Irish people out of ex-
istence, tried to exterminate the race
SO that she could have the land. They
were unable to exterminate the race.
They had too strong a vitality, too
strong fighting force-that force that
makes a race not die. Later on they
tried to transplant them into England,
but they found their way back and
again got hold of the old soil. Then
they tried famine. They tried to wipe
them out by starving them, but even
that did not work. It hurt the vitality
of the race but did not kill it. The
Irish race was drugged for a time.
England pretended to the world that
they had everything that they wanted
lreland's cry has always been eve
wish to be ourselves, we wish to be
I free. You may conquer us by phys
ical force, but we still want to be our