The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1919-09-13
AS FRANKLIN SAW IRELAND.

The exposures of the inlluman treatment of polit
ical prisoners in English as set forth in the report
|of Messrs Walsh, Dunno, and Ryan the Irish
American commissioners to the Peace Conference, |
was met with the usual flat British denial at the |
hands Of the Scotch secretary for Ireland Ian MacI
E'herson. Attempts have been also made through
the Northcffe controlled (miserabile dctu) Amer
press to refute minimize the effects OF theseI
startling revelations of British inhumanty toward
these helpless victims. Blanket denials and general
negatons constitute the only defense to the specified
indictments of the American observers all men oil
high probity of character and of experience in pub
lie service They have presented to the world COM
plete bill of particulars covering their charge and
stand ready to aduce full legal proofs of the same.
But the British authorities and their representatives.
among the American press evade the issue and fall
back upon the old British tactics of silence I'm
supported contradiction.
1t the same in the times of the revolutionary
war when that shrewd observer and philosopher,
Benz amin Franklin, took note of conditions in Ire
land. who visited Ireland in 1869 and in 1771. \
letter of his written in 177S, gives some interesting
selights the conditions then prevailing in Erin
which, doubtless fully denied in the British
publications of that day. But Americans neverthe
less will not hesitate to accept MIR. Frankllns state
|ments as entirely truthful despite what British
writers then said say to the contrary there
|of. These declarations of the American Ambassador
to Europe have become directly pertinent to
tne questions redtlnS 10 lrelan( WnCn are now Or
soon will be engaging the attentions Of govern
mcnt. Here few of Mr. franklin Is comments
on the situation contained in the letter which has but
recently been given publication. 1t is addressed "To
| the Good People of Ireland:
4 The misery and distress which your Inflated
country has been frequently exposed to, and has
i so often experienced, by such combination Of
rapne, treachery and violence, would have dis
graced the name of government in the most arbl-
trary country in the world, has most sincerely at
fected your friends in America, and has engaged
the most serious attention of Congress-
81 That Congress is making no departure from pre-
cedent in considering the status of Irish affairs is
Iapparent from the following expression Of sympathy
,Iby the official representative Of the Republic:
i Il have in my commission to repeat to you, my
good friends the cordial that Congress takes
in everything that relates the happiness of Ire
land; they sensibly affected by the load OF OPP
pressve pensions your establishments the arbi-
j trary and illegal eXactions of public money by
Kings letters; the profuse dissipation by snecure
appointments with large salaries, and the very arbi
trary and impotc restrictions OF your trade and
manufactures, which beyond example in the
history of the world, and only be equaled by
that illibera spirit which directs it, and which has
i shown itself abundantly in petitions from all
parts of their islands, and in the debates in their
i House Of Commons, when you had been lately
amused with the vain hope of an extension of your
trade and which were conducted with such temper
and language might be supposed to suit their
81 copper-colored allies in America but must fix a
stain the character of civilized nation forever.
: The letter concludes with the words of encourage
ment to the aspirations OF the Irish people which
were recently quoted in these columns.
81 We commend to the editors of the Northcffe
publications a perusal of this vertebrate American
patriot with the hope that it may put little Amer
lean starch into the places where their spnes might