The Butte daily bulletin. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1918-1921, 1919-03-14

On what grounds does England re-
fuse IreIand's demand? England
cannot pretend to misunderstood that
the challenge we give her is the chal-
Icnsc of the Irish people. Let us
hear why she refuses to meet it.
We can ourselves settle our minor
ity question (Ulster) because we
shall want to. England will never
settle that minority question because
she desires to keep it unsettled. Let
her remove her interfering hand.
We ask the world to listen and to
judge between Ireland and England,
but if the principle with which the
world has rung for the last four
years shall prove to be Il mockery, if
Ireland's claim still is flouted, then
she must find refuge once more in
her own indomitable spirit-the
spirit which has maintained her in
the past. She can still at least en-
dure and depend upon it. There is
Il generation now grown up i'll lre-
land that will see to it that if Eng
land wants to still rule her she must
do so with Il never-sheathed sword.
Do | believe the statesmen in
Paris will force England to do JUS
tice to Ireland? Many people are
asking that question. They are con-
vinced, | suppose, that of herself
England will not do justice to Ire
land They doubt perhaps that the
delegates from the other nations will
be either so disinterested or such de-
termined champions of right as to
risk a quarrel with England on be-
half of country which possesses less
of the worlds goods than England
when nothing but the principles of
justice are at stake. These doubters
may be right, they may be wrong.
do not pretend to know. | do know
that if this issue should unhappily
be as the douhters are obviously sat-
istied it will be then the cynic can
feel that once more he has been
justified and the simple and trusting
obviously imposed upon. Then in
deed there will have been deception.
Honest people everywhere will
point the finger of scorn and indig-
nation at these statesmen. They will
have right to ask: Where now is
that impartial justice that knows no
favorities which recently you spoke
so much about? Where now is this
new order and these handsome
foundations of lasting peace? Were
all lu6Se D6duillul pIOIeSSlOHS VI
yours that, simple and grand, SEEM
ed tuned to the eternal verities of
our souls, wakening in them SYM
pathetic response that we could not
smother-were these beautiful pro-
fessions but skilifully spun phrases
finely woven to enmesh us?"
Are you after all, only as were
the rest--was this war only as were
other wars--was it for your puny
ambitions that humanity has en-
dured the horrors of the past five
years and the entail of sorrows they
have bequeathed to the future.'
do not know whether the statesmen
at Paris will prove worthy of the
trust or whether they will be great
enough to grasp the opportunity that
requires so little to improve it and
found finally now those relations be-
tween peoples. on a basis worthy Of
our common humanity.
But it is surely source OF hope
to know that at Paris there is one
man at least who apparently realizes
his duty and who can accomplish
what he Wills if he only remains
steadfastly determined and true. The
Machiayellis may scoff at him, but he
-