The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1919-03-15

In the February number of the Ex-
tension magazine, we have the Editor
in Chief, Rt. Rev. F. G. Kelley, D. D.,
discussing the eternal question of Ire
land in the following editorial:
COLONEL CHURCHILL AND THE
IRISH.
Col. Winston Spencer Churchill is
the British Minister of Munitions.
Speaking recently in Dundee, Scot
land, he gave forth the political
dope" which is now being distributed,
ready-made, to all representatives of
Premier Lloyd Georges administra-
tion, both at home and abroad. Min
listers in Great Britain and propaganda
lists in the United States, civilians and
soldiers, orators and writer's, all use
the mixture, and use it freely. The
prescription is simple one. AS Col
onel Churchill gave it, it reads about
as follows:
'The government is most anxious
that the Irish question be pressed for
ward vigorously to solution. Great
Britain goes to the peace conference
ready to bestow self-government on
Ireland. 1t is only the quarrels and
disputes of the Irishmen themselves
that prevent a solution of this great
question. Let us earnestly hope they
will endeavor by every means, even
Of practicing patience, to embark upon
the proper road"
The improper road for an Irish gen
tleman to take in answering this Eng
lish gentleman would be to use a short
and ugly word of three letters, as a
means of placing his prescription and
identifying it to the world. Because
the said short and ugly word is so
highly an improper one to use in polite
circles, and since we, just as plain
American of Irish descent, everlast-
ingly try to be polite, we are not going
to use it; though, goodness knows,
we have had many temptations of late,
especially when the mixture is being
imposed on the clubs, associations of
commerce, and other gatherings, re-
spectfully receiving the British prop
agandists, whose members are obliged
to sit and listen to sentiments which
they know to be at variance with the
truth, and absolutely contrary to dem
ocratic principles.
May we be pardoned for taking a
critical look at Colonel ChurchilTs pre-
scription in a polite way? He says
that the British government is most
anxious" to settle the Irish question
That much we concede; for, If the
British government is not most anx-
ious" to settle the Irish question:
British government is not made up
of very astute, just or patriotic col
lection Of citizens. Common sense
tells us that the British government
is anxious to get the Irish question
"off the back" of the British Empire
But it Is one thing to be anxious to
settle the Irish question, and another
thing to do it. Many man is anxious
to get over an attack of dyspepsia,
but all physicians know that it is quite
another thing to get that man to trans
late his anxiety into the prosaic bust
ness of taking proper exercise, gov
erning his eating. and sometimes cut
ting out whiskey. The most distress
ing anxiety we ever witnessed was the
anxiety of certain drunkard, who
tearfully protested that he would give
anything to overcome his weakness,
but in year was dead from delirium
tremens. Yea, anxiety Is one thing,
and effort Is another.
But Colonel Churchill would natur-
ally suggest that the anxiety of the
British government to settle the Irish
question was clearly shown in the
introduction and passage of the Home
Rule bill, and in the organization of
the late lamented Irish convention.
OF course, he probably would not add
that the Home Rule bill was never
put into effect, and is not going to be
put into effect. The Colonel himself
tells us that Ulster is mot to be
coerced," which means that the Home
Rule bill is to be withdrawn. AS the
bill now stands, it makes no excep-
tion for Ulster. Then Colonel Church
Ill would not mention that the find
ings of the convention were very clear
cut for Home Rule, and were carried
by not only majority, but by two
third majority. Yet the findings of
the Irish convention were rejected by
the British government on the sole
ground that they were not unanimous.
An American citizen, accustomed to
the American methods of deciding
questions, might, if he knew the truth
about the Irish question, and especial
ly about the efforts to settle it, ask
Colonel Churchill one or two very