The Irish standard., 1919-05-03
By Owen O'Malley, Minneapolis]

.
The spirit of fair play which the
reading public expects and which, as
matter of mere justice, the reading
public is entitled to, is conspicuously
absent from the columns of our lead
ing journals and newspapers when 1t
is matter touching the cause of the
Irish Republic. l wonder If there be
many among those gentlemen who oc-
cupy the editorial chairs who realize
that the Irish Republic is an accom-
plished fact. do not think there are;
but whether they realize it or not,
their utter indifference, and very oft
en-, yelled hostility towards definite
subject, are not ineXplicable when we
come to contemplate the agencies un-
der which they operate
The newspapers of these United
States, those self-styled fountainheads
Of Democracy, are not as free, as
might appear to the superficial OBJ
server, to come out openly and can
didly on any subject that runs counter
to the privileged security of the capi-
talistic combine under whose direction
the papers are edited and for whose
special behalf they are maintained.
The position of the Irish Republic is
fraught with momentous concern to
every man and woman in America in
whose veins runs single drop of
Irish blood, or whose sympathy goes
out to the oppressed wherever oppres-
sion holds sway. Under any condi-
tion or alteration of circumstances can
no sympathy be expected from that
remnant of the Press that loves to
wallow in the mire of racial and reli-
gious rancor, and that forms a con-
venient tool of anti-Irish propaganda
in the hands of the enemies of Ire
land. If by any accident those organs
of hate and intolerance stumbled to
the approach of any sentiment favor
, able to Ireland, the prestige of the
Irish question would suffer immeasur-
ably. Indeed, a measure of disinter-
ested justice might reasonably be ex-
pected from that greater portion Of
the Press that is not thus handicapped.
Political affiliations of domestic ma
ture offer no impediment to impartial
criticism. The just claims Of Ireland
are, of themselves, calculated to elicit
a response without the further incen-
tive afforded by the elementary prin-
ciples of equitable and moral right.
At this critical juncture in the history
of the human race, the relative i'm
portance of well-organized, organic
state, with no other ambition than to
be left alone to work out it's own des-
tiny, should, at least, invite casual
recognition. sCertainly, the time is
opportune when the national demands
of people who are endeavoring to
exercise an indefeasible right-strug-
Cling to reach the light of Freedom
ought to be listened to and respected; ;
and failing this, it devolves upon the
millions of Irish blood in America to
come out boldly and assert them
selves-in short, to assume the often
sive. The immediate settlement of
the Irish question in accordance with
the proclaimed desire of the people
of Ireland ascends far above the clap
trap of party politics.
The Public Press of America, as an
institution, is at the present time so
circumstanced that it is precluded
from exercising it's functions along
the equitable lines which free and
unbiased press assumes as its pri-
mary duty to safeguard. Echoes are
still audible of the fabulous sums Of
money expended in this country, be-
fore and during the initial stages Of
the war, by agents of the German
government in an endeavor to ingra>
tiate their country with the American
people through the medium of the
press. 1t is true that Germany had
been lavish of gifts, but the size and
extent of those gifts have been greatly
exaggerated. There are facts to prove
that the English government has al
ready unburdened the royal Exchequer
to the extent of millions of pounds
sterling to be spent in the United
States on the laudable work of news
paper prostitution. Government jour
nails and newspapers may be counted
by the dozen that owe their influence,
in fact, their continued existence, to
English money. Not a few among
them but are financed secretly from
London. Those papers that are not
subsidized directly out of the funds
set apart by the English government
for the purpose of establishing COM
plete mastery over the American
Press, are paid for their silence or