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Show ! ; : ; UTAH'S TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM REDMOND A fine tribute was paid to William H. K. Redmond Wednesday night by the rapt attention of the audience which greeted him at the Salt Lake theatre. And the heat Avhich they braved to extend that greeting was all forgotton in the Avarmth of the speaker's eloquence. No sound Avas heard thoughout an hour and a quarter save the speaker's voice, except when ardent enthussiasm could no longer restrain applause, of which real outbursts were frequent. The names of Charles SteAvart Parnell, Michael Davitt and I William Ewart Gladstone were signals for the most enthusiastic applause and every mention of the progress pro-gress of the movements for the betterment of Ireland brought forth such expression of sentiment as to show that the Avrongs of Ireland were not ne,w to the audience. audi-ence. A generous number from Ogden, Park City and j Eureka Avere among the listeners. The meeting was presided over by Judge W. L. Maginness of Ogden, who was introduced by Joseph Geoghegan. Judge Maginness in introducing the speaker, speak-er, referred to the termination of the A'ar in the Orient and the efforts of the American people for peace thoughout the Avorld. He closed Avith a tribute to Mr. Redmond, and spoke feelingly of his sufferings for the cause of Ireland. Mr. Redmond said in part: It has been said that the subject of Irish politics is never introduced to any American audience, but Ave ! at home in Ireland feel that this is a mistake. We feel that we may enlist the- sympathy of the Irish people in this land and of the Avrongs suffered by Ireland. Since I passed though your city twenty-two years ago so great are the changes Avhich have come into i the fortunes of Ireland that even her own countrymen country-men Avho have left her shores do not realize their significance. At that time Ireland Avas in the midst of such a campaign of extermination and such a reign of tyranny as no other country has ever known. Her people Avere driven from their homes, her industries Avere destroyed, and the country was one seething mass of miserable, struggling people, fighting the terrible wrongs Avhich oppressed them. Today the people are practically masters of the situation, as far as the land.oAvnership goes. They are in a fair Avay to again become the land OAvners, and are within measureabl'e distance of the time Avhen they can say, "Ireland is free." Ireland has had tAvo great, intolerable Avrongs against Avhich to contend the denial of the right to national self-government and the terrible injustice of the land tenure system. Many gallant struggles have been made for the cause of Ireland. According to her opportunites, no land has fought more valiantly for her liberty than Ireland, no race has sacrificed more, lost more or suffered more. The struggle made has compared favorably with any struggle made for the cause of liberty. That these attempts have failed is due to the OA-erAvhelming conditions of oppression and tyranny. They have failed because Ireland Avas de-priA'ed de-priA'ed of every mean.i of resistance; and following the notable struggles of '48 and '67 it seemed that there Avas no ray of hope for the cause, till God sent to her a man with the love of Ireland and liberty and justice in his heart, Charles Stewart Parnell. Charles Stewart Parnell. He it was who established a band of Irish patriots Avho were not afraid to proclaim to all of England that they were In the British parliament for the sake of Ireland and to see that England should alloAv Ireland at least a share of the rights of Avhich she was robbed a hundred years ago. Parnell gathered around him the strongest men for right and justice men Avho Avould show the British parliament that the cause of Ireland was not dead, and that they Avould use their power in that parliament for the betterment of that cause. Thus it AA-as that these eighty men Avere encamped en-camped in the British parliament as a hostile band. The result was that eA-ery newspaper and eAery man of power on the British side denounced the demands of Parnell and his followers Avith the aid of the state to become the owners of the land they tilled. He showed that the existing system of land tenure Avas the result of England's confiscation of the lands. He showed that many of the landlords had no title to the land from which they drew exorbitant rents and unjust taxes. And for these demands Parnell was persecuted Avith a fury hardly conceivable. Ireland's representa-tiA-es were imprisoned again and again for this. They Avere denied the right of free speech and accused of high crimes. But all that English ingenuity could devise was not enough to kill their patriotism 'and destroy their cause, and the fact that only within the past few-years few-years the English parliament and the English people have conceded the very things for which they fought, and that England's king has signed the act alloAving them, proves that their demands were just and reasonable. rea-sonable. The progress of these steps has been unique. The first attempt to carry out the plan to enable the tillers of the soil to regain their land was made in 1S85, Avhen the goA-ernment appropriated 3,000,000 sterling for that purpose. As a result 80,000 farms were reclaimed, the land was improved, there was an Increase of prosperity pros-perity so great that at the end of flA-e years a second appropriation was made, with the same results in its district. But the most significant feature of it all Avas that of all the 80,000 farmers so helped there were no defaulters, showing that the Irish tiller of the soil was honest. The payments Avere made to the government in every case, and this by men who, under the land tenure rule, had refused to pay unjust and Iniquitous demands. As a result Ireland can point today to farms valued at a hundred million dollars, purchased and transferred transfer-red to the tillers of the soil under the provisions of the land act. And so the men of the Irish national party in parliament haA'e reason to think that generations yet unborn will open their, eyes on an Ireland freed from, the curse of an alien landlord and an alien rule. It has been said that Ireland has made no industrial efforts, yet no reasonable man familiar with the conditions con-ditions of land tenure can be surprised at industrial conditions in Ireland. Her people, harassed with the perpetual struggle for rent, had yet no security in their holdings. The more they worked the more they had to pay. Their best earnings as their least were taken by an alien landlord, Avho knew nothing of their condition and cared less. Yet we have reason to think that with this struggle ended we shall see industries for which our land is fitted springing up, and renewed energy, reneAved hope and renewed enterprise on every hand. You in this great land of liberty must know that no matter hOAV happily your people may be situated in your great fields of industry, no Irishman can be so happy anywhere as in the green isle which God has given him for a home, and not for a province of the British crown. The huts in which the common people once lived have been replaced with decent homes, and where ten years ago even Ireland had no voice in the election of her representatives, today every district has its representation, repre-sentation, and by the conduct of those representatives Ireland has proved her capacity for government. In every land where she has been given the right to enter politics, Ireland has shovn that capacity. These reforms of Avhich I have spoken are important, import-ant, but there is one great Avrong which overshadoAvs Ireland still, and that is the lack of the power conferred con-ferred by self-government. Why is it that in every country where an Irishman has been given the right to show loyalty he has been distinguished for his great qualities of head and heart, Avhil in Ireland alone he is known fcr disloyalty and dissatisfaction. It is because everywhere he finds freedom except in Ireland. He feels that there he has no voice in the goA-ernment of his country. He has no control over the laws which govern his land nor the appointment of those Avho administer its laws. Home Rule Not a Religious Question. It has been said by our adversaries that home rule is only an effort to establish religious ascendancy and the supremacy of Rome. I deny this charge. It is not Aisible in the County Wexford, my native place, that spot of Ireland drenched Avith the blood of patriots. Today I represent the strongest Catholic constituency' in all Ireland, the County Clare, the county that sent the great Q'Connell to Parliament. I can say for those people that a man's patriotism in Clare is not measured by the creed he professes, nor the church he belongs to. Many o? the leaders of the Irish national party today are of the faith opposed to the religious belief of the large majority of the Irish people. It is not a question of the supremacy of the Catholic faith, but of the continuance of the attempt to make Irishmen Irish-men Englishmen in semblance at least. The Irish people peo-ple have a say in the election of their representatives, but they have nothing to say as to the appointment of their rulers. Of the judges Avho handle the affairs of Ireland not one in four is of them. The Avhole body is alien in faith, alien in sympathy and in feeling Avith the body of the people, and they are chosen by the ruling power because of this quality. Hoav can a country coun-try develop under such a government? She is taxed shilling for shilling as England is taxed, though the resources are not in proportion. With her industries languishing, her people despoiled, she is yet compelled to stand in the matter of taxes shoulder to shoulder with a country Avhose industries are at their best. And over the disposal of all these taxes Ireland has no control. And in asking for home rule Ave are asking nothing new. One hundred years ago Ireland had a parliament of her OA'n. Avhich she lost by England's force, fraud and corruption. There are ample reasons for the disloyalty dis-loyalty and discontent of Ireland. In the past sixty years she has seen more than half of the best of her countrymen go, and Avith the decrease in population has come increase in taxation. Her industries have vanished, her government has become a thing of the past. But the heart of the Irish people has never been enchained. Never have they suffered enougn to give up the hope that some day they Avould regain their right?. There are two great hopes for Ireland today. First, the efforts of England to divide Irishmen have never been so far from successful as they are today. There is a united sentiment in faA'or of the right, despite creed or other interests. There is a feeling that an Irish parliament is the only solution of the question. The second great ground for hope for the cause of Ireland lies in the sentiment of the English people. The rich and powerful are against us but the bread Avinners of England believe in the justice of our cause. Not long ago a prominent Englishman, discussing the proposed alliance with Japan, pointed out the mistake of such action and the possibility of a Christian nation like England being called upon to support a war waged by Asiatics upon Christians. How much better Avould it be, said this gentleman, if England made an alliance Avith Ireland. It is Avell known that Avith all the majesty of the British parliament there Is no more inefficient body politic in the Avorld. This must of necessity be so. To 670 men are entrusted the affairs or 421,000,000 of people. For twenty-five years their record, with a few exceptions, has been a fruitless one. One hundred years have passed since any changes were made In the body, and yet affairs have changed greatly in one hundred years. So the hope for national self-government for Ireland Is well founded, and Ireland is prepared. pre-pared. May the great body of Irishmen who haA-e found peace and contentment in your land be prepared to help Ireland with their enthusiasm and their best powers in this, which we believe to be the final struggle strug-gle in the cause of her freedom. |