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Show T NOTHING SHORT OF INDEPENDENCE. The impression Americans receive through accounts ac-counts given of celebrations of Emmet's centenary centen-ary needs an overhauling. If the telegraph editor edi-tor reflects the public mind through his headlines head-lines over news, we need be astonished at nothing the Irish may do or demand, even though it bo national independence. "Xothing Short of Independence Inde-pendence Will Satisfy the Irish" ornaments the top of the daily newspaper column in bold type. That tells the truth, but there is no need of proclaiming pro-claiming it so vigorously. Xo need of firing it off like a bomb from a cannon. The Irish are not ready to declare war upon England, nor will they follow any leader to be slaughtered like sheep in the shambles. The heroic charge of the Irish pike-men pike-men is good enough for poetry, but it will never be . repeated in history. And . why should not the Irish', aspire to independenceabsolute inde-pendenceabsolute national independence? A country and a flag for the Irish and the Irish alone? What is incongruous in that idea to the mind, of a A American England holds Ireland to the union by no title that is fair, but by the bonds of conquest. For seven hundred years the conqueror con-queror has pillaged and impoverished the people, even unto famine. Hardly more than a century pas.t since he hanged priests and flung Catholics I into dungeons. Must Irishmen forget all this just because they now have the chance to buy the land that is theirs by birthright and heritage? If they so forget, then arc the M nation of cravens fit only for the slavery the British impose upon the natives of India. Xot a particle of sympathy or pity should Americans bestow upon them, because it is undeserved. There is nothing unreasonable in the proposition proposi-tion of Irish independence, no more than there, is in American independence Weighted down by disadvantages dis-advantages that would overcome any other race, the Irish maintained their national and religious instincts despite . tempfcStions, and persecutions. Facing obstacles that were never presented to any other people, they have wrrung from the proudest and most obstinate parliament in Europe a reeog-nation reeog-nation of their right to' the land. In time and in like' manner they will achieve "home rule." They have given evidence of being the best parliamentarians parliamen-tarians in Europe. Xo people displaying such attributes at-tributes of self-government should be denied its blessings. Xo alien government can forever keep such a people down. And that is a good reason why the Irish arc not satisfied with anything less than independence. - ; |