Read the excerpt below and answer the question.
But it would have been worth any statesman's money to have heard the profound discussions that sometimes
took place, when by chance an old newspaper fell into their hands from some passing traveler.
What is ironic about Irving's description of Rip Van Winkle and his friends in the passage?
There were no newspapers during this period.
The men aren't really politically knowledgeable.
The men never talked to travelers.
The men never talked to one another.