THE IRISH AT HOME.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 422, 3 February 1909, Page 9

THE IRISH AT HOME.

REASONS FOR DISCONTENT. IMPRESSIONS OF, A .VISITOR! ;.

[By Rev. Frederick Siubds.]

.' .[Specially'written jiovTss. DoirmoN.]..,'.; :'•■■'■.-; .'' : : '.; : . ; - Dublln/^cembefll,'l9oß/ > I have met the Irishman"irf many: lands,, in New, Zealand, Australiaj-'South-Africa,"and; the islands of,the South TaOiflc; toti valthougtfborn but: a few 'hundred- mile'rfrpm flublin; I havo never-before hadthdOTivflegeof seoiiig 1 him inihii own- country"* ,B'sseiftiallyi*'hejis, ; of course, ;thc same here 'as i clsewhero7%n'd yet: there is-a difference, and;the;advantage: pes on the side, of. ''elsewhere!'.' In! tho colonies, he is humorousj | good-natufed/*-iiJd'ustrious,' fairly, prosperous,. and -cbntchbddT. "Ould -Counthree"; .he ;is liumorous -as ever, but .hc.is certainly-netioontente'd,-''doe's not .prosper,as in other'lands>4s:'not-'asiin-' dustriousj and is. fil]ed;;witlr-a-bitterness {to - :', wards ;England and thingsrEnglislr/ that 'mars■; his own;happinoss, government very difficult, andJeads lerice and disorder.,- Atctheiprescnt; lence and defiance of the. - .la'ir.>are;'df r "alriiost': • daily bccurrcnce'. ■'.•. I do not takeunyiinformai tion froni.'• the English newspapers, which are .'accused :of-wilful:exaggeration - , .but' from the Irish'papers thetriselycsj ;whiph .almost pvory,. ;day contain accounts o£ i .(»ftleV-drivingj-.;shootT prpposd .to burden -ypur'cbl^hins-wi^h v dptiiiled, ■;iiopprts.;' These 'mayhe'seen^by-.anyonVsufn-.ciontly. interested, in tfie,:'Ei%lisH.'-and:,lH'sK: .'newspapers, pf,,the.;inpre: serious conflicts have ap]rcare3.-.iri':y6ur-.;own .cablegram's.'. And the law-;'| ;breakor in Ireland pari upon the sympathy; of .espepialiy.' ■when -tho' assault is: made '• 'upon ;,'the per'so family, or property of a landlord. -This makes-1 the-production-pf..'evidence J ver.y.';di{fi"cult,-ah'dr conviction by '»'■ jury almost'lmpossible." Jurors' are;: intimidated,'\.judgps.-V.a"3_d;,'magirtrates threatened, and car-drivers'and'stdrekeepers,, whom any : way; assist - : tKe"c6ur'So''bF justice,-' boycotted. '. : . Out; of :372 rages-(exclusive-of o'hTy'five-; persons could be amenable-'.kh'd for-ott-baseV of. malicipu injury, only :30-pVrson's" ! could. : be' brought, to : . account.-VlAs'fdr'eattleYdrivirig cases, it. is., ilmo'st comic itii'find tha*' ; out-'of : 30l proseputionsj 350. failed td-'s6cure , 'cd'nvic-' tion, j and L ;iri therd ; .was no; prosecution -at-'allv:- '.'-There iV'Stio feature in',theprcsentSseries.df,-outrages.that : ' is cheering,: however, .and -thatHs the .'decline' : of ,cattle-maiming;:.thongh: no amount, of -mute-' suffering,-.:is':.ihvolvedr:in-ca.ttlc-driving.':-The shooting;of:&.landlord'-in ; past .days • frequently,;.hadi some-;jtistifie»tionj-or,v, at Jeast,the cutting :of cows', •udders:.'j»nditails J i-and the houghing of horses,.lave:*]w.»ys;'appeSred: ■to mo tp.be without oxcusei:-; These 'poor ani- 1 .nials,:at:all.events,'wore.never-'guilty -of own-"- - ln -K'1?"?,.,-o'r-oppressing-a ,tenant; : "and';l- eafnestl.vjpne. that - the;. IrishVleaders: will-see'the frightful•.cruelty :and: injustieev.of :ragesi; : and;prevent th«: futuro; : p--''';'-;:::. :;:; ; /;-;:\wy- r j^,,,:../...,;;,,.-,-;

; - M^P"^? I }' one ; siae v ihe oulty, with!: which I hope'Tjo; dealviria-futiire' artici,e ; ,no„pnQ, canvvis'itvlreland becoming, ■. aware,: of;' widespread fttfScbnteht:r l* o tea v ant ßarodiagusted ; ; i vrithvth'6!Eng--list. Orovernment.because■'.oF; : wh&' ; they-'r(P gard;; as weak .'concessions to: Oathphos;-.the: landlordsj'\%ecau3e' ! n6-'^ade- : quate, protection is. given tbtproportyipthis" Nationalists .hate : .cause it; is predominanUy.:;Eaglish»'a'n» v clarni' °Bj w; Home Rulo, ■ andßhej aSoire<l>bbjebt :of ; the.Jnsh.:' A party ,ris>toi;make mont;of: Ireland, by .England ■impdssibTe.«Lefr thero^; : no; mistake ahpuWhiswaThoVagrar-i mn< difficulty, may, ;anol J :l^bin]cwill:;bei,even: i i tuany>solved,;.but.this S TOll:r;6tisottldSthei ; Irish, question.,- ..At.least-three: millions.' .W ;the; four, and ;a are'determineii:to:have;;;a6We; Rule, : and.'the, 'pledged^to ; P art y',;.towards , ; -."England .Tiduring.stlrei'.Boer.War \:and : : : ; their..iopeii:.Rejoicing vov'eri'British reverses: are. ; th » •'filing countrymen.;;: ;Jhe.. : Viuestinguishablp'shate! , : for England, of ,whioh still .exists;,: -When Mry/.flcaly*; declared;, iri; the; Hous6.;of<::Commoris;ithat l he'kis-iniifa-■vour.of aiiything ; against: jihe.JSuglish.-. Gbv'.eniment.. he .did not;;spe'Bf."fpr .himself alone;' he : but voiced'; the,'general-sentimeht of ; the Irish .people,, or.. ;at least 4 " of ;.'tho'.: Roman '.Catholic rportionf>,v ~\\ :,,:■■•,''-.,

. - y Blamlhgi^the ; -'Couernmflnt^fe»'i's ''''■{' -OH; is::ndt .unfortuiiatoly: the;fact,;,tha|;;,tte , vlrishicpea , sants.' ; 4r6: ; .ready ; to; blame .- the ; Government" for;'• all'■ ■ :; their troubles'.;.;. Even a;failure?of:tlie.r^tato.-crop 'or >' season, of ..bad '■ trado';will -in some'; way :or other' be-:attributedatoi'thb^Bfitish'.cdn- ; section. ;!Thoyare;mor6.dnterestcdin'politics ,than in: the It is;"'to r 'tlie.^ industry/, arid', thrift,' , proyement; in ; their;-lot. saTheVe Lis talking ; ,:;and/too'vlittle; i d.pingh/<;,TKe Fein" :organisatioh ''lat6lyj; i attempte^v-a--un^ i versal boycott of: ''foreign". goods,'; as 'though that'would-'help.'them;''aridvi.hTye"heard even educated. Irishmeh:' advocaterai-heavy "duty oh -British ; manufactures,: *'tK6.'fa'ot -that -Great;; BHtaih.yis;Jrelandfcbest;\;;,custpmer, ■■.'and could, 7 .and, certainly-.would,;\rer taliate.. No,.lreland's salvation-is.-n6Wtbib» ! found in'a'-generalJbbycojiW;but in just laws,' .;uhflijiohirigly.,". I of '-sobriety rand !indnstry.';-V:in-:'a .cbrisequerit I lessening, .'in-'; the"; deflection":. .of; .'the';national /.bnefgies from ppHtics' : tp. : the.'develbpment r tional' : resources;;;At - presentV-;lr'eland,vC'n ; ith': iti4limillioris : of'p^plej-rmostly'pobrj'spentls : over J £l4,ooo,ooo^about r ;£l6yger.:'ahnum/jor ffamily;'upon.intbiicating. liquors, an amount, it- may T; safe]y; ;be.; said; : . far ~ ; bey.pnd" what -.■she can-'afford; ;aivcl',;.the' ; amount j : bf;'fimepandenergyVahd .money at: ,or ; wrongly^n.political "agita'tlon," "if->other-; .wisp ..employed,'V:would;: undoubtbdly'i'sufficeTtp", materially /inoreaso^the;jhational^wealth^;;;.:-^

;;;'; ; V;/";): Who is;: to Blame ipz#s;£?l4 ...In .'writing above, -I;.havo-fehdcavoureoV.to; give. the; reader'-.a. fair and■; accufateV-impres-r 'sion of Irish:.discontent,.and that'-.flow,from it; ; -:.Biifiit"must riotV/be j thought tho; blame..fests; !tho. ' : English | must I '.bear a,large;: and,iin;-my.-opinionj''the 1 larger, share'of >;rtiie' ; responsibility; ; '-.Beven centuries;of .'-h'elotism'!Jand'-:;brutal;'pppres-.' sipri cannot .but .--have vflcted;.'for : .i ; illvdri ,the character;^;.the :■ pebpre;v. : .;nFor.,:...ceiituri<s. Ireland'. was,,'harried',by ,English;itfpbps r ahd; cursed by.internal'strife^.Th'e'jrii'sery/ibfc-the people .was, almost I picture .of'what .they ..'eudureUiin: : Jslizabeth."(:' It. is ; gjvw'l-by'tbflr.pbetJSperiser,, who Vw'as. an '.'eyewitness"" of: His testimony■ is. the. mor&'reliablajhasmuch; as ho, was; hmis'oJf ' a '.. bitter;pbem^bf : "/t'h'o',"' "Celts. ~;''out.';of^ and. glynries they- : eame : creeping" fbrtli;;upoh' ; their, hands,- for'their legges-could not-beare; them; they looked like;, ariatbmio's. ofj'debth!;' . like ighosts'-cfyinfe'.-'ouV^bf;.their' graves;'-they 'did- eat- thp s .dead'.".carrions',', happy .where ,th6y;cpuldi;find' u 'thcm"i'' etc'"' And this picture was paralleled in tho.days.of CtoiaweU.. "In tKe years'l6s2 wid I^s3,a' man might travel 20' or SO miles and not see a living creature. ... They (tho Irish) wero seen to pluck stinkingicarfipn out of a ditch, black and: rotten; : : and wero. said to have . oven talcon bprpsßsbufcof'tip gravp to eat " / (Prendorgast's Oromwellian " Settlement, p v!49>r.;;;';/-v:,:; ; : ;./;-;■/:;' ,

Unjust Penal Enactments. This state of things existed before Protestantism was established in Ireland, and -thero~ iSotc tVvo "Protestant CYmrcYi caimot tio \>Umed for it, but it must bo confessed IheTrotcstant Chincli did httlo to improvo matters.- After tlio establishment of Protestantism, the rights and feelings of tho people wcro outragod by all sorts of penal enactmonts. Jn tho timo of Charles II an Ordmauco was passed forbidding any Papist to buy or barter anything in tho public markets. Tia Act of Uniformity required tho Rowan Catholics te go to a Protest.int ChurohJ. and fines were imposed for non-attendanco.'"., "Ji" "Roman Catholic could not own property. TliQjJrotestant Episcopal CliutcYi -was U\o Church o£ & small, well-to-do minority, the Church of

100,000 out of 6,000,000 people, and yet the Roman Catholic majority were compelled to support it. Tithes were collected at th« point of the bayonet. Is it any wonder that the Irish peoptacame to hate the Protestant faith, and the, Protestant nation that sought to imposo it upon tlicm ? Then camo the ostablishmont'of an Irish Parliament, and I do not" think-lt can bo demed that during the that Parliament tho condition of Iroland 1 immensely improved. There was still the burden of an alien Church, there still existed unjust and oppressive laws, but there was a vast improvement In tho 18th contury Ireland was intellectually alive; produced orators, statesmen, writers, of her own. The groat peers and commoners cast in their lot with the national life; had their castles and mansions in the country, and their town houses (most of which still remain, but occupied by tho poor) m Dublin They wore possessed by a sense of responsibility, and for the most part lived in the country from which they derived their revenues Effects of the Union

~,; But the union,: which, whether;; justifiable \ or:not v qn:;rx)liticil .grounds, was ■ certainly ' f -brought; about by : wholesale bribery.and cor- '•■'. -.ruption,^'changed: all -this.;-. -The:, centre 'of;>.W >-y«pn'-t'gqntry\passed: most of 'their, time ' in.> :;: : LonaonXcThe; landlords, no longer', resided '''wdlMl-:. .their; l estates,* among' ; .their ; tenants,':but "ehv: ; . :; ' ; I ,trusted'vthe':-man'agement to-, ageiits: and mid^?- : -% \ dlemen: whpso interest- it".became- toVscrew j '?*'■. >very.,p^i'ssible v pehny; out.of' the tenant:i'v.la ■'it; 'surprising .that as, 'it corise-- ">>■ jQuence(of-* this/'-'neglcct.■;■ and -.oppressidn'^.thei'*:•'•';■.'/ mosF frightful.; poverty 's,Ued?^"Eveh^ ,: to-dayV.;in:mahy;:parts of "Ire-•':;.': .'landj-'the hdme.bf the-peasantis'represented ; >/ v; 'by -f 6ur- :; walls of a" *oof; of "turf, -;a ■ hole■' i .''' : in;tho'iroqfitp'-;let ; the smoke'ont,'and within; r ■•:?" humans/pigs,-cows,' poultry—rail littered; : to- ; ''•■'•■■' .gether,-ArTlie : ; Eoyai;Ck)mniissi6n:;:..of;-ulc^'^^ : --; showed \ that 'ifor- ~3o'-weeks-of' every,.'year'v; H'• lived on the verge^ofistar-'-:? r ' "vation; --',Their' habitatioiisy; as. I^ave^said.'l!?! : ' 'were<wretched : hovels - r \ they -with sthe - commonest "necessaries of life; their"'; ; i^ : -'f6od ;, 'frequently "hothmg they-'slept ;iip6n : ;the;straw-or sod;..sometimes -K : %i witn'a--blanlce^aiid-^metihiesvwith.-sot''bven > / : 'V : A' that "to cover them. .-They infrequently ".ha j :'■.;? but. one I ppprj meab. a day,' and. learnings: were; two .shillings :'to'itwq;shillings-;;;'' ond ; sirpeneoVper:weekV\ ;ln the entire workliWtherevi.was, probably.;no .'people, subjected,- tevJ-,l J ;.sjich'' ; in .1847;came;the.great- famine.""'lreland unr-fr fortffiately'.-Had; come v ;tb,-rely - for -the 1 ; sub^:s;S. : iSistenreJoilthemasses upon one ;the.pptatq.-. i i.Alrea'd.f:therqMd-bedn 'failuies-of: the crop,-but in!. 1847: the .■;-;;: failurewas utter. -.Relief,was- vdted-by:Par-!;% ;liainen';;;:funds : .were;' tempte'at-relieffproved entirely-inadequateilf;';,.' !Tens- of'thousands "perished;"? .men,;- wonien,'i;' s and;children ";wpro; : starved' ; td : - deathV' : ';;ThoßaifoW .that survived,'sought-refuge'in America ": and v';:■* -between-1851- and 1900; nearly -four-millions ;'';;: ;einigrat(!di ;^; lri,-.: a '" 'crossed" the" ; seas,'- and ;■ to-day - the" population*;.'-'''£"> 'ii£bn;V'Kalf -what., it .was. 60.years ; .ago;-- H' >$$£

Wrongs That Heal Slowly. And so I say it is no wonder that snllcv, discontent and mtterness prevail True,, moat of Ireland's injustices have been removed, and the Church of the minority has / been disestablished As I shall show m mjs noit article, Ireland has now the most liberal land system in the world. But jou cannot expect the results of centuries of misery and misgovernment to vanish in a moment And to make matters worse, instead of steady, resolute, just government, Ireland has been mado the shuttlecock ot political parties, alternately flattered and flouted, as party exigencies might require. The object of the English Government has. too often been to make sure of their major-' it) rather than to enforce law and order, and punish outrage, and oppression whether committed by landlord or tenant; and support has been purchased by advancing to Irish offices men who were entirely unfitted for them. (■So much for the causes of-Irish discon« 'tent. These causes are being steadily removed, most of them have been removed already, but thev aro more than sufficient to account for the present lamoiitabln state of things. The land question, which lies at the root of so much of the mischief, is too large a matter to bo dealt with lwre, and will require an article to itself.