HOME RULE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LIV, Issue 9867, 25 March 1893, Page 4

HOME RULE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Your leading article of the 16th itistaut Is a good and honest defence of Home Kale, clearly put, and borne out by hard logical facta and statistics, every line of which is brimful of truth, and I feel sure that all lovers of freedom and fair play will fully endorse and thankfully appreciate all that you have so ably written. I was just in the sot of preparing an article on the same subject, intending to go further back and deeper in the matter, bat your sub-leader of this morning has taken all the wind nut of my sails, you have made the whole subject logically and statistically con* vinolug. Thero is now nothing left but to make a few remarks upon your correspondent, J. 8., who appears to be one of the few in the Colony who, while he htmielf enjoys the glorious boon of social and political freedom, yet would not accord nor extend similar blessings to his fellow men in Ireland. He vauntingly predicts no Home Halo. HU wish, no doubt, is father to the thought, and hie mind is evidently as obtuse as my elbow. One may bring tons of logiosl argument to bear upon such men, and it will only preduos the same effect that carbon does npon iron or steel—harden them still more. When you heir of men lika J. B. drawing that odoriferous herring across the track, and talking abcut Homo Hale, and the Church, and the blind Irish, &o. ; well, sir, I can auly put It as Mark Twain does, * Why, it kind a riles my very innards.' Really, sir, it is most surprising in this very enlightened age to bear some men talk such rot. J. B, writes with evident irony of the blind obedience of all 1 good Irish.’ Well, the ‘ good IrUh ’ and all Catholics are implicitly obedient in matters of faith, bat that has nothing to do with their politics, and even if It had, It is much better to be blindly obedient to a well tried institution, whose aim and object it is to promote peace and goodwill among all men, and who is continually urging her subjects and children to do unto others ai they would be dnno by, than to bo blindly obedient and even feverishly anxious to do the will of a seditious crew like Lords Salisbury, Churchill and a few others, supported only by a very small minority, whoso aim it is to stir up strife and class hatred amongst men. To a few of the blatant Conservatives the passing of Homs Rule will, to some extent, be like killing the goose that lays the golden egg ; but it is manifestly unfair to keep a whole nation In chains, poverty, and misery for the sake of a favoured few. J.U. talks of the Irish as being rebels, I take it that he is very badly informed of tho true Irish character. The Irish are a warm-hearted, generous, and loyal poople when treated with oven banded fairness, thoy are most grateful and devotedly loyal. But what people aro there who would not be discontented when In a miserable and chronic state of poverty?—a state of things entirely brought about by cruel, one-sidod laws, absentee landlords, and a wholesale plunder and neglect of the weak and poor for the benefit of the wealthy. If a plebiscite of the Irish nation were taken upon the question of continued anion with Ragland, I have no hesitation in saying that more than ninetenths of tbs people would firmly cry oat ‘Yes, wo wish to be always united to Eng. land in bonds of everlasting friendship. Bat give as the right and power to make oar own laws, and let us get out of this quagmire of poverty that we are now in.' But let J.B. taka same comfort to himself, and be assured that the Church will never dominate amongst the Ulster minority, nor will she obtrude upon J. 8., not even to tho extent of sprinkling a little holy water on bis devotsd bead, unices, Indeed, be may be induced to repent of that peculiar disease of the mind so closely allied to colour blindness and always Impelling persons so afllicted to see thioge in the wrong light.—l am, &0., Peter Possum,