IRISH INSURGENTS

NZ Truth, Issue 585, 2 September 1916, Page 3

IRISH INSURGENTS

AND IRISH IDEALS

PATRIOTS AND PARLIAMENTARIANS — PRIESTS AND PARSONS

(By "Odin O'Mal."— No. 5.)

TO CORRESPONDENT. "W.C." (Matauai)— All Mitchcl's works mentioned are procurable from the following firms: M. 11. Gill and Sons (Dublin), J. Duffy and Sons (Dublin) The Syracuse Printing and Publishing Co.. 117 Market-street. Syracuse. New York. I recommend the latter firm. Any good bookseller m New Zealand can procure them for you. Pre-war prices were 2s 6d each; may be more now. Yet one source of strength remained to Ireland — her agriculture- The splendid Corn Laws of the Irish Parliament kept /the soil producing abundance of food, and the population multiplied. England^ ttrst interference with these laws increased the poverty, but did not check the natural increase of the people. And so, ns dealt with, the artiilcial famine of 1845-9 was engineered till 1,000,000 lay dead of hunger m a land teeming with food, and another million FLED TO AMERICA to escape their fate — fled there to nourish' a hatred and transmit it to their children. Over the famine graves of the Irish and the coflin ships which sailed with fugitives from Ireland's shores, the London "Times" wrote, "Ireland's Obituary 'Notice." This paper exultlngly cried: "The Celts are gone — gone with a vengeance — the Lord be praised!" That abominable phrase expressed the English heart und mind for ever to Ireland — but It was uttered prematurely, as we, who wipe the mists from our eyes In this the morning of the twentieth century, know. "Free trade" swept away the last economic bulwark of Ireland— her Corn Laws — and raised cheap beef for the English markets. Seventy years ago there were more men and women m Ireland than there were cattle and sheep. To-day there are one bullock and two sheep to every human being. In addition, there Is five times the amount of taxation. Yet Ireland survives, and her exiled children have become a great political influence' across the Atlantic. ' In ISOO, when the Irish Parliament was destroyed, Ireland's population was denser than England's. Ireland had 166 men and women to the square mile. England had 152. To-day, Ireland has 135, England 618. Now. bear m mind that on this 135 there Is imposed an Increase of £2 9s per head In taxation over the taxation they suffered under when m 1596 the English Commission stated that England drew £3,000,000 a year more from Ireland than she was fairly entitled to! Today poor Pat Is forced to bear three times the indebtedness which he bore at the time of the Act of Union, while the Englishman bears only two-fifths I of what he then bore. That is the price Ireland has paid for being forced into the status o£ a large English shire. It is no fault of statesmanship that Ireland is alive — humanly and informally speaking, she should have been well dead sixty years ago. But between the awful blood-spilling m the world to-day In which she shares at home and abroad, and the increased taxation under which she exists, there is not wanting a prospect that the nation whoso obituary notice Mountjoy wrote m "CARCASES AND ASHES," Cromwell wrote m "To Hell or Connacht," William and Anne wrote m the Penal Laws, Pitt wrote m the Union, Russell wrote m the famine, and Asqulth and General Maxwell wrote m Martial Law In 1916— there Is not wanting a prospect that, after all, the old Irish nation may "go out/ and only exist as scattered, moneygrabbing, agitating units like the Jews, bereft of their land and their ideals. Vain hopes. As writer has placed Ireland m a new light as regard to taxation, or, rather, turned the searchlight of day on to the real position and conditions, of which few readers, if any at all, knew anything, It is up to him to indicate how HONEST, REPRESENTATIVE MEN m Ireland looked at the matter. It is always well to shove home your data conclusively ,even going so far, as a. Scots friend has aptly termed my action, "as to thrush your opinions down a fellow's throat." It is hard, indeed, when we have to compel a fel-low-<Jael to swallow facts— historical facts— but It Is pleasing to learn thflt, m the mysterious process of digestion they really worked out all right m the end! .lust lake the following report of v meeting held m the- Mansion Hnvwo, Dublin, In February lv.m. ami notice the nun In .sympathy with the object* of the meeting, frmn Cardinal Logue to Mr». Stopford Given, the historian: The object of the meeting was tv protest against the over- taxation of Ireland. Mr. W. O. Cole, who pre.sMert tmlil they ehiimeil for lieliuul Hole control over her own tnxe*. und tint restoration of her national Exchequer. They questioned England's right to Impose tuxes on that country at all. It might be naked why they did not loavo the elected representatives of Ireland to look ufter the tlnuneiul intereot.H of the country. "The answer la." he milil. "we found iho sentluelH uAlecp at their post, and unless the Irish people. rls« up In defence of thflr common interests the policy of drift will continue." There was nothing now about tho programme proposed lliat night; they were simply on the lines of the principles of Swift. Molyneux. Wolfe. Tone, Grattun and Davis. The authority to levy taxes In Ireland wan a free Irish Parliament, und Irish taxes mu»t be the free gift of a free people. "DEAD AS QUEEN ANNE." The crisis through which the world was pusfltng "t present made it more

than ever necessary that the immediate restoration of their national independence should be won. The warhad made the financial provisions of tho Home Rule Act as dead us Queen Anne, and they shoxild insist on having the financial relations between England and Ireland placed on an International basis. 1 Mr. \V. P. Kenny. . Waterfdrd. proposed a resolution declaring that the taxation of the past century had Impoverished the country, and the taxation imposed and foreshadowed meant the ruin cf the nations industries and commerce, and demanding exemption from these taxes. In standing 'the resolution, Mr. Glnnell. M.P., said Ireland's one conprehensivo want was freedom. They could all unite not to be taxed except' for Irish purposes. Dr. Michael Davitt and Mr. Buhner supported the resolution, which was carried by acclamation. ALL-IRELAND AGITATION. On the motion of Mr. Briscoe. T.C., seconded by Mr. John Sweetman, and supported by Aid. Byrne. M.P., a committee was appointed to conduct an all-Ireland agitation to secure the objects of the llrst resolution. The committee Included Mr Laurence Ginnell M.P., Aid. Byrne, M.P., Mrs. Wyae Power and Professor Cleary. Mr. Briscoe, advocating* resistance to the taxation, said that If England persisted m enforcing payment. Ireland must hold the annuities payable by ths farmers and refuse to export her rood products. Letters of apology expressing sympathy with the objects of the meeting were received from all parts of the country, including letters from Cardinal Logue, Monsignor Halllnan (Newcastle - West)-, Mrs. Stopford Green.. Mr. John McNelll, Mr. Nolan Ardee. (To be continued.)