Ireland's Grievances. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 16

Ireland's Grievances. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— Permit me the opportunity of pointing out to those who boast of equal rights to all men under British rule the necessity of considering the nature of the King's oath with regard to the various religious denominations over which he mles. He swears to uphold Episcopacy in England, Presbyterian. am m Scotland, and what' '.bout lioland? Such privileges Scotland has enjoyed from EngUad since 1707 — i.e., xo keep her own la>vs and Piesbyterian Church , but although the union of the Iri3h Parliament, or rather the =ale of the Constitution (under false which were not granted) occurred nearly 103 years afterwards, the vast majority of the people of Ii eland have been tieated m a way which corresponds very mdiffeiently with that of Scotland. ~A few aiuehoiaticns have recently been wrung with difficulty from the British Parliament, but the starving population, the absente? aristocracy, and until lately an alien, church have been the cause of grave dissatisfact.on. However, I do not quite agree with. De Beaumont when he said "the Indian in his wigwam and the slave in his chains weie better* off than the Catholic peasant of Ireland." Let any Christian man look at the following horrible rccoid, and then talk of equal rights after — Died of famine in Ireland dm ing the reign of Queen Victoria, 1.225,000, evicted by landlords, 3,668,000, emigrated, 4,168,000! Soace forbids further examples — I am. etc , FAIRPLAY.

A pine 2ft Bin through, in Mr W Marshall's padlock at Tn^pwood. -\\a= struck by h^htrunc, during a, recent thundei-torm and =nlmterpd in fiaf,mnits, -which were scatteicd for more than fifty yards aiound.