Untitled

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1183, 27 November 1880, Page 2

[To tltt Editor of the Herald.]

Sib, — From time to time I have read the home telegrams with interest, especially the Irish news. There appeared in yoxir paper some short time back & leading article on the state of affairs in Ireland, and comparing the Irishmen in the colonies to those in Ireland. You say they are law-abiding in the colonies. 1 agree with you there ; but they are not oppressed here as in Ireland. There are no tyrannical landlords, whom I will call robbers of the people, living and sporting themselves on the fat of the poor man's land. They don't do that here. Then they become men of title, such as Lord So and So, Earl something else, and Duke s.ome one else, and so on. Now, I ask, how did those people first become possessed of Irish lands 1 Was it through the Crown of England ? Why did they not allow them to keep their lands? You will hear even in this town people condemning the Irish, and in some cases they are Irishmen themselves. . : They, will 8&y Oliver Cromwell was. the fellow for the Irish, and William the Third. They gave the Irish something to remember. Now, sir, ever since the dayß of those monarchs the people of England seem to enjoy an anti-Irish feeling ; so now can one blame the Irish for their feelings after that? Go to Ireland, and there you will find the country divided into two parties, namely Protestants and Catholics ; and how the English will look on and be highly amused at an Irish fair, where each party starts to break their opponents' skulls with their bits of blackthorn, &c. And why was the country divided 1 The only reason Ti'can see for it is the same as the -Frenchman Bays about it — buy onehalf of the country to kill the other. Oh ! ye foolish Irish, why did you listen to the blarney of strangers, and split your country 1 And another thing : the British Government permits the existence of political societies on both sides. Why not put them all down ? I say, down with them. They are a disgrace to the Empire. Both sides, both parties, down with them, and don't allow them to exist, and not make fish of the one and flesh of the other. . ; ' ; ; - Again they say the Irish are not fit to govern their own country if left to their own resources. Well, no matter, let them be. Let thorn have a fair trial. Look at America. Why did they go in for independence, but merely through oppression, and they gained it ; but they were not divided so they gained what they went for, and now look at the flourishing country. When England oppresses Ireland, in my opinion they interfere with their own interests. .In fact, they divide their own nation, for in time of war with any foreign country an Irishman may^ be heard to say of times, "its no use of you foreigners trying to get the best of us c Britishers,' for you can't do it." There he at once proclaims himself an Englishman, so now, I think, if the British Government would look at both sides of the question, and deal fairly with all parties, and not allow land monopoly, I think affairs would go on far more peaceably and there would be niore unity, and unity must mean strength. Apoligising for the space, I am, &c. , Subscriber.