IS IRELAND A FREE COUNTRY?

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 65, 25 July 1874, Page 13

IS IRELAND A FREE COUNTRY?

The following is an extract from Mr A. M. Sullivan's first speech in Parliament : — " I have travelled something in ■Republioat «ountries, and I have * s*en nothing to shake my conviction that Englishmen enjoy, on the whole, more of solid, secure, and substantial liberty without license than, perhaps any other nation in the civilized world. But how different i 3 the case with my country! As I listened to all that was said about the constitution, I could not help feeling as an Irishman that my journey to England would be well undertaken if I could, even only for curiosity, see this constitution of which we Irishmen hear so much, but which in our country we can never feel or see^ What is it? Where is it? Where may one\peruse it? Does ifc"\ include the Bill of Rights? We have no such rights in Ireland, unless, it may be, on th* sufferance or with the\permission of the chief government official Does this constitution"* inolude trial by jury ? A priceless possession, indeed. But in Trelan'd I can have no trial by jury, if the chief official of the government chooses to say that I have written sedition. Does the constitution includeWote'ction for property ? In Ireland I have no protection for mine. The Lord Lieutenant is entitled to seise and confiscate my property without any , trial or judicial procedure whatsoever (hear, hear). Does th« constitution of which we hear so much include liberty of the Dress ? Ay, indeed — what would an Englishman think of a constitution., without it ! Yet m our country the press may be swppres«ed on barely one averthement (oh, oh, from the G-overnment benches, replied to with lond cheers from the Home TCule members). Sir, I state the fact ; I refer to the statue-book, and challenge contradiction (loud cheers). Well, does thi3 constitution include the right to carry arms ? In-Ire-land it is a matter of imprisonment to have even a percussion cap in your possession unless by favor of the polio**. Does the constitution afford protection against domiciliary visits ? Irishmen had no suck protection, as may be seen by a glance at the surplus left by the late government. Ido not mean the revenue surplus. I mean the surplus of Coercion Bills (laughter) whioh the present governmont will find ready to their hands bequeathed by the late Ministry (renewed laughter). Does the constitution afford protection against arbitrary arrest ? The speech of my hon. and learned friend, Mr Butt (order, order), I beg the indulgence of the house — of the member for Limerick city, and the cases he cited, settle that we have no such constitutional protection in Ireland (hear, hear). Does the constitution insure the punishment of government officials convicted of illegality and crime before the tribunals of the land ? In our unfortunate country the government officials may violate the law without fear of punishment, for the government will pay the fine for them out of the public funds' (loud shouts of " no," and " oh," from the Whig and Tory members, and prolonged cries of hear, hear from the Home "Rule benches). Agiin, sir, I appeal to public record. In Derry City (hear, hear) and in Dublin (hear, hear), juries have a^ain and asnin cinvicted government officials of assaults — some of them most brutal and aggravated, yet in no instance that we are aware of has any punishment touched the offenders so convicted ; for the government has stepped in and decreed them indemnity for wrong-doing by paying both the fine and costs, or else, as in the case of the Phoenix Park assaults, by using the public funds to so litigate the suita as to beggar and weary out the hapless person who sued for redress (chpers). Take away all these rights and protections, and how much of the constitution, or what kind of a constitution remains ?