THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN AND THE TIMES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume X, Issue 514, 16 February 1883, Page 11

THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN AND THE TIMES.

The following letter from the Lord Mayor of Dublin appeared in the Times of Dec. 9th in reply to an article in that paper dealing with the speech delivered in the City Hall by Mr. Dawson. Sib,— There are a few words in your able article referring to my laic address in the Corporation of Dublin which fully explains the situation not only in this capical but iv this country. These words are " Our Irish correspondence of tnis morning presents a significant illustration of the anomalies and curiosities of Irish public life." There are anomalies, and they are indeed curious. Before I refer to those directly bearing on the subject under discussion may I say at the outseth °w can you expect a normal and natural state of things in a country where anomalies and curiosities admittedly prevail 1 I grant at once that it would be most extraordinary for a civic functionary in London to make any comment on the charge of a judge of the land. For two reasons — Firstly, because in his own sphere he, the London or other English civic functionary, would have had his active magisterial share in the conduct of the administration under which the state of things commented upon arose ; secondly, any English civic functionary knows this— that the whole hierarchy of the administration of justice depends upon the Government, the Government upon the Parliament, Parliament upon the will of the English people, and hence the executive from the constable up to the Lord Chancellor depends in a constitutional manner upon the will of the English people. Their assent stands behind the officer of law. In fact they can say with the Duke of Vienna :—: — " We have with special soul Elected him our absence to supply j Lent him our terror, dressed him with our love."

Such is not the case in Ireland. The will of the Irish people does not, nor cannot effect the appointment of the administrators of the law, from the humblest policeman to the highest dignitary. The will of England does this for Ireland. True, you may say Ireland should join in that consent as does Yorkshire or Middlesex. A power higher than yours has decided otherwise. Here is the first and great anomaly. But where is its curiosity 1 Herein. This unconstitutional state of things is upheld for centuries by the very nation which has been the preacher, and the very Minister who has been the apostle, of constitutional government for every country which did not enjoy that blessing, The letter of Mr. Swire Smith, one of the Commissioners of technical education from Antwerp, last week, reminds me of this, when he speaks of the prosperity of aof country which, he says, Englishmen are apt to speak lightly, because on the map it seems somewhat insignificant, and has only comparatively a small population." We know that its prosperity dates from 1830. We know that Belgium became separated from Holland. We know that England helped that separation. We know still more that Belgium teems with prosperity, and that Holland is not worse off. Would that we could know that two other nations availed themselves of this lesson, and that peaceably and without total separation they had followed its example. The next anomaly bearing on my course of action is, that I find the presiding judge, who admitted that ordinary crime was limited, and who knows the origin of those which I with him deplore, should find for that peculiar, isolated class of crime no remedy bnt punishment, whereas a few years ago the same learned person saw and advocated as a cure for such evils home government for Ireland. This change is anomalous and curious, for not in England nor in any other country could such extraordinay and rapid changes of public policy be found.

One word as to the state of Dublin. I never said it was a flourishing one. Such prosperity as it generally had I helped to increase by organising an exhibition which caused an expenditure, in dull times, of nearly £ICO,OOO in a few months. I doubt whether the classes who are said to fly from Dublin ever did so much. The empty houses in the city streets are more than compensated for in the miles of new terraces built within the last ten or fifteen years in the suburbs. The solution for filling these empty houses in the city is to restore— as Mr. Justice O'Brien, when candidate for Ennis, recommended — our Irish Parliament ; then some hundreds of lords anol commons would return to live in Dublin, and bring some millions ©f money in their train. Kemoving these terrible crimes, of the source of which there is no mystery — arising, as they do, not out of love of plunder, jealousy, or passion, but being, in fact, as we say in sanitary matters, " preventible diseases," if we only take the caution — other crimes are very few. I have the words of the judge on Monday, that there is very little crime among 300,000 people in the city. Now, what did the same learned judge say yesterday of the county of Dublin 1 "lam exceedingly pleastd to state that the county which you (the grand jury) represent enjoys at present, a singular, and in this country, I may say, absolute, exemption from crime." Well, sir, when it is remembered that this very county embraces populous surburban districts like Dalston, where a policeman was lately shot, and that there is no crime, and in the city proper only those of the peculiar character I referred to, am I, as Lord Mayor, to allow you and, through the Times, Europe, and the world, to think that the half-million of people in this city and county carry their lives in their hands, and that there is no remedy except enforced imprisonment after sunset or a general panic-stricken flight from the capital of our country ? You do not say, but your remarks imply, the qnestion, Why select the council chamber for my platform ? Well, if I selected the bench in Green-street it would have been denounced as sensational. But I did not choose it. As you have done me the honour to devote your influential columns to the discussion of my conduct, I am sure you will accord me the privilege to make in them this reply. — I remain, Bir, your ever obedient servant, Charles Dawson, M. P., Lord Mayor. Mansion House, Dublin, Dec, 6,