GLADSTONE ON THE MITOHELSTOWN MASSACRE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 40, 24 January 1890, Page 7

GLADSTONE ON THE MITOHELSTOWN MASS ACRE.

(Irith World, December 7.) What is known as the " Peterloo Massacre " occurred in England in August, 1819. Knglish workingmen held a public demonstration such as are now held quite frequently. Seventy years ago, however, English workiogmen did not weild the influence that they do now. The Government of the time felt safe in ordering the meeting at Peterloo, which at that time was a sort of a suburb of Manchester, to be broken up. In consequence of these orders the meeting was dispersed at the point of the bayonet after several English workingmen had lost their lived, This is what is known as the " Peterloo Massacre." An old English Chartist, who was an eye-witness of the affair, sent a description of it the other day to Mr. Gladstone, who replied as fol. lows :—: — "November 19,1889. 11 Sir— l thank you for sending me the account of the Peterloo proceedings. So lately as 1887 they were repeated on a small scale at Mitchelstown, Ireland, and the defence, even more inexcusable at the present, has been, perhaps, still more unblushing. Tour faithful servant, — " W. E. Glads ione." Tbis note of the leader of one of the great Eng'ish parties speaks for itself. It is an indictment of the system of government under which the Irish people are living. Mr. Gladstone knows that another " Peterloo massacre " could not take place on English soil. The government that would be guilty of countenancing such a thing would be swept from power. Englishmen to-day refer to the " Peterloo massacre " in about the same way they do to acts of tyranny committed under the Stuarts. It never occurs to them that another " Peterloo massacre " is possible. Mr. Gladstone's reminder that Ireland has witnessed a sort of Peterloo massacre only two years ago, is not then untimely. When the police in cold blood shot down defenceless men at Mitohe 'slown the Tory Government did not hesitate to defend that act. Seventy years ago the Government of the day endeavoured to set op some kind of a defence for the causeless shooting down of Englishmen. Considering the times we live in the Tory Government of to-day is more shmnelees than its predecessor of seventy years ago in trying to defend the Mitchelstown murderers. As Mr. Gladstone expresses it, "the defence, even more inexcusable at the present day, has been perhaps more unblushing." Mr. Gladstone's reference to Michelstown in connection with the " Peterloo Massacre," besides serving to show in what manner Ireland is governed in these closing years of the nineteenth century, furnishes evidence of the way in which the Irish question has taken possession of the greatest of living English statesmen. A few years ago Mr. Gladstone would have never thought of comparing the " Peterloo Massacre " with the Mitchelstown murders. It is certainly a striking proof of the advances the Irish causa has made when an Englishman of Mr. Gladstone's standing and influence uses such language as is contained in the note we have given above. By Buch practical illustrations Mr. Gladstone is helping his countrymen to better understand the nature of Tory Rule in Ireland.