The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-18 00:00:00

E4t 3tourfyibge flscrtn.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1868.

IRELAND.

The government of Ireland has for centuries
been more or less of it difficult problem, and at
the present moment it appears as difficult as it
has ever beep. One prominent element in this
difficulty was the preponderance of Catholics
over Protestants, whereas till 1525, when Ciitho-
lie Emancipation was granted, legislation was
undoubtedly of a one-sided character. Sir W.
Petty, in his .1 Pulitical Anatomy of Ireland." in
1071, says There ho eight Papists for three
others." Primate %miter, writing to the Arch.
bishop of Canterbury in 1727, says, " Thera no
probably in this Kingdom (IrelionD flee Pvpiets
to one Protestant, We have (Proteatesit) in.
enothenta end curates te the number of 1,800,
whilst there are near 8,000 Popish priests of all
sorts here. In 1760 a return to the Hose of
Lords geve the number of Protestants as ,5'21.0.12
end of Boman Cathollea as 1,222,740. In Deli
stetiation divided the popnlation thus Estele
Halted Church, 81L004; Catholics, 0,427,713 ;
Preebyterians, t 112,160 ; other Protestant Dls.
enters, 1,0.109 ; total, 7,943,5 Netwitli•
standing all the changes of reoent year. from
emigration, the Introduction of ?mulish end
ilcoteh eapital, end other causes, the eat'iallne
have elweys far outtittinherci the Protestante.
In BA the census gave 4,450,153 Boman
Catholics, 078,001 members of the Established
Chureh, and 180,108 Proteatant Diesentere.
The English Established Chureh nevertheleen
has eeneiderablo advantages, us an esteldisn.
meat, over the Catholic Church, and the adher-
ents of the latter maintain that the revenues of
the country are unfairly dealt with, to the die.
&Vantage of the members of that reti.lious
oolunninity which is by far the most numeroue.
The whole subject brier a with difficulties, 45
legislation en religious or partially relleione
subjects always does. The Irish Church toe:-
tionpreseee fur settlement inasmuch as the Irish
Cutholie population (mushier the church of the
minority holds eu adveiitageons position
in respect to ite revenues, compared wit . the
church of the majority. We might point to
parallel to this state of things as existilee in
Wales, where the Dissenters outnumber the
Church of England by 7 or C to 1, hut the
Welsh apparently do not feel this im ititioh ta
be a grievance as the Irish do, who nay be re-
gavial as having a talent for grinulilinT The
attention of Parliament will probahly he direc-
ted to this immensely difficult subject next ses-
sion. Whether any scheme will be propounded
which will satisfy the Catholics and which a
British Parliament can pass remains to be seen.
We confess we have net much hope of ouch a
result, but any step towards it will be hailed as
a bond of 1111hui between England and /reload,
unhappily now so much at variance.
The ienure of laiid in Ireland is ,trtother stile
ject which demands the attention of Die liegiat
lature. The relations between landlord and
tenant in the country are not on the A bole
equitable to the latter. The landlord lois too
much power, the tenant too little freedo ii, sine
has neither security of possession nor a glillrAll•
tee for the slightest acknowledgment fur im-
provements he may elfeet 011 thr, Sir
John Gray, who might to know something both
of the landlords' and tenants' view of the ques•
tion, proposes that the landlord should have this
choice between granting a fee-farm lease at a
fairly.reviseil rent, voidable only by non-pay.
ment, or selling at the full value of his property
—that, in other words, he should have to cliuoie
between his power of eviction, awl selliug
his property. What is wanted at all eventi,
Is to give the tenant a deeper interest io the
soil of his native country than he now has, mad
to render him leas of a dependant—perhaps serf
would scarcely be too strong a word—thaii he is
now. Ireland, without mineral wealth or mens.
faeturen to any great extent depends (hied!, 011
her soil, and it is only fair that those wh ) till it
and render it fertile should have a deeper into.
rest in it than they now have.
Another evil from whiell Ireland suffers is an
Inadequate representation in Parliameut, This
question will in due course come before the Le•
gislature next session, and we hetet will be fairly
settled. It is a question on which many ethers
depend. Fair representation will router the
remedy of existing grievances more easy ; and
there seems to be every desire ota the p irt of
oar own eountry to give the sister country it fair
share in the representative couucile of the ne•
don.
Among minor remedies far the discontent
which exists in Ireland would be the abolition
of the Lord Lieutenaucy, and the residence in
the country of the Sovereign, or of tho heir to
the throne, during a portion of the year. Beyond
a clique which hovers round Dublin Castle the
establishment of the Viceroy has no charms for
the sister country, while it perpetuates the idea,
if uot the reality, of Ireland being a conquered
country. The abolition of thi.: mimic court and
the assimilation of the lass of the two countries
as far as practicable, would be a great boon to
Ireland and a benefit to our owe country, and
would nuito the two by a °immunity of interest
which does not now exist to so great an extent
as is advisable. Or, if the Lord Lieutenancy
must be preserved, die appointment of the Duke
of Edinburgh would he a graceful act which in
itself would do much to simian the loyalty of
those who are now discontented. But the coca-

sional residence of the Court in Dublin would

perhaps do mom. This would bo an easy and
an inexpensive stop to take, and in the presout
condition of Ireland nothing should be left un-
done which would bind that country more closely
to our own.