The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-01-07 00:00:00

THE DOINGS OF THE FENIAN&
MANIFZBIO Or 1011 AX CATHOLIC CLIHOT.

A manifesto has just been published by the Roman
Catholic Dean of Limerick and eighteen other mambaeg
of the Irish priesthood, disoloeing a stated things win&
could scarcely have been expected at the most penkns
crisis of Irish history. From beginning to end it is one !
continuous diatribe against lingland—as the ruthlese
and throws the
conqueror, the pitiless tyrant, and the selfish despoiler
of Ireland. It presents to the Irish people • fely-
coloured view of their peat history,
entire blame of every defect—from enianism down to
leelimes want of capital—upon the British govern-
ment. The manifesto rejects as inadmissible any solution
of the Irish question save one whioh shall . Ireland
entirely from British rule. "A land tenure," say they,
"will accomplish something; removal of the Protestant
ascendancy, by placing the Protestant Church in the
saute position before the State as the Catbolio Church,
will accomplish much ; equality in (lineation and the
removal of the anomaly of giving a freedom of education
on the condition of people giving up freedom, will do
it, share—and we will hail any and ad of them with
thankfulness ; but we feel bound to try that when all
of them have been granted, safety from foreign
danger, perfect development of home resources,
abuve all, the heart of this eountry will acquire
nationality. Give Ireland her own legislature and the
government of her resources—nationality and her
federal amity will be a tower of strength to the
empire. The country and people will have nothing
to complain of any more—they will be themselves
responsible for their own condition ; conspiracies at
home will have nothing to plot abut. and conspiracies
abroad can promise nothing which Ireland woull not
be ready to reject and resist. England will then be
united to us by on- best interests, and will be the pro-
- ofth.,sen.efiersa
fice,ntt
teeter of our most valued privileges, end the miserable
huariteslresLaldl
hsne
is rail de nd.
helplessWe
not by any fault of the Irish race, but by the force and
fault of English legislation. Secondly, that the said
English legislation exercised its power, not only in
pauperising Ireland for • season, but in destroying
nearly all the sources of Irish nations] wealth, and thus
making poverty • perm•nent condition of the country.
Thirdly—That the danger to public order, both at hems
and from abroad, has been produced by said poverty and
degntdatioa. Fourthly—That the very nature of moat
! of the remedies required to make Ireland rieh and con-
tented makes it impossible for a British Parliaxeset to
adupt and employ them; and, besides, that borne
aspirations and the plea for Irish intervention from
abroad can never be met, enlists by restoring Ireland
her nationality, re-establishing the sovereign and Lords
and Commons of Ireland. Before the face of Ireland
and the whole world we make this declaration—in the
interests of Heaven and earth—the present and the
future. With tbe thoughful men who sway the
destinies of these kingdoms we leave the issue; but our
own honour and conscience required that we should tell
the truth, and nothieg but the truth, in the face of
eventualities of which • Christian clergy should not
desire to take the responsibility. We have discharged
our duty, and on the statesmanship of England now
testa the deeply important bone."