The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-05-15 00:00:00

THE IRISH QUESTION.

AN independent view, free from all party
bias or political prejudice on this all-absorb-
ing question of the hour, is a rarity, so heated
has become the discussion of the Ministerial
scheme for improving the Government of
Ireland. Men are bound up so much with
this or that set in their habits of thought,
so enslaved by their surroundings, so ac-
customed in political matters to content
themselves with a follow-my-leader course,
that a broad and honestly serious examina-
tion of the subject on its merits is hardly pos-
sible. Let us endeavour to approach the prob-
lem unfettered for the moment by desire to
favour the opinions of any combination,
whether they label themselves Radicals or
Tories. Whigs. Liberals, Constitutionalists,
or what not, and calmly consider the matter
from the standpoint of patriotism and com-
mon justice to all. The air just now is full
of the sound of oratorical wrangling between
political cliques concerning the Irish question,
and the question itself is in deep danger of
being lost sight of and subordinated to party
considerations. Only the thoroughly in-
dependent thinker can weigh the whole case
with a fair and unencumbered hand. And
how necessary, when the issues are so vital,
is a calm and rational examination of all the
points presented by the question. Whatever
the fate of the Government Bills, there can
be but little doubt that this Home Rule
business will have to be decided by the will
of the people, at the polling booths, and that
ere long. And it will behove each of us then
t 3 give a conscientious vote, the result of
anxious consideration, with the intent, not
of placing or retaining a political party in
power, but to the end of solving for ever the
perennial puzzle of "the state of Ireland."
And in this it will be far better and safer to

be guided by great principles and general
knowledge than, to trust to isolated facts, or
to strive after a full and detailed acquaint-
ance with every incident of Ireland's past,
or allow ourselves to be influenced by the
many unscrupulous and inaccurate state-
ments which are being constantly put forth
in the interests of various classes with the
hope of attaining undue advantage We
have to deal with a divided people, but we
must seek to do so without attempting or
permitting injustice to either section. The
rights of these conflicting elements must be
equally respected. We should no more
permit the Orangemen of Ulster to domineer
over their Catholic neighbours than we
should allow so-called Nationalists to per-
secute or intimidate the Protestant minority.
Religions conviction is sacred, and must on
no account be interfered with, or blind
bigotry will infallibly follow with devastat-
ing tread. Property has its rights, too,
which must be rightly regarded, just as
much as it has its duties, which must be
dutifully performed. Go into the whole
subject in this wise, and the seemingly
overwhelming difficulties vanish. Where
Right rules, and no man strives to improve
his own status at the cost of his fellow,
there is no necessity for elaborate law-mak-
incr.' Let this principle be broadly applied
to Irish government. Is not the sounding,
furore about the Union of Great Britain and
Ireland after all only a hollow cry ? Men
wax eloquent about the maintenance of the
Union, and protest loudly against dismem-
berment of the Empire, but the Empire is
dismembered already. As one writer has
well said, it is the dis-United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland that we are
living in, and so it always has been in the
true sense of the phrase. Separation could
hardly place England farther out of touch
with Ireland than she is. Take but the

briefest glance at Ireland's history and it 5i lele one, Gat th • we
(I,lrirot,unfdn the gates. 11,4
will be Dlain that no real identification with r jiver
.: oald n..t swear that Kr.,n
r...red with the gates Kendenck 5(111Hal.P"
the rest of the kingdom has ever existed. •i eaargod, and the remainder were tined ;is and
Ireland's sympathies are not with Britain, c..,,:_in,, each, and to p.ty t:-e am-unt o. C.e d:no3eo,
and Britain has failed in all her attempts ,
haUr,eciAT:itt3ThPftiEtrottqnStrltC.lD E. —George Barton wa_
to understand Ireland. There is disaffection 111\1.1101 ^weide by
hi- throat with lau4r.itzeor count
to English or Imperial rule in Ireland. and '''itt'''"
-;; tr ApriL—Toe Ben,h a,ltcd re-fun) •°-.11,"' on th'
Irishmen beyond the seas act in concert with : ve. attempt ,uch a thing haagaih,aadlOul up' ;ocita,"ij -
the disaffected at home. Who can say that , ;4: tic, do so
,he was dise,eiritd.
such a strong and true union as has just 'n'inat adjourned cas,
~gains; Mrsi'Lli-lleey-'oAtsSthe—Neil•v‘hie
now been demonstrated with emphasis) as .u.o vine Street,
existing bet Ween our great self-governing t: r ,:elinie,
.intox.icating liquors during prohibited
bus was dismissed. Mr. C. H. Collis appeared for
Colonies and the Motherland obtains between
Ireland and Britain ? Why, even the heart defee,SeliOnNtiti:Ritahnirs,Rdowpv.—Miebael McHale was
of f America, which has no long been free cl:.;'‘'--
the
B.e_iituorusti.unkliand dicrier y at the
:orn English rule, beats more loyally to- heath on further charged
t ith b. ing drunk and refu,in 14
aqtuit
further
White
wards Great Britain than does that of the '
He rse Inn, Heath, and theregwaes
Etneeald Isle. What we would wish for "e nutrtdaermaccrhargi.
of damaging window and door, doing
a moral union of the so-called United King-
he
ie. ewamount
duty
15ts ,t h P.C.I Pay nte r
AeTflof.nr4e-t51,(.:
darn, in place of the unsightly manacles of
p, , . . Heath. He
tot who was drunk and elasna
an irritating Constitution, wedded in any-A
, rses, the landlord of the White Horse si,aeid the
thing but just or sympathetic fashion. defendant was drunk and using bad lano:tia_
tangible and sincere unity is wanted, not an told him he did not allow that sort of rangua,e he,
et tnpt.,- national designation. This can only short time after the defoucl4nt began
with the
at by legislation in accordance to use bad languageA again.heng,
but defendant el
inkdea nh
it
m said.
He
dtherealion asked
couhlde
mh the will of the people of Ireland. To thee b me
nirn to go out of the,
would not, and hat
that truth we shall come at last. However not put him out. Witness then tried to put tam out
unwillingly, we shall assuredly have t o admit and ultimately inicce, ded in d inc, so. The defend-
the righteousness of the demand for self-
ant began to use bad language and 'el he would
government which Ireland now makek, br,-ak every pane in the b said -
se. Defend:int
than threw and broke four aneshofu
Why not at once accede to the fair and un- orle;:elnadßsa and also
ntthestbrul struck
knocked a panel of the door in,
mistakeable wishes of the Irish? There is at
ff him over the natf-docr but he warded
no sufficient reason why not. We must Police Superintendent Wheeler
trust the' people. Ireland has in the past ithe Stourbridge
wdies, and he had been one
shown herself capable of prodacine• a plenti- r°
reaidwt.hthe his
s y convicted for
Delfendant
tude of eminent inen—men capable in every was fined 20s and costs for he;ng
drunk and die-
way of conducting her affairs, and given o c drunkenness and profane language.'
1)- . orderly and refusing to quit; :: . I was ordered to
portunity, sli.i would again find among her par the clammy 15s and fine 6 . ..3 and costs; in
sons the men for the hour o consecutive.
now caw s were not proceeded with.
. We would not default one nio"Oth . the terms to b - -
pronounce as to the fitness of the The other '
e more,. ,
protracted hearing,
prominent of the present leaders of the Alexander Collins, insurance agent. Hill Street,,
dominant party in Ireland for acting • Lye, was c,mrnitted for trial at the Assizts for ar
sponsible ministerial positions with remgarred-
at tnotkll rape on Eliza Little, of Jackson Street.
to Irish affairs, but this we would say, that Lye, a ped more, on the 9th inst. Mr. Ward pro-
the
g
country would assuredly have no lack of - secate , and Mr. M. Go: bet defended, Prisoner was
men worthy of fulfilling ofliceA of hi h trust. ~' allowed bail.
It is an aspersion upon Irish genius to think , • _
or assume otherwise. The threats of the (3
-• • , ~coA..—GaATEFUL AND CO/nroa -TINa.-"By a
Orangemen of rebellion if Home Rule ho : thorough knowledge of the
inuidatural laws which govern
the operations of digestion arid
proln)eurttrittsiwynd by a care-
given to Ireland would come to nothine- :. f.ul applicatiol of the fine
Some extreme Ulstermen have told us thea. well
tablese s selected
: atj°cd°:: caltre.l iCifivs has oyovided our b. eakfas
doctors'avourehdillsbeveitra.ge which may save ns
not
fight or leave the country, but we do
y heavyY
or think they would do either. As the '-' may tiohne judicious use of
t;,.•
asulichhar.ticles of diet that a cocstibtyut
great party leaders have now admitted,
,;, e a
cyy
tuoll
dt
iusp until strong enough to resistayeveerygldud.
there is no safe halting place between con- Hundreds of subtle maladies are
k floating sroeu'n'sde.o 3
tried,
and coercion. Coercion has been ye
scoaattack wherever there is :k
•,'-.' weak point We Ina),
with
a fatal shaft by
.. and has failed most lamentably;
con- •- keeping (,urselves well fortifiedij.iilsou.rt. blood and a
ciliation has been tried spasmodically ..n.l I,:..uperly twat-is:led frame " e),,ce 0 ,z,ree. -
a
piece by piece, but w:
ith neither confidence ' p
,-tle Pimply with b ,1.i., , water -lk. Soil out/ i,
clots hthelied-• ja,d's or mi
k.Peti dC Co. tiomoonpaLl.::
nor decision, and these half-wayt ~. ... ',enlists, Loud .0 "- Also Lila&
tia ,1 0 met with the
failure they have deserved. Chocolate Esrouce A