The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-09-05 00:00:00

ICte *toadyible

SATURDAY, SRPTEMBIat 5, 1868.

IRELAND.
The condition of Ireland has, within the
memory of the present generation, always been
a stock topic ; it has called out the most virnlent
party feeling; it hits given rise to the wildest
political and social nostrums ; and it has owl
-
pied the unceasing attention of philanthropists
in and out of Parliament. At the present nio- ,
meat the Irish Church question is still the most
exciting topic in political circles, as it was dur- On Wednesday nfght Mr. H. Sheridan, M.P.,
lug the past session, and as it bide fair to be for Dudley, addressed a large and enthushietie
during the forthcoming general election. meeting at the New Connexion Chapel, Five
We have recently had fresh interest imported Ways, Cradley Heath. The school was filled by
into this pereunial subjeet by a horrible agrarian an intelligent and respectable audience, among
outrage, and by the speech of the Lord-Lieut.- 1 whom we noticed Rev. G. Cosine, Rev. J. Kirk-
enant on the condition of the country. The man, T. Homer, Esq., B. Bird, G. Green, J.
outrage to which we refer is too fresh in the I, Lewis, W. Keen, T. Tibbetts, R. Daley, Boston
memory of .iiir readers to need coy reference to Heys, I. Granger, .f. Fellowes, S. Brazier, W.
its fit-tail. ; but we may assert, and it is pleasing Tromans, W. Chandler, J. Whitley, B. Hingley,
to be aide to do so, that the murderous attack on W. Birkin, W. H. Nock, and nutnerous other
Mr. Scully fuel hia assistants was altogether an gentlemen. A few minutes past eight o'clock
exceptional crime. True it is that the want of Mr. Sheridan, accompanied by some Dudley
tenant-right is an old standing grievance with friends, entered the room, and was received
the temint farmers of Ireland, and that not sel- 1 with lung and continued applause. When quiet
dom in the history of Ireland has there occurred ; was restored, Mr. Thomas Wood was elected to
desperate opposition to evietion, and that sonic- I the Chair.
times these conllieta have been of a sanguinary Mr. H. B. Sheridan Fetid it was needless to
eharacter ; but not only have such conflicts been tell them that the Liberal party were their best
rare of late years, but the circumstances which friends, and it was a question whether the reins
It to this outrage were quite exceptional, the of Government should be taken from the Tories
terms which the landlord sought to impose on and handed over to the Liberals or not. feries
his tenantry being such as, in the words of a of " No, no.") The Tories had systematically
leading Irish paper, no landlord in his senses opposed every measure for the social ameliora-
would seek to enforce. It is reasonably to be I tient of the people. It had been said there were
hoped that this agrarian crime will direct anew I strong symptoms of repentance in the Tory Go-
the attention of the Legislature to the import- 1 vernment in relation to the Irish Church. But
anee of settling this irritating question of ten- . if a large majority of Liberals was sent to the
ant-right. In fact we regard its settlement, on House of Commons, it would not be a question
terms advantageous to the tenant, as a moral of this or that Church, but it would be a pies-
certainty, and in this expectation we look for tion of want of confidence in the party. (Hear,
increased prosperity to Ireland. In its social hear.) The question of Reform had not been
bearings it is far more important than the Irish settled, and it would have to lie discussed in the
Church question. 1 new House. Mr. Sheridan then condemned the
With far greater pleasure may we turn to the ! present distribution of seats, and the ratepaying
reception of the Lord-Lieutenant, and to the *clauses. In regard to the latter he thought no.
speech of the Duke on the condition of the I thing more cruel could be devised against the
country. His lordship is one of the largest I poor. I Applause.) He had placed upon the
landed proprietors in Ireland, and he and his ; paper of the House, a notice of motion whereby
family have made it a point to reside much in ; every person living in a house might have avote
the country. He therefore speaks with natio- i whether he paid his rates or not at the time of
city, and his utterances were made in the pre- ; voting. (Rear, hear.) The ballot too was
Bence of those who were acquainted with the wanted. (Loud applause.) Their opponents
facts of whirl' he spoke it is reasonable to pre- said it was un-English, but this was wrong, for
same that he spoke carefully and truthfully, it was essentially English, and of antique origin.
The oecasiou was an agricultural show at Lon- Any man who was not sound upon the ballot was
donderry. The Irish Agricultural Society's not a good Liberal. (Applause.) When he went
meeting was a cheering and successful one, in. to Parliament the ballot was not upon his pro-
asmuch as it proved progress. There are 71.,(100 gramble, but he soon found sufficient to convince
acres of cereals more this year than last, 33,000 him that it would be best. He (the speaker)
more acres of meadow land, and the sante iii-) believed that every child born in the nation
crease of acreage in potatoes. To set against ehmild be educated by the State. (Applause.)
this there is a decrease of cattle, sheep, and Great measures should be taken to acquire this
pige. and the latter item is in large that at first for the people. Passing on, Mr. Sheridan said
sight it is rather startling. There are 372,04 0 he was for the abolition of the University Tests.
pito less this year in Ireland than last. But (Rear, hear.) The division upon Mr. Coleridge's
when we consider the wretched conditions under bill, he believed was an earnest that something
which pigs have generally been kept by the woold shortly be dune, and the unjust tests
poorer among the Irish tenantry, the fact, taken abolished. He was in favour of trades unions
in connection with the areat advance in the cub funds should be protected. He saw no reason
tivation of land, seems to show that what we why an association rot men should be treated
may call legitimate farming is becoming more like outlaws. (" Hear, bear ;" and applause.)
general and under more favourable ciremnstan- As to Boards of Coneilietion and Courts of Ar-
ces. A very important feet it is, also, that enii- bitratien, no doubt his hearers would he glad to
gration hive cousiderehly deereaeed. It has fia- see them established ; but he thought there was
len to 60,000 within the last year. Had it. been some mistake in the decisions not being final.
the poorest CIaSSOS from olean the emigrants Nothing could be more mournful than the con.
were drawit, a deerectee in the streams which tinual strikes which were taking place. (Hear,
flowed from the country would have la!ett mutter p„ao. Merely touching upon the lavish expen-
of regret ; but it has not been so. It has been diture in the army and navy, Mr. Sheridan
the comparatively prosperous tenant-farmers spoke of pauperism, and expressed the Sallie
and the skilled artisan elaseee, who have been views as previously. He believed that if a man
the chief eniigrittits, the classes below them had spent his life in the country, he had paid
being unable to have the country. The de- directly and indirectly a great sum to the State,
creasing exodus is therefore matter of congrat- and he should receive something when Ile was
iflation. old—(applausel—not as a charitybut as a right.
The Lord-Lientenant was able to allude to The income-tax question was getting worse and
many cheering considerations relative to the worse every duty, and he considered that a pre-
condition of Ireland generally. He rOinted" 1 penal should be brought before Parliament for
that that quiet and peace of which tit" Pc"Pie of its abolition, and the substitution of an indirect
Derry set so good an example is, with some rare tax which would scarcely be felt, and to some
exceptions enjoyed in every part of the country; such course he intended to devote himself.
and he caneiders—and facts support his view— (Applause.) Mr. Sheridan then stated that he
that certain atrocious outrages must be taken as Was folly with Mr. Gladstone upon the question
local indications rather than as any index to the of the Irish Church. (" Hear, hear ;" and ap-
general state of the country. He referred too ) plauee.) He could not go into the matter at that
to the fact that the Irish pritiollS were without a I honr, but be would say that Ireland had been
single political prisoner, in spite of the extended I harshly used. The disestablishment of the
powers nfforded by Parliament to the Irish Go- I Irish Church was a political question, and the
vermaeut ; and be Was able to point to the ; statement that it wae an attack upon the Eng-
e oarte of justice beteg withont cue political PG- ' lush Chervil was false. After referring to the
loner, and to there being a remarkable absence , fact that la none of the colonies of England did
of crime in every eoenty assizes, establithinents exist, the speaker said the Irish
On the whole we may look on the emnlition of Protestants were not to be harshly treated, and
oar sister island with greater hopefalnesa than L, that the money taken awey was to he used fora
we have long been able to indulge. On all hands better purpose. The same hold hand which was
it appears to be admitted that the Fenian con. dealing with the Irish Church would deal with
spiracy is a deal failure. The Irish themselves i other evils in that land, and then the peoples of
'inlet now pretty generally see that it has never the two islands would be brothers in hand and
adveneed their social, political, or religions into- i heart. (Lend applause.) Coming nearer home,
rests one jot, while it has in many ways done he had received a letter from Mr. Homer rela-
them incalculable harm. Even the rabid Fenian tive to ft local matter. The inhabitants of Red-
agitators who still continue their foolish and dell Hill desired to be separated from the rest of
wieked machinations, are giving up all hope of the parish in the adoption of the Local Govern-