The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-23 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1869.

A compromise, almost at the last moment, has
been honourably effected. There will be no colli-
sion between the Lords and Commons. The
Government and the Opposition have mutually made
concessions. The crisis is happily at an end. The
Bill will be passed. The session will not have waited
—as but a few hours, since it had certainly ap-
peared that it must be inevitably. The Ministe-
rial promises will have been fulfilled to the letter.
And the first of a series of great acts of Justice to

Ireland will have been fully and nobly accomplished.
Virtually, at this moment, the Irish Church is Dis-
established. Virtually, also, at this moment, it is Dis-
endowed. That alien institution is already to all in-
tents and purposes as though it were no longer in
existence. And this, too, after a domination of fully
three centuries. Looking back over these last few
months—reverting for an instant to the Sus-
pensory Bill of last year—recalling to
mind Mr. GLADSTONE'S first startling speech
delivered immediately after Lord MAYO'S memorable
levelling-up statement—the change that has been
effected in England's policy towards Ireland appears
to be little less than magical. It is certainly in many
respects marvellous. It constitutes, on the whole, an
incident altogether unprecedented. The act of Eng-
land in this matter has been spontaneous. The boon
vouchsafed was volunteered. It was not demanded
by any great popular movement. There was no agi-
tation set on foot beforehand, as was certainly the
case—for what we are here referring to are mat-
ters of history within the remembrance of the
present generation—before the carrying out of the
first great Reform in Parliamentary represen-
tation, before the triumph of Free Trade, and
before the earlier triumph of Catholic Emanci-
pation. The Question, which has recently been
at issue, was, but little more than twelve months
ago, apparently dead asleep, as one might say, and
almost forgotten. It had, more or less, of course,
been among the dearest of the cherished day dreams
of Catholic Ireland, ever since the LIBERATOR had,
under GoD, and thanks to the magnanimity of this
great Protestant nation, been able to achieve the
grandest act of his life—the act of Catholic Emanci-
pation. But, cherished though it was in the heart of
Ireland all these years, it had not, for a very long
period indeed, been seriously regarded, either within
or without the walls of Parliament, as sug-
gestive of anything in the way of practical
legislation. Mr. GLADSTONE himself had, until very
recently, considered the problem of the Irish Church
as one hardly likely to require solution within his
own lifetime. As a statesman, he recognised very
clearly that one of these days it would have to be
dealt with, that one of these days it would have to
be taken most seriously into legislative consideration.
But, even to him, it appeared to be a matter in no way
urgent. The necessity for it was, avowedly, in his
view, in no way imminent. Suddenly, however, as if
with the startling effect of a thunder peal in a clear
sky, the announcement came, and came, too, from his
lips, that the Hour for the great reform had actually
arrived. That announcement was made hardly
more than a year ago. But, already, that
same reform may be said to have been, even
now, accomplished. It has certainly been secured.
Within the interval has elapsed since the date
of that first announcement, how much, in truth, has
there not been effected ! There has been an appeal
to the country. There has been a change of Govern -
ment. The Liberal party—utterly disorganised after
the death of Lord PALHEP.STON—has been re-formed,
has been enormously increased, has been securely re-
consolidated. The question as to the Irish Church
was the very questien which at the last General Elec-

tion was submitted to the constituencies. With it
was coupled one name, the name of the man
who had declared it to be absolutely neces-
sary that it should be submitted, without
a moment's further delay, to the Legislature for
its immediate and comprehensive settlement.
With what remit, we all know I With a result eo