The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-05-25
John mitchell ON the state OF Ireland.

MIR. John Mitchell has addressed a second epistle
TO the Qpinione Nationale on Ireland. His former
article Of the Times, but one disputed the facts
set forth in it, and the Times deduced from them
Ireland. He hopes that no one in Fra nee viii ever
again declare that Ireland is administered by the
same laws, or that she enjoys the same liberties
now complains Of may be summed up thus The
existence in Ireland Of a code to which England,
Scotland, and Wales are strangers: Exceptional
from deliberating among themselves on their
own affairs by means Of committee Of dele
gates elected for that object. The right OF
possessing arms restricted to a few favored per-
sons. The teaching:or learning drill, or any mill.
tary manguyre whatever, even without arms, is
prohibited, under penalty of transportation with
selves as volunteers for the defence of their
country. And, finally, the sheriffs of the large
cities, instead of being elected by their fellow
in order to secure the juries. Everybody must
admit that such system is well adapted for
crushing In Ireland all free action and all politi-
cal and civil life. It is true that the rigorous vgi-
lance Of the English in preventing the Irish from
procuring arms and learning the use Of them may
be considered as sort OF compliment to us. Eng
arms we should know how to make proper use OF
them, and they will have nothing Of the Kind It is
4. compliment pin M badly turned; but in the mat
ter OF compliment between England and Ireland
we must not be nice. Let US, then, accept It for
the Iaoment until ne got better. We shall doubt
le' 'e Colut tnat ireland has access, through her
representatives, to the London Parliament: and
has thus legal, certain, and sufficient, means to
Obtain oil reforms aud liberties necessary and
aocessoty But IN reality In that Parliament Ire
land haB. bnt derisive sernblance of repreaents-
ton, and that representation, such as it is is'
completely controlled by tho British Government
The Irish people do not believe that they are re-
presented fh the English Parliament They do
not'desire to be 80: They have not the right to
be So. They hopo for nothing good-nothng Just
from that Parliament; and they have never reaped
anything from it's legislation but famines, and
system Of corruption and coercion without
parallel. Those very laws which purported TO be
reforms have done nothing but evil to Ireland.
It is, by the law Of municipal reform that the
British Government has found the means Of al
ways picking and choosing its juries 1t is by the
Catholic Emancipation Act that the Government
has been enabled to buy up the richest and most
influential Catholics, who, but for il, would never
have dared to sell themselves. In o word, the
London Parliament, to which we are referred for
tho redress Of all our grievances is itself the
greatest and the most fatal Of all the grievances
Of Ireland, and includes all the others. Ireland,
then, in the Judgment Of the majority OF its popu-
lation, has no legal and constitutional means OF
obtaining justice. Hence We have Fenianism, the
deliberate and organized negation of all English
laws and OF that Constitution which the Engliah
call the wonder and envy Of the nations Of the
univerBe"'{ - p" -' 4. ~ .-z::g..-. 90.
Mr.. Mitchell intimates that he proposes, In a fu-
ture letter. TO explain clearly what Fenisnism 10,
and, above all, what 1t Is not. I&lvl 7