Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-03
ARE WE 10 HAVE A SOUTHERN
IRELAND?
From the New York Times.

rum Aho ANNW AOih AAhASas
All know how much the Uni
ted Kingdom has suffered and is still suffer-
ing from its Western segment. The great
practical question with the United States
now is, whether il shall suffer hereafter ia
like manner from the Southern section.
The same kind Of hostile Legislation which made
Ireland perpetual hotbed Of disa6ection and
iasubordmati0n, is non urged Nth great Uehe-
mencs by the ertreIne Radical politicians
The conquest by Cromwell was followed
by just such confscations and partitions Of
land as are now invoked against the sub
dued South andthenceforward the English
statute book was crammed full, over and
over again. year after year, for three cen
turtles, with, penalties, prescriptions, disa-
bilities, and every form of arbitrary dis
tinction against the Irish, varied only to
meet the humor Of the dominant party in
Parliament. The prevailing idea through
out has been, not that Ireland must be
raised up, but that it must be kept down.
Every new rebellion has only deepened
that idea, and provoked new severeties and
worse debasement, until now the only
earthly purpose served by the "gem of
tie Sea, is to be a lurid warning TO the ma
lions against msgovernment.
Another most perniciOus feature Of the
mis-goyernment Of Ireland has been the
exclusion of large classes from all high
Office. The eject Of this has been 10 impel
all ambition away from its legitimate course
into faction aud conspiracy, till the aspiring
mind Of Ireland, being deprived Of every
rghtful vent, was converted into an ele-
ment Of destruction, a force Of perpetual
agitation. Among every people persons
are sure 10 be born, fitted and eager for
more than an ordinary career. To bar
such spirits from all honorable and useful
action, is the height of folly la any gov
eminent.
The policy pursued towards Scotland
after il had been subjected to the British
crown. was just the reverse ofthat inflicted
upon ireland Il sought not 10 Litmaiate,
but to ciaate and assiEulate. Scotchmen were
admitted 10 eUeIV bcneft Of The common tar
10 euery Official bqtst, and 10 egers prcilege that
'ras 0pento ERglishmea In the entire legis
lature and administration the great princi-
pie of impartiality was religiously observed.
In short, Scotland-instead ofbeing treated
a. Ireland was ike a subiugated pro-
vince, and instead Of being held
mere dependency-wa lairly incorpora-
ted on equal terms into the United
Kingdom. Under this just and generous
policy, the Scotch hatred Of England
gradually melted away, and at last became
transformed into a loyalty more devoted
than that Of any other part of the realm.
Nor was this all. There is lesson more
impressive yet in.the social results. With
the rudest climate and most sterile soil of
the kingdom, with insignificant mineral
resources, and few natural facilities for
commerce, Scotland has never ceased 70
flourish. No people On the face Of the
earth have been more COntenied, more at
tached to their native land, more happy in
all the relations OF life, than the Scotch
under British rule. On the other hand
Ireland, blessed by nature with a genial
climate, with the richest SOIL underlaid
almost everywhere with mari or limestone,
and with inexhaustible supplies of the
most valuable fish swimming past lis shores,
with great mineral wealth, with the largest
and noblest river in the kingdom, offering
unlimited power TO manufacturing indus
trv-this same Ireland, under British rule
differently applied, has been the most Llis-
cradle spot m the earth's surface. Upon
Scotland 20 poor naturally, plenty has be-
nignantly smiled Upon rich Ireland,
poverty las brOoded like a nightmare. 1t
is easy 70 say that religion and other causes
have contributed much to this difference
but nothing is more certain than that its
great ultimate controlling cause lies in
British legislation lt is just as certain
that our own legislation over the now con-
quered South, if carried out according 10
the current Radical ideas-ideutical as they
are with the old auti-Ireland ideas-will
incidentally degrade and weaken that part
of our united republic.