The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-04-18
THE IRISH QUESTION.

JOHN anTcHELs VIEWS on THE GLADSTONE
MoyEMENT-M DENoUNcEs IT AS A DELUsIoN
AND SHAM.
In the last number of his paper, the New
York s1rish Citizeh," John Aitcnel has an
able and vigorous article on the Irish Church
question, now creating so great a commotion
in England He has evidently no faith in the
sincerity Of the English Liberals. After MOTTO
ing the points of the movement, he says:
Well, there is nothing new in all this. 1t is
Just the old story-an Irish question made tn ,
agency and opportunity of @ trial Of strength
between English parties. Lord Macaulay,
when lie was in opposition like Gladstone
now), said, in debate in Parliament on this
same eternal topic, that the Irish Established
Church sswas the most absurd and indefensi-
BILE anomaly in the whole civilized world" The
Same Macaulay was afterwards in Office tor
many year, and never u1en sald one word
about the anomaly. This kind Of party ma
neuvre has been quite uniform ever since
the Union; the dishonest motives OF it have
been always apparent; yet it seems to answer
still.
We repeat that there is nothing new in the
present case. Disaffection In Ire'and is no
new thing; and it has often been so alarming
or represented as alarming, by Liberals" out
OF place, that they got into place on tho
credit OF knowing how best TO deal With it. "a
cloud in the West is nothing new. Sir Robert
Peel saw one brooding over Oregon, and sent
forthwith ga message of peace" to Ireland;
which message was false and treacherous
message.
But observe, further, that the Irish people, and
those who truly represent the Irish people, are
not asking for parliamentary interference with
the Established Church. That establishment,
evil and odious as it may be, is the means Of
Keeping nearly one million sterling in Ireland,
which would otherwise be spent for most part,
in England. While the present relations OF
landlord and tenant subsist, the abandonment
OF that church would absolutely be no gain,
but loss to the people. If tithe rent charges
we're abolished and the tenant were relieved Of
that claim for the church, then the landlord
could, and of course Would, add SO much, or a
little more, to his rent, and ne would spend 1t
in England. If the church lands were vested
in the government (as Mr.. Gladstone proposes)
for revenue purposes, their rents and profits
would 20 to England too; 80 that the absentee
rental Of Ireland, which is now FIVE millions
sterling, would at once become almost six mil
lions. And it is the absentee rent that drains
the very lfe-blood out Of Ireland and withers
her heart.
No, Ireland is not asking Parliament to
abolish her established church. Once her own
mistress, she will know how to deal with that.
And Mr.. Disraeli was very right when he
said that this proposed measure swould not
make one Fenian the less" Certainly not; bat
several hundreds Of thousands more It would
not be only the Protestant clergy, but also the
landed gentry and aristocracy that we should
then see amongst the disatfected Irish; for the
church, with it's revenues, is truly the apanage
of that Irish aristocracy and gentry who own
4. nfotin - HV1n0a
enabled to provide handsomely for younger
sons It is the pay of England's garrison in
Ireland: and if she abolishes their pay, they
will no longer hold the island for her. In short,
the disendowment of that churchill any Eng
lish minister. were insane enough to propose
such thing-would at once raise up again the
spirit Of S2. mot one Fenian the less - > !" No,
Therefore, there will be no serious, no real
interference with the Irish Church in the
Enelisbs Parliament; neither by Wing nor by
Tory; Neither under the auspices OF Disrael,
nor uHder those of Gladstone. Whatever is
ostensibly done, or attempted in that direc-
ton, may be set down beforehand as fraud,
a delusion, or what O'Connell called mouth
full of moonshine."
Tue old abomination of church must stand,
until revolution pulls it down, and then much
more will have to come down along with 1t.
Of course, We do not deny that it would be d
great blessing to Ireland if the Established
Church were abolished, and if the franchise
we're reduced to an equality with the English
franchise, and if the Convention Act' we're
repealed, and if the earns Acts" were annul
led and if the packing of Castle juries was dis
continued; great and choice blessing indeedl
Because those changes in the law would place
it at once in the power Of the Irish people to
overthrow British dominion and the British
Empire altogether. That Is to say, the aboli-
ton of the Established Church would throw
the Protestants into the arms of their fellow
countrymen; the capacity to meet in conyen-
tion and to carry arms would at once produce
another Dungannon Convention another dec
laration of independence, and another and bet
ter volunteer army to make good said declara-
ton; while if juries were once impartially en-
panelled, according to law, no prisoner what
soever would over be convicted again iu Ire
land Of any offence against Queen Of Eng
land; so all the world would sec and acknowl-
edge that English law does not govern that
island
But precisely because these just measures
would enable Ireland to set herself free, th'se
Just measures never will be thought of in
London Parliament. Those liberties, and some
thing more, must come Of o root-and-branch
revolution by force of arms.