Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-10-27
IRISH Discomfort.


The Disestablishment Of the Irish church has
not removed the discomfort Of the Irish. The
English papers are calling upon Gladstone to
know if he is equal to the emergency Of sup
pressing Fcniunism with an iron hand. Muir
dcrs and assassinatons are Of daily occurrence.
The Fenian movement seems to be as strong and
vndictive A. ever, and how to treat ireland is
still the question of the hour
There have been three sources of trouble in
that unhappy country. The great misfortune
Of Ireland is, that the mass Of the people have
been treated as Heiots by those who differed from
them in religious faith. Though the Elzabcthan
code has disappeared from the statute book, yet
its effects still follow to curse the country.
While the greater part Of the legal incapacities
Of the people arc removed, many Of a serious ma
ture still remain, and worse than ALL the spirit
That engendered them is still rife The Profess
tqnt still looks upon the Catholic ms a degraded
being Religious hatred has not died with the
repeal Of the laws which it inspired The disa-
bilites Of the Irish were first By law, they are
are now by custom and public opinion. They
have been so long in chains, that even while the
chains are nominally removed, nobody believes
them capable Of using their hands or feet, or
willing to use them honestly and legitimatcly.
| Il Is true, the church has been disendowcd
Nine-tenths of the people are no longer required
10 pay taxes for the support of religion in which
they do not believe 4 great step has been taken
toward justice and equal rights The injustice
and hardship upon the Catholic population Of
supporting two churches has been put out of
sight. 81 far as this legal religious intolerance
goes, there Is nothing of it left now There is
only the remembrance Of past wrongs But even
this recollection, embitiered by many story and
legend Of the cruelty Of their opprcssors, will
long remain n gall and irrihte passionate and
brave people They eau not be expected to fall
in love with England the first moment she takes
her heavy hand off, They would naturally look
10 sec what cruelty lurked under the apparent
kindness. They would fear the gifts Of the
Greeks II is not in human nature to forget in
day the injuries of years to be concilated in
moment after centuries Of wrong Time only
can alleviate that bitter sense of injury which
still rankles in the Irish heart and makes the
very name Of Englishman synonym Of tyranny
and selfshness Another cause Of Ireland 8
AiiAfhiiN' - Niit NtHuit Ol pTbltIlNs bright
says that nothing but redistribution Of land
can cure the Irish disaaecton. We are inclined
to think this to be Il more potent source Of diff
Guilty than the church que ton. Ireland is
owned BY a few landhoders. Her people are all
tenants. Their rents are in proportion to their
capacity to pay. If tenant improves the land,
makes Improvements, dresses his children well,
and lays up little against rainy day, down
comes the landlord on him for larger rent.
The proprietor seems to Imagine that the pros
pcrity Of the tenant is a robbery of himself, and
he raises the rent to about all his earnings The
last iarthng which tenant is willing to give, is
extorted, and both the land and the people arc
ruined. The people have thus, by the tenant
system, been brought 50 near to the ground that
they can sink no lower, and their discomfort and !
hatred have burst out into all the acts of despc-
ration aud revenge for which Ireland is so no
torous. Wealth, or the hope of wealth, is the
parent Of decency, order and submission But
there is no such hope to an Irish tenant The
more he works, the richer becomes his proprietor.
The better farmer he is the greater will be the
Injuries that his landlord will enjoy. His sweat
goes into the carriages and horses and tapestries
md pictures Of his master. So a premium is
'ilercd to poverty, and vice and laziness become
he necessary characteristics of the Irish peasant
y. Meanwhile the sense Of wrong dcepens and
Vidcns. lpuder cry of oppression is lifted up
o heaven, and fresh enemies to the English
alne and power are multiplied. The conse-
uence is eternal riot and murder and Fenianism.
We have no doubt the Irish contribute some
hing to retard the reforms in that country. The .
rishpan has many noble qualities. lie is brave,
'itty, generous, hospitable and eloquent but
e is vain and extruyagant, light in counsel, de
cent IN perseverance, an enjoyer and not an nc-
uirer, despiser of slow virtues, and wants
he oak of strength and liberty and civilization
iithout the acorn and the hundred years Of
rowth. They are irascible, prone to fight and
inpatient of reason and law. They do not keep
heir eyes steadily fixed on the main chance.
)nce England tried very hard to compel Scotland
o pay double church, but Sawney ciphered
little, and finding out what it would cost took |
mp his kilt and sword. II Ireland was as patient
and resolute and perseyering Scotland, she
would have been the equal of her sister kingdom,
long ago. And though she has reason TO COM
plain of England, we yet think, that with the
disestablishment Of the church and the mitiga-
ton OF the land system, Ireland will have only
herself to blame if She does not take an equal
stand in the United Government. She has gained
much. 1t depends on herself whether she shall
gain all But she never can gain her ends by
outrage, assassination and Fenan conspraces.
Nothing was ever extorted out of English fears.
Everything is to he hoped from English justice
and magnanimity. Now that the wheels of re-
form and improvement have begun to move, and
Gladstone and Bright are putting their shoulders
to move them faster, the greatest curse of Ire
land will be the leaders who act on the remem-
brnee of past injuries, and attempt to get by
war what they an easier get by peace.