The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-30
PRESERVING THE PEACE IN IRE
LAND


PRESER VLNG THE PEACE IN IRE
LAND.
Mr.. GLADSTONE, on accepting the Premier
ship, found himself confronted with task
that has baflled many generations of British
statesmen, and when so many have failed
before him it can scarcely be considered as a
disparagement to his abilities that he h IS not
made any great headway towards the pacifca-
ton of Ireland since he has been in Office.
1t is the cue of British rulers of the present
day to endeavor to inspire an affection for
British law in the hearts of the Irish, but
Mr.. Gladstone found that something more
than the disestablishment of the Irish Church
was necessary before he could bring the
''fnest pizentry on the face of the earth" into
cordial sympathy with people and political
policy that for centuries have been zealously
cultivating hatred which has developed into
a chronic spirit of insurrection. The dis
establishment of the Irish Church was fol-
lowed by measure for the better regulation
of the land tenures, which proposed to apply
a remedy to what has ever been one of the
chief Irish grievances but the agitation of
Fenianism rendered it necessary to supple
ment this by bill for the preservation of
the peace in Ireland, which by the stringency
of it's provisions is expected to bring the
rebellious sons of st, Patrick into immediate
and lamb-like submission to the British rule.
This bill has passed the House of Commons,
and yesterday it was read for the
second time in the House of Lords,
where it was supported by number
Of the peers. Among those who advocated
the bill was the Marquis of Salisbury,
who pertinently remarked that the
Irish must be made to fear the law before
they could love it. The English have been
endeavoring to make the Irish fear the law
ever since the twelfth century, when Pope
Adrian " conferred the sovereignty of the
island upon Henry II, upon the payment of
Peters pence to the Court of Rome; and here
in the year of grace 1870 the problem of
ruling Ireland presents itself in its old shape,
and an English statesman finds it necessary
to recommend measures that will make the
Irish fear the law before they can be expected
to love it. 1t might be thought that the
efforts to inspire fear having failed SO often,
those who manage the affairs of the British
dominions would begin to lose faith in the idea
that the affections of the Irish might be gained
by this means, and they would be anxious
to try the effect of some milder measures.
We believe, however, that they are essentially
right, for while the Irish may possibly be
made to fear the English law, they will
scarcely feel any affection for it under any
circumstances, and the only way in which the
island can be kept in subsection is by the
point of the bayonet. Among a large por-
ton of the Irish the hatred of England and
the English is hearty and ineradicable, and
nothing short of total independence will
satisfy them. That they will ever be able to
obtain severance from the British Grown is
at least doubtful, and that they will ever be
able to govern themselves in case they did set
up government of their own is more doubt
full still The Irish, like the French, are ap-
parently incapable of self-government; and
while we deprecate the selfish and
despotic course of the English towards them
ever since the two countries were united
under one crown, it is by no means certain
that the present condition of things is not
better than any that would be likely to sue
ceed in case separation should Jake place.
Statesmen protesting liberal principles, how
ever, are now in power in England, and it is
clearly their duty to labor earnestly to bring
about such reforms as will give the Irish no
cause for complaint in the future. The abo-
lition of the Irish Church was step in this
direction; and the bill for the regulation of
the land tenures, although it will probably
fail to satisfy many who are most interested,
is another. But even with these reforms
much remains to be done; and the bill for the
preservation of the peace in Ireland, now
under discussion, will probably, by the harsh
ness of its provisions, do much to counter.
balance the good effect of the other measures
named.