The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-08-28

Islaad and 1slsi1M.,
The Dublin Nation, Of the 9th, has some
striking views on the present condition of
Belgium and Ireland, and the relations of
England to both. The extract which fol-
lows illustrates the utter untenableness of
English logic as evidenced by her govern
ment and connection with the latter
country. To say that it is wickedly incon-
sistent, would be hardly impressive enough.
Perhaps it would be nearer the truth to say
that it is scandalOusly hypocritical.
There is for Irishnen a most instructive
spectacle in this present attitude of Eng
land. To their dispassionate Judgment the
position OF that power must now appear
extremely contradictory. She cnslaves
Ireland; she fosters Belgium. She guaran-
tees the freedom of one nationality, and
she perpetuates the subsection of another.
To the claims of Ireland she returns the
impudent reply that Ireland is too small
to be an independent State, and also that
her position makes her naturally depend
ent upon England, as it has made their in
terests identical. Irishmen have always
denied the truth of these assertions. Irish
history, upon it's very surface, abundantly
proves their falsehOod. Impartial judg-
ment has at all times condemned them as
the mean DISCUSSES adopted to conceal the
real source of our subsection, which is in the
basest passions and greediest Instincts of
the nation that holds us down. Whenever
we submit them to an equitable test, the
arguments of our rnlers crumble, and such
a test of the general justice of our claims
is presented in the case of Belgium.
That prosperous country, which the Re-
volutien, the Congress and the Treaty of
81 SO happily raised up from provincial
ism to independence, is little more than
zone third of the extent of Ireland. Our
population in the era of her national de-
liverance was nearly twice as numerous as
hers. Our public income was much greater.
Our claims to self-government were more
conclusive than hers in the sight of God
and man: Belgium, like Ireland, had been
long subjected to the CALLING rule of peo-
pie alien to hers in religion, race and SYM
patty. Like Ireland, che had suffered from
the rapacity of her rulers, by the suppress
sion of her most valuable industries. Grave
for the wish to be entirely free, there were
not wanting to the Belgian people, yet,
taken at their worst, the wrongs of Bel
GUM were not comparable to the wrongs
of Ireland. The story of that fortunate
country cannot for moment be likened to
ours as record of a passionate protest and
desperate endeavor against theinfliction of
intolerable wrong. Ii the state of Ireland
were recognized as the ordinary standard
of national misfortune, the Belgians would
no doubt have been regarded as people in
Il tolerably fair condition. But they wanted
They determined to submit to No alien rule
while they were able to rule themselves.
Fortunately for then, the strength of the
rulers they had sworn to shake off was not
SO great as to forbid the hope of victory to
the gallent men of Belgium. They rose
and struck-struck suddenly and fiercely.
The foe went down before them. AS our
brave Meagher said in his immortal speech,
they "swept the Dutch marauders out Of
the fine old towns of Belgium-scourged
them back to their own phlegmatic swamps
land knocked their flag and sceptre, their
tiers of the Scheldt." Belgium had at last
? the chance, long wished for, of trying the
experiment of native rule, working out her
own success, and belying the advocates of
Dutch supremacy, who croaked out pro-
phecies of evil.
pertinent, tried for forty years, has silenced
evil tongues by its success. Belgium has
vindicated herself, and put powerful ar
gument in the hands of struggling nation
alities. Her name in Europe has long be-
come a synonym for prosperity without
alloy. The principle Of self-rule asserted
itself triumphantly in the face of more than
one great obstacle; and the people, paying
heed to no political fantasies, were true to
each other, and loyal to their King, and
kept outsiders at civil distance. We see
the consequences to-day. The national
character, free from conflicting Influences
such rs caused our +" Union and continue
it in existence-stands as high as any in
the world. There population has increased
AS ours has diminished. Six acres out of
seven of the Belgian soil are titled by loyal
hands, while our bitter hearted rulers see
half our soil unused while the Belgians
have been busily building houses, the
agents of our benevolent laws have been
as busily unroofng ours. Our towns are
falling into the rank of villages, while their
villages are expanding into towns. Our
surplus wealth is rung FROM the hard hand
of the toiling peasant to pay for the foreign
designations of his lord. The surplus wealth
OF Belgium belongs to him that earns it,
and brings such comfort to his Belgian
home as the poor Irish peasant may hope
for unavailingly, but rarely can enjoy. In
fine, between Ireland and Belgium there is
all the difference which ought naturally to
be between a decaying province and n
BEAUTIFULLY maturing nation. The people
of Belgium go steadily on, increasing in
wealth and power, enjoying greater happi-
ness and developing the resources of their
country, while the people of Ireland are
steadily retrogade, growing poorer day by
day, and weakening by expatriation, en-
Jjoying very little but q bitter hope, and
almost forgetting that they have any re-
sources left them but the poor-h0use and
! the emigrant-ship.
We repeat that England guarantees her
freedom to Belgium, and withhold her free
dom from Ireland. If Belgium be not too
e., L., -