The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-11-13
rsrm.-rour Dollar. Per Annum, in Asv...s
NUMBER A.
and demand that the repgoach shall no.
longer be thrown in our teeth that in Eng
land there is one law for the rich and an
other for the poor.
English Liberty in Ireland.


English Liberty in Ireland.
It will be remembered that immedMte7y
on the collapse of the Fenian insarrect;or,
in Ireland, in 1867, the British governmSnS'
suspended the Habeas Corpus, and the Par
lament passed an act authorizing the ar
rest of any person discovered in the strcessa
of the proclaimed districts after dark. Foe
q long time this act remained q dead lettes,
but of late some Dogberry, who represents-
Her Majesty in a town called Kells, gave 10
effect, and assured his unfortunate fefiaw,
subjects that the act, if it slept, was. mes
dead. On this piece of infamy the Dublin
Irishman makes the following remarks -.
Hitherto the tranquility of Ireland has
been, If we may use the expression, tCcv
strong even for the provisions Of the Aigs-
rine Act. In their good ordes aAd peace
fitness the people have exhibited n passsvas
resistance to its despotism which has nailss,
it dead letter. At last, However, thsv
police have found an occasion for raiain1sl
ing us of the amount of liberty ws nesisF
enjoy. Seven young men haTa been
brought up before tho magistrates. al Ealls
for being in the streets Of that tDssa, after
twelve o'clock at night. The otfenws was
one which subjected them in the abensnte
discretion of the magistrates to inspc.s0H-
ment for six months. Six Of thsua were
strangers who bad come over By Cd sxeaS-
si6u, tsss9; sssssSg forits retnrn sass had had
they were In q proclaimed district IA which
! Ii was criminal offeDce.to be ant OF nec1
after twelve o'clock, they hap a5idAG tcs
that criminality the further anes g1cSe',
heinous enormity OF wandering. m, lac
streets of the town. For this DIXON p" they
were seized by the police and carrinG OK
to prison. We infer from the meags,s ne--
port, which appears in the papers, thay
were detained there for scverAk days
Finally, they were brought bofore- tbs
magistrates at Petty Sessiu2s;. they wsre'
put to their oath to give = satisfactory
account of themselves, and having. dSse So
to the perfect satisfaction of the meGieSzatss-,
they were discharged
1t ia. perhaps one of the worst ssyns- Of
the degradation of the country thaS this
monstrOus outrage upon our pspnespso Ga
liberty is passed over as q matter 81 course
A meagre report of it is thrust int %
corner of the papers, headed, "Eirst Pros-
ecution under the Peace Preservation
Act,n and this IL all. The first ringing OF
the curfew bell, in this free country, iss
really q matter of no note.
Yet, the Irish nation bitterly nOta IL a.
the first fruits of that Infamous Coerclcaa
Bill which we owe to the blessed GladstonS-
Ministry, and their lay and clerical eoaGr-
tutors in Ireland. It's "thc messenger oS
peace" the forerunner oil innumerahfss
blessings of the same nature as ths Aus-
prisOnmeDt OF these innocent ana olaAe-
| less young men. Fortunately for them
there was no excitement OF terror prevail
| ing among the magistrates on the ceacn-
| Had the very same incident occurred at q
period when social alarm disturbed enc
| serenity of the higher classes OF kelis; mao
| -. H.; han fan
hob goblin story of Fenianism filled eAc'
ladies with fright, every one oil these
| Young men would, most assuredfy, hnvas
been in Jail for six months, for the helm onss
offence of being out of their beds at macs-
night, when away from home.
| And this is Irish liberty! This is- tSsa'
| law under which we Irishmen live J. TbeDs'
is not one of US, from the highest to the-
| lowest, who is not liable to be dragged To-
prison by the police if he happens TO ven
| ture abroad after sunset. An hour afss1
| sunset is the limit of the time fixed BY TIA
Algerine Act. If he happens to be nn9S9-
ular with the stipendiary magistrates hs,
fore whom hei brought, it will fare wells
with him il he is not locked up IN ps'soe'
| for six months. ut
We have almost forgotten thak thsEe
was a seventh young man whose ns@. s..e T ;.s
structive to observe that this poor Youcha
was a townsman. He was sent ta> jail t0Es
a fortnight! The excuse was that he haIs
a srnalI stone in his pocket. He attannteaS
to account for it by saying that he bad sse0S'
drinking in public house, and staying 81
little too late made his way out oyec,a walA
and that in doing so he displaced some
stones, one of which fell into tue pocket o.
his coat. Thereupon the owner OF she pub-
lie house was brought before the bensh, ,
fined in the sum of ten shiliiDgs and
threatened with the withdrawal of her Ia.
cense-we presume if ever again any Young,
man went from her home or house aftSsl
sunset into the streets.
We must leave the picture as we find -
Happy, happy, town of kells, blessed
with Liberal ministry, Paternal Govern
meDt, and the freest Constitution on eassAa-
Happy, happy Ireland, blessed islansA
to which the fret notes of the cuTfew beE
have ruug from your friendly rulers tia
lateat message Of peace"