The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-12-15

Every enactment that the misguided In
genuity OF tho tyrannical mind Of ma,
could suggest was adopted and put in force
"O,.s would be inclined,n says Mr.. Mil
che!l, "s.c suppose that Papasy had beer
already suficiep:iv discouraged, seeing tina
the bishops and clerg, had been banisbed
that the Catholics were exciused by Law
from all honorable and lucrative eu1p,,-v.
ments, carefully disarmed aud plundered OF
almost every acre Of their ancient ipheri.
taDce" But enough had not vet been
done to make the Protestant interest fsel
secure, consequently these laws came In
and clauses were added by this good Queen
Anne declaring that no Papiss or Cstholic
could live in walled town, especlnllv IN
the towns OF Limerick and Galway. Ifnnv
Catholic came and even entered .into the
suburbs Of the town, they were Obliged 70
remain outside OF the town, % If they were
lepers-outside OF the towns where they
wonld contaminate and degrade their sleek
and pampered Protestant fellow .cjtizens In
the land. The persecution went on. In
i1il We fnd them enacting new laws, and
later, on the very last day Of Queen Aune's
reign, thus we find them epacting their
laws, bounding on their n,aQistratsa and
the ponce OF the country, and the informers
OF the country, Offering them brides and
premiums to execute these atrocious 1laws.
and to hunt the Catholic people and the
Catholic priests of Ireland. ss IL tf,ey were
fierce, untamable woives. And, my fffends,
Mr.. Froude justifies all this on two Crounds:
Not single. word Of compassion has he
Tor the people who were tbns treated not
against the shedding of that people's blood
by unjust persecstion, 40 we'll as the rob.
berry by legal enactment. Bat, no says,
there were two reasons, which 10 his mind,
seemed Co Justify the atrocious action OF
the English Government. The irst of these
was that, after all, these laws were onl
retaliation upon the Catholics Of Ireland
for the dreadful prosecutions that we're suf-
fered by tho HUI uenots or Protestapts of
France )" and lie says that the Protesfants
of ireland were only following the exam
Pile of King Louis XIV, who revoked the
edict of Nantes. Let me explain this to
you.
The edict of Nantes was law that gave
religious Ii berty to the French Professionals
as well as the Catholics. 1t was o law
founded in justice. 1t WIS a law founded
on the sacred rights that belong to man,
nnG this law was revoked. Consequently,
the Professionals of France were laid open to
persecution. But there 10 this diif.rancs
between the French Professionals and Cath
olics of Ireland. The French Protestants
had never their liberty guaranteed to them
by treaty; the Irish Catholics had their lilo
critics guarap teed Ivy the treaty of LINER
ick-the treaty they won Ivy their own
brave hands and swords. The Edict of
Nantes was revoked, but that revocation
was no breach of any royal wo'd pledged to
| them. Tue treaty Of Limerick was brok en-
with the Catholics of Ireland, and In the
breach oft the King of Engl and, the PaEiia.
ment Of England, the sTistocrscy and the
people of England, as we'll as the miserable
| irish Protestant faction ut home, became
treacherous before history and the world.
! Here are the words of the celebrated Ed
mund Burke on this very subject Of revooa-
ton of this edict: " This act of injustice
Saws the great Irish stntesman.' which let
| loose on that monarch, Louis XIV, such q
torrent of invective and reproach, and which
threw so dark a cloud over the splendor oi
that most illustrious reign, falls far short
of the case Of Ireland" Remember, he ia
an Euglish statesman, though Of Irish birth
and Protestant who speaks. "The pri
| vileGes which the Protestants of France en-,
| joy ed antecedent to this revocation weTS
| far greater than the Roman Catholics o
Ireland ever aspired to under the PrOtes
sufferers IL con sidered absolutely, 10 not hal
of ours; and, II considered relatively to the
body OF the community, it IL perhaPs moi
| a twentieth part. Then the penalties and
! inca pacitIes which grew from that Tevoca'
ton are not 30 gTievOns In their nature, OF
so certain IN their exeeution, or so ruinou'
ny n great deaf to the peoples prosperity
in that State, as those which were estab'
lished for petpetdallaw In the unhappy
country Of Ireland" In fact, what did tile
revocation of the edict Of Nantes dol It con
slemned those who reIapsed nto the Pro
testant faith, without having renowned it
IL condemned them, not indeed to the con
4 A.catf,,n of their goOds-there was no con
i fi.eatiop except in eases OF relapsation ant
in cases of quitting the cOuptry, Their
, vas nothing ut ali Of that complicated mac
|, Linary which We havedeseTibedi 10 refsyIin
, 70 Ireland RsrsscntiORsj there " Us nOthip
/ said of begeaEi6g ono PaSeioh- of the pop
} IIatiOu aud giving its sPOtls to the Othe
8 mart; while, side by aide with this, We fiu
] .. 80, r,nnr,in rrainal hauuAr..l. anarnar