The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-12-22

generaiiS fbiiows the oarse; but ste Enri,l,
philosophical -hissesiaa- que she- effect forty
years ahead Of the cause.' That is, asw
say 10 puttipg the cart before tho horse.
But Mr.. Froude told us, II You remem-
berlin his second fectsre, 81 yeu have
read it,-that the penal laws of Etzabeth
we're occasioned by the political necessity
OF her situation. Here Is his argRment az
he himself puts it. He says:-"Elizabeth
canld not afford to let Ireland be Catholic
because If ireland was Catholic, ireland
would be hostile to Elizabeth may tell
you now Il hope the ladies who are here
Will excuse me for mentioning such q
thing), that Queen Elizabeth wac not
legitimate child. Her NAME, in common
parlance, "a too vile for mo y, inter, or for
the ladies hero to hear. Suffice it ia to cay
that Elizabeth's mother was not Etiz aoetli's
fathers wife. The Queen Of England
knew the ancient abhorrencs that Ireland
had for q base born child. She knew that
abhorrence grew out of Ireiaud's Cattoii-
city aud therefore she csnld not allow
ireland to remain Catholic (aays Mr.
Fr"ude), because Ireland would be hostile
to her It Irefuud remained Catholic. The
only way In which this amiable Queen
could root out the Catholics Of ireland
was by penal lave; makirg it felony for
any freshman to remain in Ireland Catho-
lic.. Therefore the English historian says;
that "she passed these laws because she
could not help HERSELF" and that she was
''coerced to do 80 by the necessity of her
situation" Now, argue from this very
argument Of Mr.. Froude himself, that IL
Elizabeth, as he states in his second lecture,
was obliged to pass these penal laws, wket-
her she would not, why does he turn
round and say that those penal laws we're
the effects of Hugh O'Nsili's revoIutionf
If they were the result Of Eizabeth's nee
essity, then they we're not the result OF the
immortal Hugh O'Neill's brave efforts.
| His next assertion, my friends, 10 that,
after the American war, England was only
too we'll disposed to do Justice to Ireland !;
and the proof lies here: He says that the
laws against Catholics were almost repeal
ed before 1898. Very we'll. I ask you,
dear friends, TO reflect upon what these
large measures of indulgence to tho Cathol-
Here they are: In the year l77l, Parlia-
ment passed an act, to enable Catholics to
take long lease of fifty acres Of bog. My
American friends, you may not understand
the word "bog." II means a marsh which is
almost irreclaimable; which you may
drain until doomsday, aad it will still re-.
it, in arterial drainage in "top- dressing,"
as VIC CALI it in Ireland; and il you let it
alone for compile of years, and then ceme
back and look at it, it has asserted itself,
and is bog once more. However, my
friends, the Parliament was kinder than
you imagine, for while they granted to the
Catholic the power to take q long lease Of ff-
ty aeres of bog they also stipulated, that II
the bog was to deep for q foundation, lac
might take half an acre of arabic land apo q
which to build house. Half an acre! Fol-
the life of him not more than half an acre.
However, this holding, such as it was
should not he within a mile of any city OF
town. Oh, no! Aud mark this! If hall
the bog were not reclaimed, that is Ave
and twenty acres, within twenty -one years
} the lease was forfeited. Well, my friends
the Scriptures tell US that King Pharoah
of Egypt, was very cruel to the Hebrews
because he ordered them to make brick
without straw; but here is an order to thu
unfortunate lrishmen to reclaim twenty
, five acres of bog, or else give mp the lease
I Now, beggarly as that concession was, yot
will be astonished to hear that the very
. Parliament that passed it was 30 much af
! raid of the Protestant Ascendsncy in Ire
{ land, that in order to conciIiate them TO
o the slight concession, they passed anothe
t bill granting 910 year, in addition t,
: ESQ already offered, for every 'Popish
T Priest duly converted to the Protestan
!. religion.
9 In October, I777, the news reached Eng
: land that General Burgoyne had surrend
9 ed to the American General Gates. Th
K moment that news reached home, Lor
u North, who was then Prime Minister Q
}. England, Immediately cried out and OK
/; pressed an ardent desire to relax the pen
= al laws on Catholics. In January, I'VE
). the following year, the Independence c
+ America was acknowledged by gfOriou
Q France. The moment that piece Of new
If reached England, the English Pariamen
If at once passed bill for the relaxation {
Il the laws on the Catholics. In May of the san,
!. wear the Irish Parliament passed o bili--no
!, mark-,o enable Catholics to lease land
t, to take lease for 500 years. So it seen
y we were to get out Of the bog at last. The
10 also, in that year, repealed the unnatur,
10 penal laws which altered the succession
u favor of the child that became Protestan
he and gave him his fathers property; also Re
3 healing the law for the prosecution
lie priests, and for the imprison ment of "Pol
f. ish" schoul- masters. In the year l79
y they gave back to the Catholics the pow
B of electing Members of ParliaMent-tl
y power of voting; aud they also gave the
u tie right to certain commissions in Ii
ie army. That is, positively, all that we 81
ld And that is what Mr.. Froude called aimo
in total repeal of the laws against Catholic
~ We could not go into Parliament; we cou
ID not go on the bench; we could not be ma