The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-01-09

tho mother country, which has within /
Jozon wears felt the deep punishment Of |
ber long injustice to Ireland Ten years |
ago when Germany pressed to the wall |
he small kingdom of Denmark, which |
gave to England her Princess of Wales,
England lOnged to draw her sword; when
two years ago Bismarck snubbed her in the
face of all Europe, again and again insult
ed her, smote her actually in the face,
England longed to draw her sword, but she
knew right well that the first cannon she
fred at any first-rate power Ireland would
stab her in the back Checkmated, she
cannot move on the chess-board OF the
great powers, and one of the great causes
Of this Gripping of her powers is the Irish
question.
| do not wonder at all that the thought
full Englishman should long TO explain 10
the world, If he can, how the steps by
which his country has been brought to this
point have been inevitable; that by no wit
of craftsmanship, by no generosity of
heightened and magnanimous honor could
she have avoided the path in which she is
treading. If Mr. Froude would make out
that proposition, if he could convince the
world through the American people that
England accepted the inevitable fate whieh
the geographical proximity of Ireland ha1
entailed upon her, it would have gone nan
way 10 wipe out the clots on ms country
fame | do not wonder he should make
the attempt. | believe that instead OF
England's having conquered Ireland, that
IN tLc true essential statement of the
case. as il stands to-day,
IRELAND HAS CONQUERED ENGLAND;
She has summoned her before the bar of
the civilized world to Judge the justice of
her legislation; she has checkmated her
as a power on the chessboard Of Europe
she has monopolized the attention Of her
statesmen, she has made her own island
the pivot upon which the destiny of Eng
land turns, and her last great statesman
and present prime minister, Mr. Glad.
stone. owes whatever fame he has to the
supposition that at least he has devised 8
way by which he can cOnclliate IRELAND
aud save his own country. But in ali the
presentations of the case it seems 10 me
that our English friend has been partisan
and not Judge. Let me illustrate ia on,
or two instances what | consider the justic,
of this charge. The population of Ireland
/ previous to 1871, Is wholly matter OF guess
/ There never was Il census till after thi
century had opened Sir William Petit
Fynes Morrison, the secretary of inr,
/ Mountoy, and Others, have formed an est
mate of the different periods Of the pupu
latiuu of Ireland Now what ] charge "a
Il proof of partiSanship is that whenever i
served his purpose e. adopt a small CUES
in order % excuse an English injustice o
20 bear hardly down ON the critical cOndl
ton of the Irish, he has always selecte,
the smallest possible estimate. W heneye
it served his purpose, on the contrary, I
cxaggeratC the moral mefhciency Of III
Irish people. the divided councils tn
+, Quarrcl>lmc generations the totally incl
ticient race, compared with some interva
Of English rule, lac has always adopted TN
largest guess For instance, the hiSt1
ran's estimate Of the population OF Ire
land was made about the year l6ul. tn
beginning Of the seventeenth century
which was made by FyueS Morrison II
puts il at from juu,uUD to GOO,uGJ men
Mr. Fruudc adopts this when lac wants t
say that James L. in conhscatinL six q
II the best counties in Ireland and settin
them on his followers, was not very harm
full, because he says there were very te'
inhabitants in Ireland, and room enoug
for great many more. | do not see m,
self by what principle he would justify
desput in c,nhScating the counties of +
sex, Suffolk, Norfolk, NIiddleSeX. Bri.t
and Worcester. turn out all the inhabitaut
and give the property tr aliens becau
there was a great deal OF
VACANT LAND n NEBRASKA
% Laughter and applause do not :,
T. any exact moral principle. Then he hin.
- rs down t. lt+i-ig the era when Cru
n well, with I4,OpO troops. >uhdued irclau
t Then it is his purpose rs AN advocate
e swell ireland into large proportions. a!
O. showyou great people swept like a hel
t OF stays before one single powerful f.
gli,h hand Then he tells You that :
Il William Petite has estimated the popuI
J. ton Of Ireland in lG4l at million and
a half Of human beings, an estimate viii,
e Halam calls prodigiously vain. and it
Il one Of the most marvellous estimates
c history
| Concluded tomorrow