The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-07-27
@,rnlng Star and Catholic Messenger.
new ORLEANS SUNDAY. JULY 81 IeT3.
From Our Own Correspondent.
OUR IRISH LETTER.
DUBLIN, July 3, 1873.

DUBLIN, July 3, 1873.
The. election to the vacancy ereated in the
representation of Waterford county by the
sudden retirement of Mr. Ed ward de Ia Poer
took place to-day. and resulted, as am en-
abled to tell you, on the authority OF . private
telegram, in the unopposed return of Mr.. Viii
lion Stuart, the son of Lord Stuart de Decies
This result l, for my part, consider a defeat
the first defeat for the last three years-for the
National cause, and also for the csuse of Ca
tholic education. 1t Is quite true that this
gentleman came forward with declarations on
the queetions of Home Rule and Education
advocates Of an Irish National Parliament aud
Of the UNCONVENTIONAL system. But they
might also DO regarded in an opposite sense !;
his plan of Home Rule, Mr.. Stuart declared
that he meant to advocate nothing more than
the formation OF all tho Irish members into q
Beaect com mittee, in London or Dublin, for the
consideration of all Irish measures which
should, however. be referred for final exsmi-
nation to the Imperial Parliament. need not
say that such q scheme as this is very far in
deed from being what is called Home Rule,
and. which means an Independent Irish Parlia-
ment for the purpose of legislating upon the
domestic affairs Of ireland. It is, indeed, q
scheme which might we'll be advocated by the
veriest Wing hack, aud may not improbably
be proposed soD'e one of these days by the
Government of England itself as settlement
Of the Irish question. The same authority on
which I am enabled to announce the fact of
tho election this day, informs me, in addition.
that real victory for the Home Rule cause
has, after all, been acheved-that ct the last
moment, when threatened with opposition.
Mr.. Stuart event the whole hog" and pledged
himself distinctly to the genuine Home Rule
programme. ] confess 1 can barely believe
this, but even if it be true, although no doubt
it would be significant tribute to the power
and influence of the National party, would
still, as o Home Ruler be utterly dissatisfied.
Home Ruler-as one who would help the move
ment in every way in his power-who swal-
lowed his pledges only because he was COM
pelledf All shat can be said, If this story be
true, is that things are not quite as bad as they
might be and as we all expected.
Whose fault is it that genuine Home Ruler
has not been elected for Waterford The
county is beyond all doubt patriotic and ma
not represented by genuine nationalist
There are three causes, as far as l can see.
First, the constituency was taken unawares.
Mr. de la Poef. perhaps unconsciously but not
on that account the less truly, betrayed it into
the hands of the Government. He had it in
mind for long time to resign, and yet never
told his constituents. He confided his inten-
tions to the Government, who persuaded him
to remain id until they could have their man
selected, and all arrangements made for rem
defing it impossi BILE for the people to take any
action. The writ for the election of Mr. De la
Peers successor was moved for in the House of
Commons on yesterday week. On this day
week the document was on its way to the High
Sheriff of Waterford, and only on this day did
the people OF Waterford know that the vacan-
cy had been created This day the nomination
took place. SO that the whole interval allow
ed them for organization for selecting their
champion, etc, was a week, and it is not, gen
orally speaking, in week that suitable can
didate can be got to undertake 50 weghty and
expensive role as that of opposing candl-
date for q couuty-seat Secondly, the allu-
siops of Mr.. Stuart to the Home Rule question
were calculated to deceive, and did deceive.
Many Home Rulers in Waterford actually be-
lieved he was a genuine and thorough supper
ter of their movement. Thirdly, the local
leaders and especially the local newspapers
almost without exception Home Rule organs,
and Notwithstanding that very fact took Mr.
Stuart by the hand the very first day he made
his appearance in the field. They should
have denounced him as trickster. Instead
of critically examining his political profess
sions, and catechsing him when he did not
choose to be explicit, they put the best con-
struction on everything he said, and actually
the fact that his father in Is stood as an ad-
vocate of Catholic emancipation against one
of the Beresfords. and triumphed. For my
part when I hear a man base his claims to
public respect and confidence solely chiefly
on the fact that he is his fat hers son." in
stinotively suspect him of political rottenness.
We have had rather notable trial this week
IN Dublin. notice it chiefly as furnishing N
illustration of Protestant bigotry and gross
judicial Partially. Let me take and deal with
1t at some length.
Robert ,Shapland Byrne was a native of
and was brought mp o Catholic, having been
for some years at st. Peters College. He did
not, however, during the greater part of his
life, act like Catholic. On the contrary, hewas
slavish toady, and when he enlisted, as he
did, in the Wexford militia, he thought the
best way to gain promotion at the hands of
his Protestant supeIiors would lie to pretend
that he was Protestant, too. He accordingly
married Protestant wife, went to Protestant
services on Sundays, and allowed his children
to be baptized by the Protestant minister and
brought up in the Protestant religion. My
Catholic readers will not be surprised to learn
that he eventually met with misfortune and
adversely instead of success and some time
since he ended his days in the Wexford Union
Workhouse. Before he died, however, he
made some reparation for the errors and scan
dial of his miidle age. For ten or twelve
months previously he had been eff and on at
: confession and Holy Communion, and had all
his children baptized Catholics. He even in
sisted, in opposition to his wife, on accepting
an offer to have the two youngest sent to a
Catholic orphanage in Dublin, and finally,
some short time before he died in the poor
house, he made a formal will, in which he con-
stituted two of the Catholic clergymen of the
town guardians of the children, and ordered
the latter to be brought up in the Catholic
religion. 1t Is, may mention parenthetically,
legally In the power of the father, in these
countries, to choose the IfUion of his H.