The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-05-17
From Our Own Correspondent
OUR IRISH LETTER,
DUBLIN, April %, 1874.

DUBLIN, April %, 1874.
The Home Rule party iu Parliament has
achieved at least one triumph-and that owe
the strong Tory government ITSELF Mr. Butts
bill for giving to Irish municipal towns which
are also counties of themselves, the same pri
vilege as similar towns in England enjoy
the privilege, namely, of appointing their owr
sheriffs and clerks of the peace-has actua lily
passed its second reading in the House Of
Commons, and that, too, without a division
at present the government appoints those
officers. The sheriffs in their turn appoint the
grand juries and the sab sheriffs, and the
grand juries administer the large amount OF
funds collected under the name of county cess
for the maintenance of roads, prisons, etc, and
appoint all such county officers as survey ors,
goal officials and cess collectors. Thus, al
| though there are not more than eight or nil g
towns in Ireland which have their own sher-
ifs, it will be easily seen that the passage of
this bill will involve a considerable concession
of popular rights. Nobody ever thought that
the measure would pass its second reading, and
it would not have done so but for an intemper.
ate speech of Sir Michael Beach, the chief
Secretary for Ireland, on the debate of Mr..
Butts bill for equalizing the franchise in Irish
this measure aud got it defeated, as 1 men
toned in my last letter; speaking, as he did,
in rasping aud irritating manner, and
suggesting to Mr.. Butt that if he was bent on
assimilating the laws of England and Ireland
he might beg in by re-establishing the Protest
ant Church and repeating the Land Act. For
this he was taken to task in a severe manner
by the Times and host of other English jour
al al IF wi al hot
Butts bill should be passed. Sir NJ. Beach, it
was declared on all hands, b ad made terrible
blunder, and the government saw no other
way, strong though they were, of repairing it,
than by taking the advice of the Times and
accepting Mr. Butts second bill. They, how
ever, threatened some mutilation of it in COM
mittee, and as the Irish Tory papers are crying
out against it, there is danger that after all it
may be shipwrecked. But SO far victory lies
with the Home Rule party.
A vote has been added to the Home Rule
party within the past few days. In Athlone,
at the general election, Mr.. Edward Shiel Ga
nephew of the orator and a Home Ruler) was
returned as having obtained as many votes
exactly as his Wing competitor, Mr.. j. j. En-
mis-, the brother-in-law of the apostate ODon-
oghue and himself a very bad man. On Friday
judges of the Court of Common Pleas unani-
mously decided that several votes recorded for
both gentlemen and rejected at the counting
up by the returning officer had been improp-
erly rejected; and FIVE more of these having
been given for Mr.. Shiel than for Mr.. Ennis.
the former gentlemen has been declared emit
tied to the seat by majority of five. On the
same principle, the defeated Homo Ruler in
Tn;k
titled to the seat occupied now by Tory
named Gore, only that, unfortunately the
necessary service of the petition against Cores
return was not effected in time. This was
most lamentable : the incompetence of the
attorney actually caused the loss of o man to
the Home Rule-party-that is, the loss of two |
votes on division. The Kerry petition ia to |
be Withdrawn, the reason being that tho Home |
Rule party do not like to put Mr.. Blennerhas-
sett, the Home Rule member for Kerry, to the |
expense of contest, which would be &C |
casioned by the success of the petition, against
himself and his Wing colleague, Mr.. Herbert |
In regard to the Drogheda petition, there is, 1 |
am glad to say, strong ground for believing
that DR.. w. H. O'Leary, the Home Rule MEM
Der; will retain his seat. scrutiny of :be
ballot papers has resulted in giving him
uI"Jorny I" 'uree. Two or three other qnes-
t. ous, however, save yet - lie decided F. |
nalIy, the Galway petition is TO be- tlird "n she
18Th May ia Galway aud promises I've tire
famous affair before Judge KeoGh two ,eais
ago, all over again. The petitioner is the
defeated candidate, one Pierce Joyce, junior, |
and the charges against the sitting member,
Mr.. F. II. o'DOnnelI, chiefly relate to clerical /
intinaidatlOn alleged 70 be praetieed on hia