National Republican., 1874-07-04
HOME RIFLE Ireland.

Inc QlSpatcneS from LONDON yesterday
morning announced the failure, by very
decided vote in the House of Commons, Of
the Home Rule movement for Ireland True
to the policy Of treating ireland as a con-
quered province, the representatives of
England voted solid against allowing that
country the benefits of government
Up to the year 1900 the Irish people had
their own parliament and regulated their
internal affairs In their own way, subject Of
course to the imperial parliament of Great
Britain. Under the operation Of her own
laws she was marvellOusly prosperous; her
population increased; her manufactures -four
ished, and in many branches of industry
in glass, woolen fabrics, &c-she was
really in advance of England. The act of
union, by which the native parliament of
Ireland was abolished and representation,
so-called, allowed her in the Parliament of
England, was really intended as blow at
her commercial prosperity. Under a pro-
tective tariff her native industries were en-
couraged and protected; her merchants be-
came rich; her mechanics were beyond the
reach of want; her agricultural resources
were developed to an extraordinary extent
The act of union passed-passed by the
grOssest fraud and corruption, by the be-
stowal Of money to the venal, by the con-
ferring of titles to the ambitious-Ireland
began Immediately to decline. The discon-
tent and dissatisfaction of the people found
vent in conspiracies and rebellions, which,
as history tells, only resulted in failure and
in the imposition of the most cruel and op-
pressive laws. The story of the outrages
perpetrated upon that unfortunate country
for nearly quarter Of century imme-
diately after the passage Of the act which,
it was alleged, would do so much for her
material advancement, has been well charac-
tcrized as the 'bloOdiest chapter in human
annals. -.-...-r
The Home-Rule sgitatiqR which has just
been defeated, and about which we have
heard so much upon this side of the At
lantic, was simply a movement for local
elf-government. To make the matter
plain, Ireland wanted to be-, as it were, q
State in the British Union, if such a thing
existed. She desired to make her own
laws, subject to the approval of Great Brit,
ain. She did not ask, however much Sbel
might have desired it, total independents
OF England; she desired to he connected
with her by, as it has been happily ex-
pressed by an Irish orator, ''the golden link
of the crown" The experience of the last
seventy years has shown her that in the
British Parliament her interests are persist
emily ignored; every appeal for justice
and fair play smothered. With repre-
sentation of about one hundred in body Of
nearly seven hundred members, the con-
sideration of question affecting her inter
ests is always a signal for the clearing of
the benches. In hopeless minority, every
administration, Whig and Tory, has treated
the Irish representatives and their constit-
uents with indifference and contempt. To
be sure, eminent Irishmen have received
office, been elevated to some OF the highest
positions in the gift Of the Government, but
the masses of the people have been reduced
to and held in almost abjsct slavery. Mr..
Disraeli could, with entire truth, deny that
they had not been promoted; for he would
point to the fact that only few years ago
the five Governors of England's principal
colonies were all Irishmen, but at the same
time the Irishimmigrantships were crowded
and Irish immigrants were flying from their
country at the rate of q million 8 year.
England's policy has been to bribe the lead
ers and treat the peasantry as so many
serfs.
Exactly what Mr.. Disraeli means when
he says that a. sfhe great crisis of the
"world, which is nearer than many sup
"pose, he wishes the people - be ssaiisS,'=1
it is difficult to understand. If he means
that the day of judgment is at hand, we
cannot see what difference it makes one
way or the other whether ireland has a
native parliament or not. Ifhe means that
Europe is soon to be engaged in q great
war which will decide the dsstinies of the
world, be should remember that Englaud's