The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-05-10
From Our Own Cofrespondsnt.]
OUR IRISH LETTER.
DUBLIN, April Ell, 1874

reassembled after the Easter recess on yester-
day week, and since then not day has passed
| that those members or some of them have not
been bringing some matter before the House of
Commons in some way another to tho in
tense disgust of their opponents. Of those
matters shall here refer to few. This night
week Lord Robert Montague put Mr.. Disraeli
into regular fix. The reader is aware that
Lord Robert is convert to Catholicity and
to Home Rule, and that he was once Tory
Minister He asked Mr.. Disraeli whether he
did not describe the Coercion Act as being the
severest on the face of the earth, and whether
he thought that such law was necessary for
the government of Ireland by the British
Parliament. Mr.. Disrael admitted that he
had made use of the language referred to, but
declined to answer the second part of the
question. He tried to assume an air of pleas
antry, but he could not help letting it be seen
that he was thoroughly vexed at having raked
up for him words he uttered when he was
leader of the opposition and was simply trying
to damage the government of Mr.. Gladstone.
He took refuge in silence. Lord Robert fol-
lowed him by asking whether he declined to
answer his question. Silence again Had he
said that the law was necessary, his criticisms
on the late Parliament would have been
thereby nullifed, and, moreover, he would
virtually have admitted that England is
tyrapt in her rnle of Ireland. Had he said it
was unnecessary he would have been bound to
repeal it; and this, I need hardly say, he
would not like to do. He was, therefore,
silent; but everybody his difficulty, and
| the effect was damaging to the new Premier.
The next matter I would allude to is the
rejection of Mr.. Butts Bill for assmilating
the Municipal franchi in Ireland to that in
England. This is one of a series of measures
brought forward by the Home Rule party in
answer to the taunt thrown out at the
beginning of the session by leading Wing and
Tory statesmen during the Home Rule debate
that the Irish members had not attempted by
legislation to remove the grievances of which
they complained. In England the municipal
bodies elected on Household Suffrage
basis-every burgess rated for the relief of the
poor at however low a sum has a voice in the
election of his municipal representative. In
Ireland a man must be rated at at least ten
pounds-that is, must pay at least Els year
rent before he has vote, the effect of which
is that the control of municipal affairs is in
the Lands of the moneyed classes. Mr.. Butt
simply wished to have for Irishmen the same
rights as Englishmen possess and yet, al
though vast majority of Irish members were
in favor of the change, the House, all
expected, threw out the bill-the English
Tories overwhelming the Irish vote and prov
ing that Ireland need not expect the common
est justice from the British Parliament. Even
such anti-Irish papers as the Times and Pail
Mall Gazette have written in condemnatory
terms of this act of the House of Commons
and specially of the conduct of the new Chief
Secretary for Ireland, Sir Michael Beach. This
individual opposed the Bill avowedly the
ground that the moneyed classes would be
swamped by the people at large, and asked
Mr.. Butt if he wanted an assimilation of the
laws of the two countries why he would not
restore the Established Church! The Times
itself characterized this passage as stupid to
the last degree, pointing out that if the laws
OF England and Ireland were to be harmonized
in respect to the churches, it was the church
of the majority of the Irish people-that is
the Catholic Church that would have to be
established. The fact of the matter is two
Irish Orangemon oppose the Bill and in def
ference to their will the government, through
Sir Michael Beach, defed the rest of Ireland.
Last Saturday the new Tory Lord Lieuten-
ant, the Duke of Abercorn, made his public
airy before him and behind him, aud all along
the route there was a continued line ofinfantry
nth loaded rifles, each side of each one of
the streets through which be passed. He rode
horseback in the midst of score or two of
mounted military officers. A good number of
people lined the streets, but from them he got
not single cheer. The only persons who
chee1ed him were the funkeys who live in the
streets through which he passed and who took
care to have their windows up to the top story
crowded with the male and female members
of the tribe living elsewhere in the Civ. r.
'"as disgusting to see those wfetched creatures
who live on the patronage and bask in the
smile of Dublin Castle raising their feeble
shout, taking of their hats, or waving their
hapdkcrchiefs. The students of Trinity Col
lege were on the roof of that building and
being the scions Of the Protestant gentry gave
Abercorn hearty cheer. Since then addresses
have been presented by the various public