The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-11-05
IRISH MAIL NEWs.
(Dablin Nation, Oct. 14.)
WESTMEATH vINDICATED

|
it says is such as has always been expected
from that patriotic constituency. On
| Monday and Tuesday the priests of the
two deaneries into which the county 10
divided met under the presidency of their
reverend bishop, tie Most Rev. DR.. Nulty,
to transact the usual ecclesiastical busi-
ness After this had been disposed of. the
relations of Mr.. Smyth to the Home Rule
movement were consider ed, and tie result
was the adoption of resolution declarin g
that Mr.. Smyth had forfeited the confidence
of the bishop, his clergy, and, as was be-
that this resolution was assented to by
every priest present but two, and that the
priests beyond all doubt speak for their
flocks, it will be seen that the condemn alton
of Mr. Smyth ID complete. Such an event
is unique in the history of ireland, and will
present time
The terms of the resolution adopted at
| the conferences above mentioned, under
the presidency of the venerated bishop of
the diocese, and signed by his own hand,
are clear, distinct, and emphatic. They
| stand thus:
Resolred, That we entirely disapprove
| of the conduct of Mr.. Smyth in separating
himself from the Home Rdle party, and that
he has thereby forfeited our confidence,
and, as we believe, the confidence of our
people"
| SEVERAL COUNTIES REMOVED FROM OPERA
| TIoN OF COERCION ACT.
TBe Government have this week removed
the counties of Westmeath and Monaghan
and portion OF the Kings County from the
| operation OF the COet ciun Act. This step
will be welcomed by the public, hut there
is 10 reason why it should not have been
| taken long since. The murder in the Kings
| County ou Tuesday-n which the victim
was a man who bad purchased for the sea-
son some meadowing iand from which an
other man had been evicted-will, of
course, be cited by the Cromwellan press
as proof of the necessity nf the code; bnt IL
seems to US, on the contrary, pr rfOt OF Its
| utter uselessness, except for the purpose of
oppressing Innocent people. 1t DID not
Prevent Fcehsn's murderer, or murderers,
from having a gun, but it placed at the
mercy of the police the hundreds who are
to day Intensely indignant at his fate.
CHANGE OF LORD LIEUTENANT.
TIE long ,rumored departure of the Lord
LieutenanG is about to become an accom-
plshed fact. The Duke of Abercorn will
shortly resign tho viceregal office, aud will
borough. Of the two the Irish public
would probably prefer to have amongst
them the courteous and inotfensive West
Briton !; but, politically, it makes no differ
ence which of them presides at Dublin
Castle. The Duke of Abercorn could not
Marlborough is one of those titled moneu
titles who will be quite content with the
role Of fgurehead.
THE SUNDAY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.
This week the Irish Sunday Closing As
sociaton has held it's series of annual meet
ings 10 this city, and never, probably, has
it achieved a more distinct success. The
private meeting on Tuesday morning, the
public meeting in the evening of that day
in the Rotundo, and the conference on
Wednesday morning, were each marked by
all the characteristics of thoroughly infn-
entail gatherings. Iudeed, larger, more
enthusiastic, or more respectable aud or
derIy assemblage than the meeting in the
| Rouud Room of the X R)tundo mas scarcely
assembled in that historic place even at the
call of the Home Rule League itself. The
| tone of the resolutions and addresses, too,
was such "a became the advocates Of
winning cause, and, in short, the whole
| demonstration was one which gives assu
rance of an early triumph.
The future operations of the Association
were marked out at the conference on
| Wednesday morning. 1t was resolved that
I" q petition movement on a large scale"
should be organized, and especially that
the large towns proposed to be exempted
from the scope of the Sunday Closing Bill
should be consulted after the manner Of the
canvass held last year in Dublin, Belfast,
Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Derry.
OF the result there can be no doubt but if
there could be any it would be dispelled by
such fact as that the Winners Associa-
tion of Gaway-one of the towns In ques
tion-sent to the conference a resolution
cordially approving of the closing of pub
lie houses on Sunday" and promising the
Sunday Closing Association it's ''earnest
CO operation"
The letters of apology for non attendance
at the meeting TO which we have justrefer
red are in themselves an important contri
button to the literature of the question.
His Emiuence Cardinal Cullen and several
other eminent members of the Catholic
episcopate, several Protestant bishops, and
embers of Parliament, EOglish and Scotch
as we'll as Irish, wrote expressing their
warmest sympathy with tue movement
But one of these messages deserves espec-
ial notice. "My opinion is," writes Mr..
Lowe, ex Chancellor of the Exchequer,
" that Ireland ought to be contented with
what has contented Scotland-that is, a
sinple parliament, but that parliament paw