The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-04-01
n CRUCIAL TEST.
IRIsHMEN NOT ALLOWED TO BEAR ARMS IN
IRELAND.
dublin Ta,ioa. March 10.

IRE edcm ana possess all the privileges {
, constitutional liberty, is put in Issue b
none of our surrounding circumstance
more distinctly than by The denial to ou
countrymen of the tirst boon of freemen-
the right of bearing arms. The laws az,
ad dni nistration under which we live ptesen
many an eloquent contradiction of th
boast but 1t would be- impossible to ina
gine anything more Inconsistent with /
! than the obstinate refusal to allow the FeO
pie OF this country the Pnallest partIcipa
tisa 2 the RoysUeEt vhisS :S-c csE1Et th.
rest of Europe is converting tia Sztik of the
| male population into al organized army o
reserve. In England and Scotland, as wei
| as throughout the States of the Continent {
the enrolment ard armiDg of the people
into military bodies, their training ard
! equipment efficient cnmbatapt forces,
appears to be one of the first auxieties of
their rulers. To stimulate Il martial spirit
amongst the masses, to accHstom them to
the nse of aTme, to marshal them into
drilled aud disciplined ieves, is recognized
as one of the most pressing duties of the
state. Millions of pGuDds annually
spent in the organization of volunteers, or
of civilian armies of defence, and the
strength of the pation IL teit to be prop"r
tlonate 10 the military aptitude and capa-
city of it's population. How great is the
contrast In Ireland! Che encourageme n t
offered every " here se 10 the practice of
to acquire it is forbidden under savage pen
a!tlrs it il not enough 10 refuse the ex
teEtI0n OF State aid 10 the esta b ishmeDt of
volunteer corps. Their organic alton Is
doggedly prohibited, aud tie shadow "f an
attempt to render nnr cuuutrymcu fitted inr
their ranks ispnnished with uuspGIiug ee
verify. They cannot dIll, they cannot
learn the use OF arms they cannot possess
them, without risking the do&m of u teIon.
While the populations around us are form
ing into huge military camps, the possession
of gun cap a sword hayonet, the prac-
tlce or the goose step, or the use of wold
of command, brings the lrishmau almost
inevitably into the dock.
The bill which Mr.. O'Clery properly post
poned last Wednesday for measure of
more Immediate and pressing importauce,
has brought these consideration into pro-
mnence. The subject of a volunteer army
for Ireland Is again under discussion, and
we are once more confronted with the be-
wildering farrago of Inconsistencies invar-
opposition to the project Here, for in
stance, is a Castle organ, famous for its in
dlgnant denials of the existence of disloy-
atty in Ireland, and Tor it's blatant procla-
mations of the establishment of prosperity
and contentmeut by Tory regime, actually
driven 30 far out of Its course by the p1O.
posal as to argue that to sanction the for
would imperil the exlstence of the govern
mrnt. Even when forced to admit that
some lrlshmen we're insensible to the bless
lngs OF Britlsh rule, or to the glOrIes OF a
{" Drawing Room" the Express was careful
TO confine the number of the malignsuts to
an insigniticantfringeo of the "rabole." Yet
the proposition to train to the use of arms
a small proportion of the middle claases
in Ireland impels our contemporary into
II paroxyRm of alarm. The council of "Ihe
Irish Riff. Association" which was at ono
time credited with the idea of petitioning
in support of Mr. OTC!ery's Bull, are warn
ed with frantic vehemenCe against giving
countenance to the measure. The impe-
rial parliament intimidated or cnerced into
adopting the Federal scheEDe tor freland d
by body OF armed volunteers taking ad
vantage perhaps OF a war with some tcreign
Power" ID the vision COZ uTed up by the
notion of au Irish volunteer army to the
journal which every second day assures It's
readers that there ia hardly u handful OF
Federalsts in LELAND. "Drilhng," we are
told, "Is still being secretly practssd in
many parts of he island" and again
"There is Feniao organization in AmeT-
icn which keeps up constant commun lea
ton with the Fenian sympathiZeTs here y
and even constitutional agitatOrs," :" if "drIll
ed, disciplined, and armed" would not
improbably after d time support their de
mands by menaces, especially if they founC
them persistently refused by the imperia
| parliament"
1t is easy to see in language of thi
| character at once an admission of weak
ness and the presage of an approaching
| triumph. When the sdherents of the ex
listing system are compelled to confess tha
| to entrust even the most orderly and in
dustrous sections of the Irish population
with the right extended to every subjec
in England or Scotland would be to en-
danger "the perfect union" which WI
are told brings them so many blessings
the conclusion is obvious that there can bt
little confidence felt in its stability. AnI
if no better reason can be assigned 70
withholding from Irshmen the birth righ
of every freeman than that it mi h
enable them to obtain what they con
stitutionally claim, and what is per
sistently denied them, we need not fear
very protracted opposition. We live in al
age when demands inherently just, reso
lntely and boldly supported by the voice
of the majority, cannot safely be rejecte'
OF ignored, and we are not without a hop
that the badge of servitude contained il
the disarmament of our couDtrymen will
not long survive the expression of genera
pRnFp moi ioh 81, I;eo,