The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-12-24


in the evening especially. Be pleased. there.
fore, to mako our excuses for not being present
on the interesting occasion. We hope the meet
ing will be success. Respectfully yours,
HENRY 81. SHELLEY.
Besides these, letters were read from Father
Ravoux and ex-Gov. Marshall expressing their
inability to attend, but full of sympathy and
in the objects of the meeting.
Coz. Davis address,.
Gov. Davis was the next speaker introduced.
He said 4
This meeting is held to solicit the sympathy
of this community with the Irish people in the
efforts they are making by lawful and consti-
tutional means to 80 change the land tenure of
that country that they can at the same time
till the soil and live upon the product of thex
labors. The appeal is made to the American
people, irrespective of race or creed, aud I
shall, therefore, but serve the purpose of my
by briefly placing before those per-
sons who are alien to the blood and untaught in
the sufferings of the Irish people few of the
reasons why that sympathy is doe. Had half
the COMMUNICATION been given to Ireland which
England, censuring us, extended to the Amer
ed here, or which has been wasted
on the savage American Indian the record of
Irish suffering would have closed eighty years
ago. Had any political party during or after
our civil war, attempted to infict upon single
county in the South the murders, confiscations,
penal laws, deputations, selling white people
as slaves, that the English government has in
aicted upon both Catholic and Protestant
Irish time after time, since the reign of Eliza
beth begun, the whole civilized world would
have aided q people in insurrection and made
this government the most shapeless wreck
upon the shore of time. (Applause.)
THERE Is CAUSE
for the present discomfort. 1t begins far
back, and lives to-day in it's evil conse.
quences. The stern justice of history
before whom no rent abates but proceeds gen
GRAFTON after generation to final judgment, pre-
sides over this controversy soon. we trust about
to end.
The facts which shall state are not gathered
They come from the researches of a skeptical
historian whose books lie under the interdict
Of both churches and who disbelieves imparti-
ally in both of them. They are not the accu-
ations or excuses of a bigoted sectary.
1t is very certain that when the rest of Eu-
rope lay in the night of the dark ages. and was
haunted by events which read like sanguinary
dreams, civilization and religion-exilcd
brother and sister-took refuge in Ireland.
Before Augustus evangelical the English peo-
pie the Irish missionary had crossed the chan
mel and commenced the work. In the words
of Saint Bernard. ''From Ireland as from an
overlooking stream crowds of holy men de-
scended upon foreign countries" They were
the pioneer apostles from Iceland to the Dam
ube. (Applause.) -. e..
The feudal system which now survives in
Ireland in its last ferocious type of an all
powerful landlord and remideless tenant up
rooted then q very different system. Under
ho oh Of oil ho
not own the fee of the te1emental lands. In
them the clansman was joint proprietor with
him. The former had the fullest rights of in
heritance. and his property descended with
out burden to all of his children,
equally. 1t was . code made by and for free
people.
This system was overturned by conquest and
chicane, and was succeeded by
FOUR CONGREGATIONS
which took away nine-tenths of the land of
Ireland from native lord and occupant with
out compensation and gave it to aliens.
In the reign of Elizabeth nearly 100000 acres
were confscated in Munster alone, and re-
granted to Englishmen upon condition that
they should admit to tenancy no Irishman.
This and other forcible separations of the
people from the soil beggared them, and
were the beginning of those agrarian out
RACES which, though merely an effect of oppres-
eAoA, oHo Pe1sAstentAy mlsIepEesenLeu As lts
cause and excuse. .
In the reign of James /. two great noblemen
we're accused of p1ots-not of acts, but simply
of bad Intentions, for there was no rebellion.
They were never tried. Nothing was ever
proved against them. They were driven from
their country and. under pretext Of their Of
fences, six counties were confscated and plant
ed with Scotch and English. The very scum
and lees of those nations were placed in the
homes from which thousands of happy and IN
offending people had just been driven into the
jaws of starvation. .
In this reign the infamous vocation of the
Ducoriun was first piled. Under the fiction
that all titles are derived from the king, these
persons undermined possessions which had
been undistnrbed for centuries, by flaws in
grants, by defects of enrolment. by records
exhuned from the town of London, by dor.
mant grants made by Henry II. three hundred
years year before; The judges were more terribIe
the instruments by which the compendiout
ruin of q race was wrought.
The proprietors of Connaught who held BY
recent royal grant raised 100, 500 pounds anc
paid that sum to Charles I. upon agreemen
that undisturbed possession for sixty year
should secure their titles from attack by tn
crown, and that their grants ehoul,
DO valid. STAFFORD afterwards withdrew
these conditions, and let slir upon Connaugh
pack of discoveries, bribed judges and plan
jurors. The juries were instructed to find fo
the king, and no wonder, for the chief jrstic
received four shillings on the pound on tn
first years rental of the estates which he nd
judged forfeit. Upon this the Irish rebelled
and the war with the parliament followed !
was war for religious liberty and for food
Famine and fanatioism did bloody work. Th
result was conquest. All the land in thre
provinces was confscated and given to Englis
soldiers or to Insurers who had lent money
the parliamentary government.
This 10 hardly an outline of the procei
by which nine-tenths of Ireland was take
from its people and given to aliens. 1t is to
filed in by penal laws which executed the prize.
for consoling the dying; which made famin
bid against the mother for her child to place
in charter school, she never to see it agail
which forbade Catholic to acquire real esta
or TO lend money upon It.; which scattered g
tates BY distribution among all the childre
unless the eldest son became an apostate; h
such appalling want a. no civilized people hs
ever suffered, BY which Thousands died in Il
fields and by the r0adsides.
Auxiliary to this general system Of raj
other Ssl
INDUSTRIAL EXPRESSIONS
were imposed. Ireland was rioh
aocks and herds, and their expo
tation to England was chief source j.
wealth. This Vas prohibited upon tho grouu
that the competition WAS detrimental to EnRli,