The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-23
AmerIea

And thou, nj length, shalt breathe victorious air.
Observation-Disclosures
Rev. J. g. Armstrong in Southern churShman.
No American citizen who loveshis coun
try can refrain from being proud of he
for the interest and sympathy that she Il
today evincing in Ireland, in the presen
suffering that there exists in that land
From Atlantic to Pacific, from lake to gul
have her tenderest sympathies been ex
cited, and city has been vieing with city il
the liberality Of the responses that are
being made to the appeals for supplies 70,
the starving thousands. II we had never
before been proud Of our land we should
be SO now; and with a deeper and warmer
emotion than ever do we to-day bless God
for such a heritage and home. And when
i have said this l have said enough to at.
test my own most sincere and hearty sym.
pathy with the object for which such out
pourings of generosity are being made. !
should not feel such'pride in my country
for these %outpoufings did l not cherish
such sympathy. HN'H
This said, however, I cannot but express
my deep regret that the suffering in Ire
land which issthus exciting such sympa.
thy and evoking such generosity should be
made by many speakers and writer's the
ground OF endeavor to stir up in the minds
OF the people otthis land a hatred against
England as exercising over Ireland an IL
legitimate, oppressive, and impoverishins
rule. II Is because OF such a rule that
there does exist such suffering in that
island; hence itshould be overthrown by
pixies and guns this is the keynote TO
many OF the speeches that are being made
in presenting the appeals for our relief OF
those suffering people. l freely andgladly
except from this accusation the most of
the speakers at the recent meeting held in
this city on this subject; aud yet no one
who has observed anything like closely
the utterances Of many who are speaking
and writing upon itand the spirit that an
mates them can fail to see that under
meath all those lisa deep current OF hatred
against England, and a deep purpose to
incite the Irish to resist her laws and
break from their necks her alleged oppres-
siye yoke.
Nor can any one be so blind as not to
see that the real fountain OF that hate u r
rent is the religious one. The real burden
Of many OF the inflammatory appeals, If
not openly enunciated yet easily readable
between the lines, Is neither more nor less
than the old war cry that has been ring
ing in the ears OF the nations these many
years-"Catholic Ireland against Protest.
ant England"
The people Of America should know
this; and they should know, too, account
for tas men may, that the present suffer-
ing OF Ireland isisveIy largely among
the Roman Catholic population, relative
" little the Protestants. And the
case was no different in the suffering Of
1878. ~ ~ @
Now the accusation OF at least the illegi-
timacy OF England's rule over Ireland
comes withthefveryEworst possible grace
from any members of the Roman Catho-
lie Church. The.relation OF this Church
TO that island has been anything but an
enyiable one. Who was It indeed that
first gave that island into England's
hands? It was none other than Adrian
Inv. Claiming the right TO dispose Of all
Islands ION which Christ, the Sun OF
righteousness, hath shined," that Pope,
himself Of English birth, authorized
Henry II to invade Ireland with q view to
extend the Church, on a condition that a
penny should be yearly paid from each
house to the see OF Rome. And so we
have no less significant q seal than that OF
Infallibility upon tho legitimacy OF the
English rule.
And why did Rome in that day not re-
gard the liberties OF the Irish and their
protests and battles against foreign rule?
The thought among many seems to be
that the Church OF Rome has always
sided with the Irish in. their efforts to
secure freedom from foreign domination
that in the case hers was always simply a
sympathy with g. people oppressed and
struggling to be free. Facts prove it for
otherwise. When King Roderie 0'Con-
nor and Bishop Lawrence O'Tolle suns
moned their brave men'to resist and ex.
pei Richard the Strongbow and the Fitz-
lreralds whom h etreacherous and lecher.
Gus Dermot Marlborough had brought
across the channel for the invasion and
subiugation OF the island, why did Rome
Sit idly by and see the patriots defeated
and conquered? twas not that Ireland
then was any more willing to be ruled by
England than are her Roman Catholic
citizens now. The whole land then, from
Fair Head in the Antrim TO the Mizen
Head in Cork, from Slyne Head In Gal
way to Dublin Bay, verberated with the
patriotic protests and the tramp Of armed
hosts against the invaders: Where wa,
Rome s'sympathy then for the Oppressed
Irish?n
Circumstances indeed alter cases; ant
Rome then favored the %subjugation o
Ireland by England, in the first place be
cause the native Irish Church had thus ia
been independent OF Rome, and the latte
would reduce 1t TO subsection; and In the
second place because kngland's king wa
already one. OF Rome's vassals. 1t was no
for the freedom OF an oppressed Irelant
from A Protestant foreign rule, but for tn,
oupression OF q free Ireland by q Romal
Satholic foreign rule, that Rome then Ia
bored.
No Roman Catholic since the reign Q
Elizabeth or Cromwell ever uttered deep
er protests or CONGRATULATIONS agains
the rule OF Protestant England than d.
king Donald OF Ulster to Pope Johl
against the invasion OF this country b
Roman Catholic King Henry.
!, But the Reformation came, n tn
change OF circumstances was ettectet
Then only was 1t that Roman Catholic
commenced to denounce the3English ruiz
and to brand as illegitimate a yoke whic
their owR people had originally impose
!, on Ireland's neck. H2tsia'a
And were the circumstances again r,
. yersed, and It was q Protestant lrelan
: that was suffering from alleged opp:sssio
and q Roman Catholic England that WI
the alleged oppressor, who would be wea
. enough TO believe that q Roman Oatholi
. here or elsewhere would touch the yoI