The sun., 1880-02-01
Catholic Disabilities in Ireland.


High rents are not by any means the only
grievance OF which the Roman Catholic pop
ulatlon In Ireland complains. 1t Is common
to speak OF the existing modes Of land tenure
as the sole surviving vestiges Of q system Of
oppression; but IL this impression were well
founded, it would be difficult to account for
the peculiarly bitter and excited state Of the
public mind in Ireland at this time. Tho
truth Is, that the work OF reform. begun ten
years ago, was not carried out according to
the Liberal programme, that distinct
pledges and reasonable expectations were
unfuHlled, and that n feeling Of resentment
was fomented which was certain to entail
serious disturbances under tho pressure OF
hardship and calamity.
There is no doubt that the dsestablish-
ment OF the Anglican Church in Ireland in
1869, and the Irish land act OF the following
year. were measures fraught with wide
practical benefit, and that they introduced
an entirely new principle In Irish legisla-
tion that namely, OF absolute justice, equity,
and equality before the law. Those great
reforms appeared to indicate sweeping
change Of front on the part Of Great Britain
toward the neighbor island, and 1t was
naturally supposed that other substan-
tial concessions would be dictated by
the same motive. A few minor meas
urcs were indeed passed, such, for
example, as the law putting an end to the
exclusion Of yearly tenants from the jury
box, and the application Of the Scotch sys-
tenn of summoning jurors by rotation. Tho
first really important claim, however, put
forth by the Catholics to religious equality
after 1869 was formally disallowed. and it
soon became clear that the English Liberals
recoiled from a further exhibition OF the
equitable spirit evinced in the disestablish-
ment of the Anglican Church.
1t will be remembered that careful pro-
vision was made for the reorganization of
the Protestant Episcopalans In Ireland,
and at the same time the Presbyterians
and Wesleyans obtained equivalent powers
for the reconstruction of their churches
and the management OF their endowments.
The religious bodies thus readiusted COM
prchend, all told, not moro than million
and quarter of the Irish population, while
the Roman Catholics, who exceed four mil
lions in number, have not been suffered to
carry out any scheme of reorganization;
such reconstruction being impossible while
Inc Olu SluluIdDlS ulSuDllllcS ItlullHp W
trusts and endowments remained unre-
pealcd. An attempt to extinguish this rem
nant OF unjust discrimination and persecu-
tion was made in 1872 but the bill was re-
jectcd in the House Of Commons. 1t was
this failure Of the Liberal party to faith
fully apply the principle Of religious equal
ity which gave rise to the Home Rule
movement.
How much Of the old penal legislation
against the Catholics still survives was
proved in the noted case of Father O'KEEFE
1t was there shown that there was no law in
Ireland to enforce the decision of Roman
Catholic Archbishop, acting as delegate OF
| the Pope, and to eject a recusant priest
from the parochial house. On the other
hand, the private government OF the Prot
| estant Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and
| Methodist associations was completely rec
| ognized by law, so that the temporal courts
would sustain the act Of any of these private
church authorities in removing n min
lister. But when the same tribunals
were invoked to render like assist
ance in the discipline of the Cath
Ollie organization, they found their
hands tied by penal statutes, which a
| HOUSE, Oh commons IeluSeu 10
sweep away. This was not the only di-
| vergence sanctioned by Mr.. GLADsToNE's s
party from the theory of religious equality.
Although the celebration of the battle of
Waterloo had been given up in Difference to
the remonstrance of foreign Roman Cath
olics, British Liberals have continued to
tolerate the celebration OF the battle Of the
Boyne, which laid the foundation of the
monstrous oppression under which Irish
Catholics so long suffered
Another grievance which has ranked, and
which neither the GLADSTONE nor the BEA-
coNsFIELD Cabinet has tried to remedy, is
the almost total exclusion OF Roman Catho-
lies from local government in the north OF
Ireland. In the School Board elections
throughout England and Scotland the prin.
ciplc OF cumulative voting has been applied
with happy results In districts occupied by
divided races and religions. The result Ii
that Roman Catholics are represented on
the School Boards Of London, Glasgow
Edinburgh, Bolton and many other towns
The introduction OF some such system
in the methods OF clecting town coun
ellis in Ulster would have gone fal
to arrest the growing disaffectior
on the part of the Catholic element. The
statistics bearing on this subject are suffi
GENTLY significant. In Belfast, where the
Roman Catholics are a third Of the popula
tlon, they had in 1876 only two members out
OF a Town Council of forty, and in London
derry, where they constitute an absolut,
majority of the inhabitants, they have but
two Councilmen in twenty-four. In Port
adown, Lisburn, Lurgan, and other mu
inequalities, there is not a single Roman
Catholic Town Commissioner. This ascend
ancy OF the Protestant element is fostercC
by keeping the qualifications of the municl
pal franchise relatively high. In Ireland
indeed, a man must own more property il
order to vote for town officers than fo
, members Of Parliament
Such facts, we need not say, are gros
, violations Of the principle OF religion
equality, which, 1t is sometimes alleged
has been restored in ireland. That the.
are suffered to exist Is chargeable quite a
much on the Liberal rs on the Conservativ
: party. Bill after bill has been introduce,