Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-02-25

result of renewed eNertionS Of the par
ton of gaging and robbing has been so
far most encouraging. Moreover. it
would be scarcely just of me to leave
my party to face the uphill work en-
tailed on them. and | think can be of
some service during the passage of the
land bill in pointing out in what re-
spects it may fall short of n settlement
of the land question. should it fail to
offer an adequate solution. The
government of England hav-
ing adopted rules of intimidation
against our people ut home and their
Representatives in parliament and hay
ing practically attempted to drive both
one and the other outside the limits
of the constitutions and TO the adoption
of illegal means in parliament and in
the country; two courses appear open
to us. The first that the Irish NOM
members should retire in Il body from
the house of commons and announce
to their constituents that the constitu-
tional weopon Of parliamentary rep
resentation had been snatched from
their hands and that nothing but sullen
acquiescence or appeal to force i'll oppo-
sitlon to the force which has been used
against us; or second, and the only
other alternative, appears TO be that we
should steadfastly labor on reforming
the lines and widening the area
Of our agitation, appealing to the
great masses of England and
Scotland, who are much less represent
Il Of ~, Al
masses, and appealing | say. against
the terrorism ofa dominant parliament:
to the working men and agricultural
laborers of Britain, who surely have no
interest i'll misgoverning Ireland have
dismissed the first of the these courses
from consideration, but the second al
tentative presents to us many elements
Of hope III ultimate success As / have
said, parliament at present is governed
by the lords, manufacturers and shop
keepers of Great Britain. At election
time the springs are set in motion bv
the wire pullers of the two political par
ties, and the masses of the electors
are driven to the polling booths
to register the decree of some caucus,
with place and power and not the peo-
PIE dS llS ODIeCl. IuUllC OPINION III
England is also deliberately and sys-
tematically perversed with regard to
lrelanc, but vigorous agitation in
England and Scotland would change ali
this. The near approach of house
hold suffrage i'll these countries is prac-
teal, certainly, and before the general
election it will sound the doom of the
English land system, and the starving
Of workIngmen or agricultural labor.
A candidate in every British consistency
would soon bring the house of com
mons and radicalism to its senses. A
junction between English democracy
and Irish nationalism upon basis Of
lreland's right to make her own laws,
and the overthrow of territorialism
in both countries, and to enfran-
chise labor from the crushing
taxes for the maintenance of
the standing armies and navies would
prove irresistible, it would criminate
the strife i'll both countries and secure
lasting friendship and mutual interest
and confidence, between the two ma
tions. | would say, in conclusion, there
is nothing in the recent events or
coming measure of coercion to compel
the Irish people to modify, in the
slightest degree. their action Of open
resistance.