Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-03-18

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tryman In mortal conflict, the war
went on until the shackles where
stricken from the slave and he was
before the law made equal with
other citizens of the republic. And
when he became q citizen and tried
to govern, and when he failed, the
cry went forth that the curse Of
centuries of slavery rested on him,
and that he could not in an hour
or year become as those whose
heritage was always liberty, and
he received the sympathy Of the
people when free as he had received
their sympathy when q slave. But
when we turn our reluctant eyes
over the abyss Of waters to the old
world and contemplate the country
from which our early fathers
sprung, we see them there with
their orators and their poets
and historians proclaiming that
slavery is wrong, yet holding still
In bondage worse than negro
slavery ever was with us, q race OF
people whose natural lot is freedom
who, because they would not
change the form of their. religion
to crafty the hatred OF England's
King for the Pope of Rome, were
placed beyond the pale and sur.
rendered as victims to the insatia.
BILE avarice of the stronger power.
First, their land was taken from
them and divided up among the
favorites of England. Second,
they were deprived OF all voice in
the government that controlled
them. Third, they were, for q
number of years, sold as slaves In
foreign countries. And among the
first Of the Irish race In America
were those who were sent to Mass.
achusetts and Virginia as slaves.
Fourth, their religious teachers
were psrsecuted, banished and ex.
ecuted, and laws were enacted
making 1t crime to worship God
as Saint Patrick taught them.
Fifth, the land was rented out to
them at prices which only allowed
. miserable living, when the rent
was paid, and which meant starva-
ton when the potato crop should
fail. Sixth, they were taxed to
support In idleness and luxury the
members of the Church Of Eng
land, whom they abhorred.
Aud 90 they lived and suffered
year after year and century after
century, but ever faithful, ever
hopeful, ever waiting for the time
Of their redemption. Talk to me of
negro slavery, those Of you who
have seen it and knew 1t for what
1t was! They were joyous,
merry and happy race Of people.
They took but little thought
Of the morrow; the courses of
their lives were directed for them;
they felt themselves born to the
lot that each one daily lived, and
slavery was hardly slavery to them.
There was no starvation, though
there might at timos be blows. But
in IRELAND u race ex listed who never
forgot the pride Of birth; never for
got that they were free; never for.
got that they were being daily
wronged; never forgot that they
for religions sake were suffering u
daily degradation. So In their lit.
tie hived.up cabins the Irish peas
antry lived, In common with the
pig and the COW, and by their daily
toll made England rich; loaded the
great chips with grain und by their
industry supported in wealth
their hard masters. Centuries of
bondage. made the negro slave;
but q thousand centuries OF bond
age never could make the Irish man
q slave! And ever and anon he
broke his shackles, only to have
them clasped again more tightly
and each time growing stronger;
each year sending forth into the
republic beyond the sea thousands
of Its men and women, who were
never to forget, even to the third
and fourth generation, the story
of Irelsnd's sufferings and Ireland's
wrongs. And here in this country
they learned what organisation
would do; what combination could
undo. And So, but little
while ago, all England awoke to
dnd q revolution in ireland such 40
1t had never experienced before.
The poor tenant could not pay his
rent and was evicted, but no other
tenant came to take his place. Or
II such came, no man welcomed
him; no man sold to him; no man
bought of him; he found himself
avoided, ostraoised, condemned.
His harvest grew and ripen.
Ell and rotted on the ground.
No man assisted him; no
man spoke to him and the fear
of death was daily before his eyes.
And SO the Government Of Eng
land found that the Irish people,
loyal yet to the principles OF gov
ernmsnt, had made war so subtly
on the institutions and the tyranny
they despised, that armed force was
powerless to suppress 1t, and then
they called 1t conspiracy. A
conspiracy for what? A conspira-
cy on the part of the toiling masses
OF ireland to live, not like dogs and
hogs, but like living, civilized,
freedom loving men. England
says 1t is . conspiracy against her
laws for men to unite to reduce to
living prices the rents of lands
which English avarice stole from
them. Irishmen will never forget
the cad, sad years Of ls48 when the
potato crop of ireland failed and
while the crop of wheat and corn
was large and the graneries of the
great landlords of Ireland were Ill.
ed to bursting, the cry OF q starving
people went up to God, and taken
up by his elements. was waited
over the ocean. filling the hearts Of
millions of freemen with shame
land sorrow. And a. ship after ship
left the shores of the new world,
freighted with food. the offerings
Of foreign charity to England's
Irish starving poor, English ships
wefA sailing across the channel
freigkted with the corn raised
in Ireland by her starving
people. for Englaud's gain. And
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