The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-11-09
IRELAND FOR THE IRISHi
An Important Manifesto Issued Yes
tcrdny.

All InbpOrtnut NuHtItStO tssucu \ cS-
tcrday.
The Homo Rule League, at their meeting
in Dublin yesterday, resolved that nothing
but an independent native Parliament |
would ever satisfy Irish people. The follow
ing is the full text of the manifesto just Is.
sued by the league and which formed the |
subject of Yesterdays discussion:
ow-CoUNTRYMEN On the eve of
the centenary of tho accomplishment of
Irish freedom, brought about by the gori- |
Gus man of Dungannon, We would be base
and spiritlcss should we acknowledge that |
the iron Of slavery has eaten into our vitals,
and were VIC not stirred mt such u time to
admiration by the deeds of 1882, Ifthc Irish |
people have not utterly lost the spirit
which animated their fathers, they will
not fail to make 1882 memorable in their
annals for their determined and success
full efforts to reconstitute the fabric raised
one hundred years ago by the public vir
tue of Henry Grattan and the volunteers,
and destroyed in 1900 by the brides and
bayonets of Pitt and Castlereagh The
state of things which prevails in Shis coun-
try would be an eternal disgrace even to
the worst and most uncivilized govern
ment on the face of the globe. In no
country of the world, except, perhaps, Rus
STA, is there so little public liberty left, or
so much despotism exercised by the ruling
executive, Us in Ireland in 1881.
"Thirty-five thousand soldiers and iif-
teen thousand military police garrison the
country. They allow no day to pass with
out making the people feel that now, rs in
the days of Elizabeth, Cromwell and viii.
liam, the sword is, after ALL the argument
with which England seeks to answer all
that the Irish nation demands. Cannon
are planted in public places in our cities.
| Dbl 1,. al,,t. NnI IL,
persed. The police invade even private
dwellings to disperse asscmblages Every
mans liberty is at the mercy of the chief
secretary, acting on secret denunciations
of paid spies and infOrmers. Every day
numbers of persons of the highest probity
and responsibility, many occupying rep
resentative positions. are arrested and
flung into the common jails without trial.
Among those so deprived of liberty are
four members of Parliament, one Of whom is
acknowledged to be the leader of the Irish
people, and would, under free institutions,
be the Prime Minister of the country. The
! possession of arms, the birth-right of every
member of every free commonwealth not
civilly incapacitated, is crime punishable
by heavy fine or Imprisonment.
" Now two questions arise First, can it
be for one moment pretended that II system
of government under which such occur
renccs as have been just named hlbitually
take place has any moral right to exist ?
Second would people who did not en-
dcavor at the earliest available moment by
every legal and constitutional means to put
an end forever to such occurrences deserve
anything better than the scourgc of the
slave-drver? Our manufactures since 1900
have been nearly cxtinguished. We have
had since the union four or five flmines.
Our country has been depleted by three
millions since 1910. While England is,
relatively to taxable ability, the most
lightly taxed country in Europe, Ireland is
the most taxed. Since 1900 there have
been iifty-ninc savage coercion acts in
force here.
5 1--WE were promised Mt the time of the
: union equal rights and privileges with the
: people of Great Britain, but to-day, four
, teen years after the establishment OF
, household suffrage and of the compulsory
registration of voters in England and
Scotland, we arc still denied both those inn
portant rights with the result that while
the proportion of voters to the male popu-
, lation in England is one to four, the pro.
portion in Ireland is one to twentv-four
l The municipal franchise also, as compared
with that of England and Scotland, is q
complete mockery.
at is needless to go through the list of
scarcely single matter of public concern
S of Ireland has the will of the Irish people
had its way; that every department of oul
busness-no matter how little it concerns
: Others than oursclves-is managed by ire
: sponsible and autocratic boards appointed
= by Englishmen, and composed to II larg,
/ extent of Englishmen and Scotchmcn
h Despite of this, however, we are told tina
c we must be governed by another people
d and that, too, for our own sake. Anarchy
: it is said, would ovcrtakc us if the bene
l. flcicnt, restraining hand of England wer
,. taken OF us. A more mpudent pretens
t was never advanced. Our troubles sprini
t from the government of Ireland by Eng
Il land, and from that alone.
IS But is 1t for the interest of Englan,
s that the policy of coercion should be con
d tinued? Is the present state Of siege fruit
: full in anything but hatred, i'll will, loss o
y treasure and life? What we ask for is onl.
C what is enjoyed by every other British dc
h tendency inhabited by n white race. 1t |
only what the States of the American
Union possess-namcly, the power to man
age those matters which concern ourselve
C alone those affairs which concern the EN-
@ pire at large being left to the care of al
imperial senate, in which we would b
represented