Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-12-16
The Iron Heel.

10 pCtcuuiuA AubcIc5t LII tuC seho -
gle of their fellow men against
tyranny. Harry George. the au-
thor OF "Progress and Poverty"
o work which has 3voked an unsx.
ampled recognition in all the in
tellectual circles of the world, has
written his first letter to the Irish
World. We make coplous extracts
from It. Arriving in Dublin, after
the natural local observations, Mr..
George says:
You are in county ruled by
brutal force, where the whole gov
ernmental organization rests, not
on the consent of the people, but
on the clubs of policemen and the
sword bayonsts of a standing
army. I doubt If. an American,
until he comes here, and gets "the
feel OF the thing" can realize-I
am certain that the vast majority
of my countrymen do not begin to
realize-the tyranny under which
Ireland lies to-day. To our notions
1t does not seem possible that such
q state of things can exist in an
glish-speaking community this
late In the nineteenth century.
Our fathers had q very vivid rec
election of British tyranny, and o
very thorough contempt and ha-
tired for it, but for some time past
the common belief of Americans
has been that personal liberty is
really as secure under British in
stitutions as under our own; that
the British monarchy had, in fact,
become q republic in all cave the
name. AS to England, this may
be measurably true, but as to Ire.
land nothing could be more erro.
neous. There Is to-day no
country in the world making
the slightest pretence to civiliza-
ton where the fundamental prin.
ciples Of popular right are 80 fla.
GRAVITY outraged, or rather so ut
terly ignored; where the govern.
ment is such a reckless, conscience
less, Irritating tyranny. 1t not
merely a despotism; it is q despot.
ism sustained by alien force, and
welded In the interest of u privi-
legged class, who look upon the
great masses of the people as in.
tended but to be hewers of their
wood and drawers Of their water.
1t is II common English opinion,
which has been extensively reflect
ed on our side of the water, that
the Irish are peculiarly FESTIVE
race. prone to agitation, and hard
to sRtisfy-a race whose natural
disposition it is to be "agin the
no matter how wise
or how good that government may
be. But I do not think any right
man can realize what the
of Ireland is
without feeling that a PEG.
pie who would rest quietly under
it would deserve but slavery
and Contempt. I leave out of COZ
sideration for the moment the
present extraordinary condition OF
things woen constitutional guar.
antees for personal liberty are ut
terly suspended, and any man in
the country may be hauled off to
prison at the nod of an irresponsi.
BILE dictator. 1 speak of normal
times and the ordinary workings
of the government. The system
which prevails in ireland ignores
completely the system of local self.
government, even ia regard to that
part of the population to whom
any semblance of political rights
Is accorded. TO lay IL gas-pipe in
q town, to build one-horse tram
way in any part Of the country
to do, In short, any of the many
things which concern alone the To-
cal community, permission must
be got from what is virtu-
ally a foreign legislature.
Over their Judges, down even to
the pettiest magistrates, over their
local police, over the teachers of
the public schools, over the man.
agsment of local prisons and
workhousss, the people of ireland
have no control whatever. All au-
thority not derived directly from
the imperial government is CEN
tralized in the hands of boards and
which have their
source aud center in Dublin Castle,
and to its smallest details the ad.
ministration is In the hands of q
bureaucracy who do not feel the
slightest responsibility to the peo-
pie with whom they have to deal.
The moment u man joins the 20.
lice force or constabnlary, or takes
any government position, even the
smallest, he ia at once cut off from
the people. He at once becomes q
mem Der of the garrison that holds
a conquered country. How he may
con tuct himself toward the people
makes no difference. Their re-
spsct, their good will can do him
no good, and may do him much
harm. For continuance in place,
and for promotion, he has to look
only to his official superiors. So
long as they consider him a good
and faithful servant, he may be as
insolent and az brutal as be pleases
to the people with whom he comes
in contact, and in many cases it
wou Id seem that the more insolent
and brutal he may be the better .
servant he Is considered by those
who alone have power to reward or
to punish him. A government Of
this kind is simply the worst gov
eminent possible. 1t is not mere
Iy bad; 1t is insulting and vexa-
tious to the last degree, and the
people who would not grow FESTIVE
under it would be destitute OF the
noblest attributes OF manhood.
Fancy one Of our States submitted
to it-fsncy New York or Massa.
chusetts or California governed
from Washington as Ireland is
governed from London, and imag-
Inc how we'll contented its people
would be. But to get an idea of tue
present condition Of Ireland 1t is
necessary to go further than
that. Imagine Government such
as I have described welded in the
interests Of a privileged class, In.
furiated with the fear of losing the
nowar of drawing imme nse In.