The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-20
rHE UNGOVERNABLE ELE-
MENT.
SALT LAKE CITY. Nov. 1er 1851

SALT LAKE CITY. Nov. 49, 1881
Editors Herald:
1t seems to me that there is a
large streak of the ungovernable ell
ment in the Irish people, many ct
them. Many Irishmen are among
the brightest and cleverest (Anglice).
men in the world. But a large por-
ton of that people are Just bright
and clever enough to keep them
selves and everybody else around
them perpetually in hot water. 1t
does not seem to matter what laws
they have, for, like certain other exs
tremists, they "fnd all law and
much order announcement. A bone
of contention is never lacking. The
tail of their coat is always being
trodden upon by somebody, and a
very pretty row is the consequence.
In fact the tail of the coat is always
being trailed in the mud for some
body or other to tread upon, prefer
ably the ever odious Saxon. There is
wall going up about so many soldiers
being sent to and kept in Ireland.
Well, if the people there don't like
the presence Of the soldiery, why
don't they behave themselves decent
ly without ?Why not be peacable and
orderly without compulsiOn? They
seem to have an irrepreSsible gen.
Jus for turbulence and laWlessness,
and that is the reason the soldieryis
sent there. They are, to a great ex4
tent, an ungoyernable people. Not
all, but many; far to many for
their own good or the good of any
body else. With such a people a
strong, determined, energetic gov
eminent is the only solid ground of
hope for peace and prosperity. AS
Gladstone remarked recently, ut
was necessary to take strong meas
ures in Ireland in defense of public
and private liberty" | think those
measures were deferred 100 long,
until the verge of absolute anarchy
was reached. For the government
to be boldly defed, the laws to be
trampled under foot, rent recelViuc
landlords and rent paying tenants
to be ostraciSed, brutally outraged
and even murdered outright, seems
to be alright with the anarchial
Irish. But when the insulted and
defied but long forEearing govern
ment asserts its authority and man
ifestS its determination to enforce
law and order at any cost, these
same anarchial Irish lift up their
blood-dyed hands to heaven in no.
ly horror and unbOunded fiery In
dignation. Sheer hypocrisy such
conduct appears to me TO be.
A hundred years ago, when IRE
land had parliament and was
practically independent for num-
Der of years, Lord Hutchinson said.
eff ever there was q country unfit
to govern itself, it is Ireland. a
corrupt ariStocracy, Il ferrOciOus
commonality, a distracted govern
ment, a divided people" Pitt tried
hard to do them good, and he offered
liberal measures but they were not
welcome. He eventually determin-
ed to put an end to "the farce of
Irish independence" He saw that
closer union with England was
political necessity, and it was effect
ed in the beginning of this centu-
~, bringing in its train. sooner or
later, free trade, revision of Oppres-
sive laws, lighter taxation, public
instruction and civil and religious
equality. He proposed equal civil
andFeligious rights, but was not able
to Garry that improvement.
From that time to the present
the bent Of British legislation for
Ireland has been steadily in the di-
rection of liberality. But notwith-
standing all this, the anarcnial Irish
seem to be no better satisfied now
than at any other time, no more in
clined to be peaceable and law-abid-
ing. Give them an inch and they
demand an ell. The recently passed
land act is SO decidedly in favor of
the tenant class as to be designated
with some reason by its opponents
as a confiScatory law. Tic Duke
Of Argyle calls it barbarouS legisla-
ton No other peasantry in the
world have such law in their ia
vor. Could such law be passed
through the Congress of the United
States? Not while money holds its
present potent influence on con-
gressional legislation. Yet even
this excessively liberal law is re-
ceived with an i'll grace, and the cry
Of mo rent is heard which Gladstone
very justly stigmatizes as sheer
raplne." How would American
landlords relish the idea of a court.
decidedly favorable to the tenants,
sitting and deciding the exact
amount of rent that should be paid,
reducing it fifty per cent. or more
below what the landlords were ask
ing and had been receiving? How
would they like the cry of mo rent"
at all? The owner of ReggeIs Row
would not be pleased to rent those
houses, and then be shot by the ten.
ants when he called around for his
rent. If there should be mo rent"
paid for farm land, which represents
capital, why should there be anv
rent paid for building land, which
represents capital, or for the build
lngS themselves which only repre-
sent capital? Furthermore. Whv
should any fare be paid for a rail
road ride. which represents capital ?
Or why should anything be paid for
coal or other merchandise which