New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-04
IRISH GRIEVANCES.
LITTER FROM JAMES REpPATH.

"A, Editor OF The TFto"he.
-. yopr London correspondent, I'D MS ie''er OF
- "a has laid himself open. as LIE mas uohe
"a often TO replies that wou'u gar" '"s
cert from what he calls appears !" AA"'i,,'a
-nitx or American patriotism IL ne LINUS ''"'
.'hr.se better y: but as l have never even 49,
. .s,,ioe my whole life made such an "'P0'' ~
sceline to do so now-bene'ins '"A' ~ FL -,
o'o'''e Of any rhetorical trickery, and beiiev-
h"S - ns + most profoundly do believe, that tie
lns 80 tho Irish people is as noble and as holy
o""'N = ,, no,ular moral or religious movement
ea" - modern history has made record. AS
VI ...o,al controversies never mHuence IN
mei'S IN I'm and as neither MIR. Smalley nor nv
-, any other than public or hul'ani'aiia"
So =; the Irish agitation snail thrust usiu'
-sona topics excepting as they tenn 10 mus,
III p'''O Is..al action or the formation OF pohtcai
trate political ao''-
opinion ..v asserts that when quoted his state
W.. . Mr. Forster was the real ruler OF iie-
,rI made a usc of il that the context uiu no'
.-a,ront I did not think so then, anu 10 NV
,,,nt 90 now; but as the writer OF sentence no
!. honest. should be the final and acknowledgements
;uJge of his own meaning accept, OF courso' 'i'
Snsanev,s INTERPRETATION of it. But | do not see
a. tSa cose for England is altered by this eX-
r1anaton. because that phrase, as interpreted IT,
fs.a roro,rv an accurate EXPRESSION of the TACT
W
Az smallev explains that Mr. Forster was really
orl,, the aren't of Parliament. OF course; ram"
-. mazda him the real ruler" was ho'
oooi,irg credentials but commenting on lacts'
orI the facts we're that, by the authority ol Ihe
mower granted TO him by the English farianeh''
Mr.. Forster, an Englishman at has own pieasuie
superseded all law and all courts IN Ireland anu
abolished all legal guarantees for the protection Oh
the liberty of the subject whenever and wherever
he pleased and that by a most unscrupulous
abuse of that power, lie imprisoned Tor many iohg
n,opths-without trial or appeal and without CAV
inc any reason for his arbitrary acts-hundreds OF
The most honored and the worthiest representative
men and women OF lreand-R0t the village
rufians 70 thwart whose conspraeies TIE extraor-
binary powers were alleged to have been vested
in him but the best educated, the thrittlest, the
most peaceable and the most respected citizens oil
almost every town in Ireland
Mr.. smalley says that Il" arbitrary power exists
only in the Imagination of Mr.. Redpath and those
for whom he speaks This is really resplendent
sudacty OF assertion. Its style is quite familiar to
the readers of the Irish news in the London press.
No Enqishman denies and no one can deny that Mr..
Forster imprisoned without ral.-without giving
any one of them a chance TO know why he was
arrested or of confronting his accuser,-wlthout
legal recourseas arbitrarily by Ietres de cdchet
under the old regime in France-more than 1000
gentlemen in Ireland during his "rule" IN that
country Many women were also thus incarce-
rated and some of them are still in jail. although
most of them believe, we're granted the formality
of public accusation before some one of the benches
of the Irish magistrates-the most corrupt and parti
san judiciary in Europe. If Mr. Smalley had visited
as often as have visited, the suspects in kmain-
ham and Dundalk jails, he would not have
hat fhara 40 y arli
trary rule in Ireland, and plenty of it everywhere.
At time when the British Parliament is engaged in
discussing bill that destroys every vestge of con
stitutional liberty IN Ireland it hardly necessary
TO refute Mr. Smalleys extraordinary assertion that
arbitrary rule there is a creation of anyones imag-
nation To repeat his own rather brusque question
Does he expect any of your readers to believe
taat~
The real ruler of Ireand," continues Mr.. Smalley,
is the Parliament of Great Britain and lreiand-a
Parliament in which ireland is represented out OF
proportion 10 its population, and in which Irish
business takes precedence over both English aud
Scottish"
Now, what educated Irish Americans complain
of and think justly complain of. IN Mr.. Smalleys
letters is both his partisan presentation and suppress
sion of vital facts. whenever they tell in favor of
the Irish people and their leaders Take this SEN
tence as an example Inc lnltrtuCt VI Cul5 StdtO-
ment that Ireland is represented out of proportion
TO her population is that justice done to her by
the British Constitution The statistical statement
Is true but what is the Parliamentary fact AS long
ago as December 1880, showed in letter to HE
TRIBUNE that there was " no repxsentGt'o" OF ire
land in the British Parliament. although Scotland
with somewhat lesser relative representation, raS
fairly represented in it," To obtain this seeming
contradiction wrote
Although You denOunce The corrupt means by
which the legislative independence of Ireland
pverthrOwn, yet you do not Indicate the real grew
ance that has kept alive the most bitter hatred IN
the Irish heart against that infamous measure. |
This grievance is that Ireland has been totally de-
priced Of The right Of selcgorerameHt There are l03
Irish members Of Parliament. But the same condl- /
tons under which the right OF franchise can be |
exercised in England and Scotland do not prevail |
i'm Ireland. Yet this is a miner grievance. The |
wrong IS that, while the English people
have Home Rule-for, of course, tue English mem
the Scottish people have Home Rule-hecause. by /
the custom and courtesy OF Parliament all Scottish |
bills originate With scottish members and are not /
opposed by English MISUNDERSTANDING Is, ana has /
ever been, treated as having no rights III Parlle-
ment, but must hold out its hat like beggar and
be grateful for any act OF justice as an aims lt Is
IL perpetual minority IN body that believes IL
Is incapable of SelfIule and that opposes all Its
measures Why is Ireland ungOvenaDle Be-
cause Lugllshmen as Engllshnen, persist In vine 1he
assertion OF their authority TO rule her. why
should not Ireland be ungovernablef wouldn't
arc be You hit the bulfs-eye-in fact, the mote in
the John Bulls eve that makes him incapable OF
seeing how to conclliate Ireland when you said of
John Bright. that, progressive Liberal as he Is,
he IS first and always an Engllshman." That's the
rub. If II should enter into the arrogant
minds of the ruling class Of Engshmen that 1t is
none of their business to rule lrishmen that the
irlsh really have the right 10 rule themse ves-they
would do more to destroy the influence of the
|" agltatOrs" whom they so cordially detest than q
million of soldiers.
Justin Mccarthy elaborated this argument in his
last letter to The TRIBUNE. He proves by other
acts that Ireland ini tead of being represented out
Of proportion" is not represented at all in the
British Parliament. So / may let that point
pass wIthou; further note.
But the seco2d clause of the sentence quoted con-