The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-15
ATTITUDE OF THE BISHOPS.
Missouri Republican.

Until the full text of the address of the
Irish bishops to the Irish people is at hand,
thorough criticism of it is manifestly inn
possible. Its Importance as a powerful
element in the settlement of the dispute now
disturbing Ireland and monopolizing the
attention of England requires, however,
some notice of its principal features as in
dictated in the telegraphic abstract.
1t is quite needless to say that the bish-
ops have undertaken an exceedingly diff
cult task; to satisfy their spiritual f1ocks in
the matter of Irish rights and wrongs and
at the same time hold them within proper
bounds in the maintenance of the rights
and redress of the wrongs. They have &C
complished this task quite as successfully
as could reasonably have been anticipated,
and we cannot doubt that the effect of the
address will be on the whole, highly bene-
fetal to those whom it most deeply con-
Germs. But this result has not been at
tanned without more or less delicate and
dexterous balancing between unmistakable
and emphatic popular sentiment on the one
hand and the demands of religion and
morality on the other. This balancing, if
always sufficiently consistent, necessarily
involves certain fundamental questions
more easily asked than answered. For in
stance the recent horrible murders" are
condemned, but the belief is expressed that
they are ''due to evictions, which it is the
duty of the government to stop at any
cost" Conceeding the correctness of the
belief, how can the government prevent
the landlord from removing tenant who
cannot or will not pay his rent, unless by
paying the landlord from the public purse
or confiscating his land and giving it to
the tenant? The present government is |
not prepared to do either, nor is it likely
that any English government will stop
evictions in this way. Are we to under |
stand, then, that the horrible murders,
must continue? Such would seem to be |
the only alternative. ''It is the indisputa- /
BILE right" says the address, 'fof the Irish |
people to live on their own soil" But in |
the vast majority of cases, as we all know, |
the ownership of the soil is not vested IN
and tenant exists IN Ireland as in every |
other civilized country; but in Ireland, as
nowhere else, it the sourse of fnterminable |
trouble. What is to be done with it?
Either it must practically as it is, tinkered |
now and then by reform which leaves the
root of the difficulty untouched, or the
soil must be bought or confiscated for the
benefit of the occupant. The latter
proposition is not likely to be
adopted, whatever the results |
of refusal may be- The address conveys
the assurance that 1.-The national movement
has the approval of the priests and bishops,
and even the pope" Which national |
is meant? There are two or
three of them, at least: the movement /
represented by the Land League, which de-
upon the present system; the movement
represented by the loud and rapidly extend
ing cry, Down with landlordism and out
with the landlords; the movement
which has for its avowed object Irish |
independence and nationality. We may
remark that, in the opinion of those who
have the best means of knowing, the last
mentioned movement lies at the bottom of
the other two, and that the most vital and |
active movement in Ireland to-day is the
one which, under various names has for
its real end and aim the cutting loose from
England. Are we to understand that this
''has the approval of priests and bishops
and even the popeY' The condemnation
of secret societies is what might have been
expected, but we are unable to see how
such struggle as that in which Ireland is
engaged can be carried on without secret
societies. Experience has shown that the
moment an Irish political organization
threatens to become stronger than is con-
sistent with the maintenance of English
interests the English government declares
it illegal and forbids its operation. The
members of such organizations must then
choose between disarmament and secrecy,
and nine times out of ten a secret society
takes the place of the open one. This may
be wrong from the bishops dpoint,
but it is naturalist natural as to be in
evitable. Ireland is no exception to the
rule. There are and always have been Sc
cret societies among all oppressed peoples.
The strong may combine, the weak must
Whether the abolition of secret
societies in Ireland would be a blessing or
the reverse we shall not attempt to deter
mine but fothidg is more certain than
that, good or bad, they will continue to
exist in one shape or another until Irish
Is achieved or the English
yoke riveted forever on Irish necks.
Meanwhile we hope and believe the ad
dress viii have healthy influence in those
quarters where it Is most needed and will
be most respected. Yet unless all signs
they never were so numerous or
so startling affairs in Ireland are rapidly
nearing, if they have not already reached,
4 pitch where the utmost stretch of eccle
siastical authority is of no avail to still the
storm of popular passion.