Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-05-19
THE DUBLIN TRAGEDY.

FRIDAY MORNING. MAY 10. 1882.
THE DUBLIN TRAGEDY.
The awful tragedy which has just occur
red in Ireland is, to 60 to its root, the off
spring Of the law OF primogeniture. It is
this British law that has entailed the land
of the country from father to son, made
enormous land holdings, prevented the peo-
pie from owning the land, and made posi-
BILE the absentee system and the grinding
of the tenants to dust. 1t has made pow
erty stricken people and thriftless and
wasteful landlords. In as far as the Land
league of ireland sought by rational means
to have the effects of this law modified by
legislation it deserved the support OF all.
But two classes Of people made trouble
One, hard headed and hard hearted land
lords who would hear no reason and be-
lieyed In the ssGovernment" SO blindly
that they thought it could enable them to
get money out of people who had no mon
ey; and the other class, ignorant and COM
munistic peasants, who thought the land
belonged to the people and the landlords
had no rights which the people were bound
to respect. Between these two extremes
Mr.. Gladstone has moved to find solu-
ton Of tho question. Against the former
he fought square fight with their repre-
sentatiyes in the House of Lords and on
two occasions signally defeated them
Against the latter he brought the coerci-
on act supported by the military. Slowly
3 but surely he has advanced, hampered and
thwarted by both extremes in the way
that came most natural to them. His
Land Commission, reducing the rents of
the tenantry more than a third, was resis-
ted BY the British aristocracy at every
turn, but has to a great degree been suc-
cessful. In the meantime, however,
strange as it may appear, some among the
lowest class Of the peasantry have aided
the aristocracy by resisting it also. claim
ing that no rent at all should be paid
The aid of this class has been rendered in
the shape of numbering landlords, MAIN
ing cattle and burning ricks, for though
the murder of Lord Cavendish and Mr..
Burke has attracted more attention it has
not been whit more brutal than many
committed by the same class Of despera-
does in the last few months on less promi-
nent victims.
That the Irish people are accountable
for this assassination is not whit more
true.than that the American people are
responsible for that of Mr.. Garfield. Some
months ago Mr.. Gladstone in sternly fore
ing his way through the complex ques-
ton which confronted him, thought it
necessary to imprison the most pro m
inent leaders of the Land League,
Parnel, Davitt and others. These
out of tho way the worst element
of that League was released from control,
that element to which violence has the
sacredness of law, and it must have been
by just such men and only such men that
the deed was committed, it indeed the as
sassins were members of the League at all.
The murderwas undertaken against all rea-
son and fitness of time if there ever could be
reason and fitness for such crime. Mr..
Gladstone had but two days before releas-
ed all the leaders Of the League from
prison. Had removed Forster the Secre-
tary for Ireland, who was Objectionable
to the people, and put in his place. Lord
Cavendish, who was but the instrument
to carry out his own kindly intentions
had given notice that the Coercion Act was
at an end had given Great Britain and
the world to understand that measures
which would eventuats in ''home rule'' or
the government of Ireland by men of its
own choice were to be adopted and had
aroused the indignation of the British
aristocracy against him by these measures
when assassination came with the sudden
nessof thunder clap. 1t is crime against
Ireland that no Irishman who had the
welfare Of his country at heart could have
struck or did strike. No wonder the lead
ers of the Land Leagues in Ireland and
America FASTENED to exclaIm with horror
against themurderous act Butthe disavow-
al of sympathy does not blot out the fact
that while the root of the matter lies in the
bad laws that Great Britain has governed
ireland by, the flower which is murder. has
been nurtured by the indiscreet speeches
and the tolerance of violence by the lead
6iS VI Glllc LCdkuCs uC tlCdtLCho VI
this last bloody demonstration of the CO.
pressiveness of her own laws. and from
which she herself also suffers in great
measure, will be test of not only wheth-
er England Is able to govern Ireland. but
whether she is able to govern herself. For
the bad laws in England are not satisfac-
tory to the English though their operation
is not as harsh as those in Ireland. The
first step taken by parliament since
the ASSASSINATION is probably the one most
naturally to be expected under the Cir
cumstances, that Of stern repression, but
it is to be hoped that the Government will |
maintain it's self control. and, instead of
carrying out the new law with rigor and
merely REFRESHING violence, will do better
ard remove the causes which lead to it.
Last week we noticed the fact that Gen.
Chalmers (Democrat), of Mississippi, was
ousted from his seat in the House of Rep
resentatives, and negro named LyncL
seated in his place. We had not then cal e
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