Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-03-23

depart ure from the principle we sup
ported in Italy, in Greece, in Bulgaria,
| in Servia, in Canada, that people shall
govern themselves. 1t is not too late
vet to return to the right course. None
are so blind as those who will not see.
The picture l have drawn in dark, OUT
true. The relations of Ireland to Eng
land are not merely a disgrace, they
constitute q national danger. Where,
tomorrow, i'm case ola European war,
could we find an army? Is it IN Ire
land? do not doubt but We should
pull through. The anxious spirit OF our
race would sustain us, but Thrice Is ne
armed that hath his quarrel just" win
Ireland contented and loyal as Scotland,
we should be not only safe
but free from shame. AS
a remedy there are four alternatives
before us. The first is to let Ireland go
altogether. The second is to continue
the present system of represslon-tne
former would be humiliating, the latter
is intolerable. / am not prepared Tor
either. The third is that we should re-
verse the policy of the past, govern
Ireland by Irishmen, according to irish
ideas. legally accuse and constitutlonaliy
try the suspects or release them. l do
not say that this policy will conclllate
Mr.. Parnell or Mr.. Dillon. ltyou hau
infiicated upon me the indignity oil
Kilmainham should be heard to con-
ciliate. Had you treated me as they
dealt with the One-armed, liberty-loving,
outrage-hating patriotic peasant III
Portland, my blood would, perchaace,
have turned to gall.
Every Act ofJustice
makes some cOntended. Can the
Parliament of England as at present
constituted rise to this duty? doubt 1t.
The Irish have demanded peasant
proprietorship. English landlords have
voted it down. They demand NUM-
cipal franchise equal to ours. the
English members threw the bill out:
They demanded a reform of the grand
Jury laws, equal treatment for irish
fisheries, the purchase of Irish railways
by the State, their own system OF educa-
ton, the election of guardians by ballot,
an alteration in the law of settlement,
a borough fanchise the same as ours,
registration law like to ours and the
control of the police by the lOcalauthori-
ties. All were rejected, and most OF
these are purely Irish matters. The
point is not whether we approve OF
them, but whether the Irish do. Until
our Parliament is prepared to leglslate
for Ireland according to Irish ideas,
fully ascertained, there will be no con-
tentment: and there remains the fourth
alternative-Home Rule. The phase
acts on many men as DR.. Johnson's
famous phase did on the London fish
wife. She did not understand it, and
got angry. But we underst and through
" what Home Rule means. Its terms
have been set out authOritatively by
the Irish Home Rule Association, and
inforced by various moderate members
of Parliament. am not afraid of any
such arrangement. 1t works well in
Switzerland, Germany, in Norway and
Sweden, in Canada, in the United
States, in our Australian colonies. |
prefer one Parliament at Westminster
MY voice will begiven there for more
generous trust of the Irish people. We
have phrase-the government by the.
people of the people. | am i'll favor OF
the government of Ireland by the Irish,
if Parliament can manage this well. If
not, am prepared to consider any plan
which will put an end to the present
shameful and menacing state of affairs
and secure real and not asham United
Kingdom,