Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-12-25
A HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR
TRELA ND.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR
IRELAND.
The march of ireland to the same free
dom as is enjoyed by State of the Amer
lean Union, is progressing with rapidity
and procession of startling situations
that partake of the character of romance.
To one who looks back, say only ten years
ago, it looks like leap rather than
march. Who would have believed at the
eve of 1876 that the year of 1885 would
find the most powerful political party in
Great Britain ENGRAVING On it's policy.
home rule for Ireland, an Irish parlia-
ment, and it's entire control of its local
affairs This coming new year will be
for Ireland as happy as it is novel. With
proportfonate representation in the BEf-
fish Parliament and cabinet, chosen by her
own people. and local Parliament at
Dublin chosen without the interference of
the general government. this long op
pressed country will enter on new
career. This achievement when accom-
plished will be due to three causes-the
tenacious persistence of the more conser-
vatiye class Of the Irish people in their
struggle for self-government; the wise
and courageous cOurse of their leader,
Parnell, and to that wonderful English
statesman. Gladstone. The course Of Mr..
Gladstone, as the leader of the English
people, has we'll entitled linn to the title
wonderful. He is the most remarkable
combination Of public man who has
moulded public sentiment and a public
man who has been moulded by it. that this
era has produced. In the matter of Ireland
this has been particularly noticeable. Four
years ago he was sternly enforcing the
Prevention of Crimes Act in Ireland, in
response to the sentiment of the English
people that however much Ireland might
be entitled to self-gOvernment it was
something not to be won by assassination
or outrage. His name was fercely cur
sed wherever it was mentioned in Ireland
A year later he was rigidly enforcing the
Tenant Act, by which commissions de
cided the rate to be paid by tenants in
ireland, and not the landed proprietors.
The landlords denounced his acts as libe
rally as the Irish nationalists had the year
before. When the Irish members of Par
lament attempted to gain their point by
obstruction, the iron-handed old man had
the famous cloture ruls adopted and shu,
their mouths. When the House of Lords
refused to pass his bill charging the fran
chise IN Ireland as we'll as England, he
threatened them with the Withholding of
supplies, and they receded, and thousands
Of new Irish voters were created by the
bill. Should Gladstone live, the monarch
ical system of Great Britain, with its
House of Lords and its privileged classes.
will pass out of existence with as little
shock and as gradually, as snow melted by
the sun. Should he die, we fear there are
none of his pupils now in public life who
are sufficient adopts in his methods to avoid
friction and tumult.
With local self-government, however,
there will come to ireland questions which
will require more wisdom than even the
attainment of that precious boon demanded
of her leaders. For instance, country
one-third of whose acreage is owned by
two hundred and ninety-two landholders,
cannot have healthful political economy
until that is remedied. A country where
every thirty-sixth inhabitant is registered
as pauper, cannot be autonomic without
raising its population to a higher level
than this. Internal dissensions, too, will
have to be overcome. Already we SEE
that what are called the ''loyalists' in Ire
land, are sending up the cry that her re-
Mobilization with power will necessitate
them to inaugurate civil war for thei
own protection. This is a feature thai
will soon pass away, as Americans CAB
readily understand who remember how
in the Southern States many residen'
''loyalists'' to the Union dreaded seeing
the commonwealth rehabiitated for fear
of evil resulting to themselves. The non
resident landholders, too, for poor Ireland
is largely owned by absentee owners, are
protesting against the new home rule be-
cause their vested rights originated under
English rule and it is to that rule they
will look for their preservation. But these
protests will not weigh much, for the
cry of gold can scarcely be heard by q
people struggling for self-government.
Besides, we must remember that the En-
glish people have been suffering measur-
ably from the same sort of oppression,
though lighter in degree, as the Irish, and
are as anxious for change of many of The
laws under which they live, as the Irish
can be. While the English are regarded
by Irish eyes in the light of oppressors, as
matter of fact the mass of the English PEG
pie has been hardly ruled by class, of the
spirit of which the once bold but now
timid House of Lords, is the represen-
tative.
The success of Home-rule for Ireland
has more than local Importance to the
world. In fact, it is outside of the sym
pathy which must always go out to an op
pressed people and which has always been
literally bestowed on the Irish. that It's
chief Importance lies. 1t is one of a s.ries
of measures originating IN Great Britain
that are destined to affect the world as
much as the outcome of the French revo-
luton did. The disestablishment of the
church in Ireland was the first, the extern
sion of the franchise all over Great Britain
already accomplished, was the second, and
now are to follow the abolition of the
House of Lords, the repeal of the law of
entail, and finally the change to a Repub-
lie. That all these will follow each other,
no one who watches the never lecedlng