The Irish standard., 1886-06-19
THE HOME RULE SITUATION.

THE HOME RULE SITUATION.
The most important event in Irish af-
fairs this week is Mr.. Gladstone's mani
festo to his Midlothian constituents,
which will constitute the platform Of the
regular Liberals in the approaching par
liamentary campaign, and is published in
it's entirety in another column of THE
IRISH STANDARD. The premier properly
bases his appeal to the country upon the
assumption that the Home Rule policy
of the government is the only possible
alternative to a brutal policy Of coercion
as proposed by Lord Salisbury. That
he should do this will not be matter of
surprise to any one who has watched the
downfall of the coercion policy in Ire
land. Mr.. Gladstone truthfully asserts
that between the two extremes, by force
and local self-government, there is no
practicable middle course. The Pre-
mier Indignantly denies that his policy
of Home Rule would eventually lead to
the disintegration Of the British Empire,
but insists, on the contrary, that it will
have the effect Of strengthening the
union and preserving the integrity of
that empire. The manifesto is clever
production, dignifed and temperate in
tone, and as truthful and conscientious
q presentation Of the Government case
as could have been made.
Perhaps next to Mr.. Gladstone's mani
festo itself, the subject which is attracting
the most attention at present in ireland
Is the lawless behavior OF the Irish Or
angemen. Ii anything were required to
enforce on Home Rulers the necessity
of self-command and patience at this
crisis the argument is furnished by the
sight Of the fatal discredit suffered by
the so-called Loyalists, but in reality
rebels, through the Orange riots in Bel
fast Contrast the peaceable behavior
OF the Nationalists at Cork, limerick
and Dublin with the murderous conduct
of the blatant Ulster Orangemen, and
observe the lurid light that is thrown on
the hypocrisy Of the statements Of
Joseph Judas Iscariot Chamberlain and
Ballykillbeg johnson that in case Ire
land was granted Home Rule the ''poor
unfortunate Obstetrics" would suffer at
the hands of their Catholic fellow-coun-
trymen. III no one section in Ireland
where the Catholics are in the majority
do we hear Of any outrages being per-
petrated whatever, but on the other
hand the details OF the atrocity of the
crimes being committed by the Orange
men are narrowing in the extreme. No
doubt the Orangemen feel that if Ire
land got Home Rule, that it would place
tbs Catholics, whom they have always
treated as serfs, in an Independent posi-
ition, and they fear these Catholics might
remember their treatment and retaliate,
but such will not be the case. The
Irish people as rulers Of their own coun-
try will be generous, end will repay
their brutal Orange traducers by ex-
tending to them every consideration to
which they are entitled.
Another thing the riots in Belfast will
prove to the world is that boasted Brit
ish fair play is purely mythical. Let
the Irish Nationalist commit a
very small fraction of the outrages that
are daily being perpetrated by the al
legged Loyalists, and the leaders would
be thrust into prisons. 1t also shows
that supposing, in compliance with
demand, the northeast
corner of Ulster, which includes Belfast
and Londonderry, and which alone can
show a Protestant majority, were to be
from the rest OF Ulster and the
rest OF Ireland and endowed with an adj
and a Legislation Of it's own,
what the fate of the Catholic minority
would be at the hands of men who even
now defy the government Of Ireland
with British ministry behind it, and
who carry fire and murder through the
Catholic portion Of Belfast.
The state convention Of the Catholic
Total Abstinence societies to be held at
Rochester next week, beginning Thurs
lay and closing the day following,
promises to hp one of unusual interest. |