The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-23
THE OLD IRISH PARLIAMENT.

THE OLD IRISH PARLIAMENT
Mr.. Alexander SuIIIvan's RejOtndeI
20 the Rhode Island
eEisIaiure.
CHICAGO, ILL, April lS.-The atten.
tionAOf Mr.. Alexander Sullivan was
called to a clause in the dispatch
about the action of the Rhode Island
Legislature in regard to the home
rule resolution, which told how it met
with strong opposi ion on the grounds
of international interference, a d that
Ireland by voting money and men for
crushing the colonial army in l776
was not entitled to sympathy on
the score of reciprocity. Mr..
Sullivan said: GAS to Ireland voting
men and money to crush the colo
NAL army, by reading the history of
Ireland and the American colonies it
will be found that Ireland was abso-
lutely without the power to vote on
the question in 1916. She never voted
a man ora dollar TO crush the colonies.
1t is true that body cal ed a Parlia-
ment was in Dublin previous to the
Revolution and during it, but it did
not represent Ireland. 1t was COM
posed exclusively of men belonging to
sect constituting only one ninth of
the Irish people. BY law none others
were eligible to sit in it Three
fourths of the people could not vote
at all, even for members of it. Its
members were chiefly representatives
of the landlord power and Office
holders sent over { ON England and
Scotland.
at was essentially a Parliament
without representative character or
legislative powers 1t could meet only
when summoned blythe English King.
1t could originate no legislation, and
could take action upon those measures
only in accordance with the Kings
orders. What untruth is it not, here
fore. to describe as the act of the peo-
pie of Ireland any measure passed by
that body. 1t was only from 1882 to
1907, in the Parliament known as
Grattan's, that original bills could
be considered. But the occasion upon
which the Minister representing
the King brought up the bill for
transferring four thousand of the
Kin4's troops from Ireland to the
colonies is one which Irishmen who
love the r public are grati6ed to have
recalled. 1t is needless TO say that the
Irish people had no troops at that
time to send anywhere. The troops
were part of the Engli h garrison in
Ireland. When, however, it was pro-
posed to send them to America, a
great scene occurred in the Irish Par
lament At at time the national
spi it of the Irish people had begun
firmly to assert itself. Grattan was
spokesman in the Irish House of Com
mons. When Flood urged that
consent--a mere farcical proceed
ure be given ITO the proposal to
transferche troops, Grattan, ! y reply,
opposed the bill. Flood had be n on
the Nationalist side and had aban-
doned his prnci les for the salary of
place in the Ministry. He had
spoken of the troops going o Americs
as armed negotiators. Grattan, in a
whitening invective, said that Food
stood, with a metaphor on his lips
and bride in his pocket, a champion
against the rights of Amer ca the
only hope of Ireland and the only
refuge of the liberties of mankind
No student of history needs to be told
that Grattan at that time and until his
death expressed the sentiments of
Ireland toward the American colonies
The objection is not sustai ed by the
history of the colonies and of the
War of the Revolution. Instead
OF sending troops and money to crush
the colonies Ireland furnished half
the Cont entail army. Tuis is shown
in the testimony before a committee
of the British House of Commons
The witness who swore to it was Gen.
Robertson, for twenty-eight years a
British officer in America OF course
it would be useless to remind we'll
read Amer cans that it was an Irish
man Barry who was the father of
the navy with which the colonies
fought England on the sea, and it
would be waste of time to enumer.
ate the Irish generals who served in
that war with glory and success. The
only traitors were English
We are pleased also to have the
question of information interference
brought up. Every student of our
American history Knows that among
the first acts of the Continental Con-
gress was an address to the people of |
Ireland, then as now subject to the |
British crown. That address reads, |
we are peculiarly DESTROYS of furnish
ing you with the true state of our mo-
tives and objects, and goes on 10 say,
Your Parliament has done us no |
wrong and later, we acknowle ge
with pleasure and gratitude that your
nation 'has produced patriots who
have nobly distinguished themselves
in the cause of humanity and Anne
RIGA
Franklin went to Dublin on an Of
fetal errand OF Internal onal interior
ence He assured the Irish National
lists that if they would stand by the
the colonies, when they
should have obtained their independ-
ence, would help Ireland to resist the
which the English Crown
inflicted on her. The part hat Irish
men had in the War of the Revolution
was not confined TO service in the
army nd navy. At the hour when it
was feared the army would have to be
for want of money to feed
it the Bank of Pennsylvania was or
ganized to raise money for that pur-
pose. Ninety-three firms and indi-
viduals subscribed 100000. Otis
sum twenty ven members of the
Friendly Sons of st Patrick, of Phila-
1elphia, subscri ed el03, 500"
In conclusion, Mr.. Sullivan said:
1T is a singular sort of Americanisn
which reads to the discredit of Ire
and an incident of more than a hun
lred years ago, for which her people
we're totally blameless, and forgets the
'ervice these people have rendered 10
he republic ever since. But it is a
'till more amazing kind of American
Sun which, while incorporating the
people OF Ireland, forgets the injuries
England has continued to inflict unon