The Irish standard., 1886-07-24
THAT'S WHAT They ALL SAY.
IA Sceptre Haunts Erin's Isle Ever Since
the Briton Game, The Ghost Of
Murdered Liberty
A COMPLIMENT FOR GLADSTONE.

The spoliations Were Made Upon the
Slightest Pretexts, but Generally for
Rebellions Against Tyranny.
A Protestant lady, not of Irish origin,
has prepared the following statement
of opinion ON the Irish question. Our
readers will see in it every evidence of
a cultured, Christian and }iDerty-loving
spirit:
A sceptra haunts Erin's Isle ever
since the British came, the ghost of
murdered liberty. BY a wretched trait
or once invited over to take traitor 9
side tile iron hoof has never been lifted
FROM the soil.
No more to chiefs and Ladies bright
The harp OF Tara swells
The chord alone that breaks at night
It's tale OF ruin tells.
Thus freedom now so seldom wakes
The only throb she gives
Is when some heart indignant breaks
Yo show that still he lives.
Never was thele a fairer land than
Erln's with it's matchless hills, wales
and rock-hound coast. With a soil SO
rich that centuries OF rapine leave it
teeming still with unimaglnable miner
al wealth that Jealousy would not per-
init to be brought forth, with harbors
and fisheries, tbs best the world has
known, with apeople strong and hardy,
ambitious and Ingenious and always
ready to embark in any enterprise of
noble daring wherever they have gone,
Ireland is truly blessed Of God.
When Europe lay i'll midnight ignor-
ance, and England "as waste from
Roman decay OK Danish plumber, Irish
schools Aourished ANA sent forth phil
osophers TO C'arlenagne's court, %
Boniface to the forests Of Germany and
hosts Of missionaries and teachers to
scatter learning among barbarian
hordes.
But these are the things OF the past.
Why is the Irish heart, brain and mus
Gle so cold, SC dull, 50 faint at home, so
bounding, so aspiring and SO triumph
ant abroad?
England's rule. This is the whole
cause.
The rain is there, the sunshine is
there, hardy, brave ,nen are there, but
the bowling wolf of starvation is there,
zoo. What is the eyilY England'5 s. ty~
ranny-,o thing else. Jrjshnlen live ia
novels while Anglo~Irish landlords live
il. palaces, or, worse, luxuriate in other
lands. while Irish serfs at home till The
land to supply lord}y extravaganza
The soil by forfeitures has been
wrenched from original owners: III
the days Of Elizabeth the whole Of Uls
ter was confiscated at one full SWEEP,
Then under Cromwell and William the
remainder went.
There are 1890, 900 arabic acres Of
land in this island In two centuries
II .2OO, ,O0O acres We're taken from q help
less people.
The spo]iations were made upon the
slightest pretext, but generally for re-
bellions against tyranny.
For generations no Catholics could
hold OF Inherit land. It was considered
a great boon when in 1869 they were al
lowed to buy and sell. This was for
eig,l law. Although seyer-eights OF the
inhabitants OF Ireland were Catholics,
they were obliged to sustain an alien
churcl! with ona-tenth OF their pro-
ducts. The tithes were collected most
vigorously, unjust]y, and often fraudu-
lent]y.
Though d mere handful Of eom!nuni-
cants, yet there was twenty-five bish-
ops and a1chbishops in Ireland to only
twenty six in England. Many of these
bishops: having nothing to do, were at
elegant leisure travelling On the conti-
nent and scarcely ever saw their
charges, yet they were supported by
bread taken from starving naked and
houseless people. There were no
schools--no Catholic was allowed TO
teach. For time no Catholic services
could be held and the peaceful chimes
of the Vesper bells could not be heard
over lakes and hills. All Catholic wor-
ship was done in secret. for there was
a watch set even over prayer.
Ireland had large woollen industries.
Her rich wales 81 we'll Watered and her
green hills were the best grazing in the
world for cattle and sheep. But Eng
lands woollen interests would suffer
by competition. At the request of
in England a heavy export
duty was put upon wool and even o
large duty upon woollen fabrics. What
wool was sent from the country could
only go to England; on the other hand
England opened her ports to the liner
of all nations to compete with that of
Irish manufacture.
Even the privilege Of coming copper
was let out to one Wood, 8 fayorite of
the cenrt. lie was to furnish Ireland
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