National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-06-28

6lhuhtOne anu ChurCnlls
In his speech at Manchester on Saturday
Mr. Gladstone said, "There is to-day but
one discontcnted province in the whole
British empire, and that province is Ire
land. It is time for EnglIshmen to end this
disgrace.n
Probably there never was great public
question upon which the consensus OF en-
lighteued opinion throughout the world
has ever been so clearly expressed as the
fact that irish affairs, having been so thor
oughly mismanaged by England, should
now, as q matter Of expedency, as well as
Of justice, be entrusted to the Irish people
themselves. It is now too long and dismal
a story to he repeated, that Of the chain Of
circumstances which made Ireland the most
strongly and purely Catholic country on
earth, and at the same time submitted i'm
plicitly all the functions Of government to
the hands of small Protestant minority.
AS civilization is only long name for the
correction of the worlds blunders, and as
history is merely q record generally n
lying record-of the struggle, It can be
readily understood how Queen Elizabeth
rewarded members OF that reformed faith,
of which her illustrious parent was the "De-
fender,n by giving large grants in Ireland
which was then to English adventurers
what India is now to the Russian soldiers
to her sailors who had helped the Almighty
in sweeping away the Spanish Armada, and
to the poets and other humbugs who had
written miles Of sonnets to the "Queen Of
Beauty"
The first Napoleon, when he wished to
reward the loyalty of a brother, gave him
what he called "a little OF his small
change" which meant the crown Of some
European country. His brothers, who were
all buffers, of course, received the best
picllings on the Mediterranean sea, aud his
greatest generals, Notwithstanding the mar
shal's baton In the knapsack, when they
failed TO find Ney's soldier-like finale, re-
ceiyed their royal quarters near the frigld
zone. Bernadotte came In for the title
without the voltairlan honors-of Charles
MI,
We mention those stray and scrappy
facts merely as illustrating the acknowl.
edged methods Of disposlng of European
countries until very recent date. Ireland
being the remotest western corner of the
European continent, came In for all the dis
advantages without any Of the amellorating
chances Of her continental neighbors.
If any one wishes to understand the real
merits of the Irish question he will find them
clearly stated in that "History Of the
Eighteenth Century" published within q
few years by an Irish Protestant, who, In
the present political controversy, is among
the sternest opponents of Mr.. Gladstone.
Mr.. Lecky, the historian to whom we refer,
points out with admirable fairness and lu-
cidity the horrible and persistent wrongs
inflicted upon the native Irish by every
English government since the time Of
Queen Elizabeth. His account OF the
penal laws is enough to make even an
0rangeman blush, and Mr.. Lecky deals
with those laws In no measured terms; but
Mr.. Lecky is of Orangeman associations
along with being a great historian, and
when 1t comes to the practical relief Of his
countrymen who differ in religious belief,
the philosopher and historian are drowned
In his Irish Professionalism.
Mr.. Gladstone is as great Protestant as
Mr.. Lecky, but Mr. Gladstone is not an
Irish Protestant, and It is for this reason
| that we attach 80 much importance to the
last line Of the quoted paragraph, at is
time for EDglishmen to end this disgrace"
One might as well have expected south
ern planters TO have Joined the abolition
movement In this country as to expect that
the Protestant and feudal minority in Ire.
land, with their ridiculous preponderance
OF power, should join with Gladstone II
permitting those who are Celts and Catho
lies TO manage their own affairs.
Mr.. Gladstone, as we have said before
has risen to the height OF Jefferson,
franklin, and Lincoln, from which he car
behold, II he may not enter, the promised
land Of human liberty and equality.
Wise and humane men throughout thu
world are with Mr.. Gladstone and that
army which he is leading to a distinct, 4
not an easy, victory.
But we are forgetting Churchill, Let u
have one last look at the pertinaclou
monkey who is so busy in hurling pellets a
pyramid. "Mr. Gladstone's schemes,
he said on Saturday, 'placed the Irish gov
eminent in the hands of a Catholic Celti,
peasantry, under the control of American
adventurers and an unscrupulous, fanatica
priesthood"
We would simply ask, "Have not Cath
Ollie, Celtic peasantry," who are not In
fants, criminals, or lunatlcs, the same right
in this nineteenth century to such proper
tionate voice In the direction of their Owl
affairs as are now monopollzed so arrogant.
by the dog-faced "hereditary legislator
! known as Randolph Churchill? 1t is
pity to compare Churchill to dog-evel
toany sort Of decent cub. His place In nat
ural history was once clearly and defnitel,
pointed out by Mr.. Gladstone, and we hay,
done with him along with the story.
Churchill snarled continuously through
one long speech of Mr. Gladstone's mad
in the house Of commons about four year
ago. His remarks In reply to the presen
premier were merely continuation OF tn
snarl. When the great leader of the llbera
party came to sum up the debate he dis
posed Of Churchill in a few words: eth
noble lord" he said, "reminds me Of thos
insects to be found, am told, in Temot
country inns, with strange capacity 70
irritating, but not strength enough to sting,
and Churchill's subsequent efforts at states
manship have all helped to keep him wit
the insects.
S-
IT is said that three armed schooneIs hay
LEFT New York for Canadian waters. It ia tol
hoped that they may escape all perlls fro