The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-06-17
NO 12
an honester Interpretation than the one
which Scotland in its generosity puts upon
this language. This cry is largely

an honester Interpretation than the one
which Scotland in its generosity puts upon
this language. This cry is largely
LANDLORD CRY.
1t is the integrity of landlordism and
rack-rents that these men stand by. The
landlords of these three country dread the
| principles of the Irish land agitation.
The landlords best policy is to perpetuate
race hatreds and religious animosities
among the people of these islands, as this
is the only means by which they can hope
to maintain their system of landlordism
by and through which they can tax the
labor and enterprise of the tenant-farmers
and monopolize so much of the wealth
which agricultural industry and the labor
ing community produce. Hence their
terrible anxiety about Ulster and their
fears as to the fate of Professionalism in
Ireland if Home Rule is granted. Now,
what is the actual position of Ulster in
this Home-Rule controversy? Citizens of
Aberdeen, more than one-half of the pop
ulation of Ulster are Nationalsts. More
than one-half of the members of Parlia-
ment returned from Ulster have been re-
turned to demand Home Rule. And yet,
in the face of these palpable facts, you
have landlords and loyal and patriotic
orators coming to Aberdeen and telling
you Ulster is to unite in opposition to Mr..
Parnell, his following and Home Rule.
And then there is
TILE CRY OF ''PRoTEsTANTS IN DANGER
They might as well talk about the At
lanJic being in danger. We are not living
in an age of religious persecution. deny
as an Irish Catholic that the people of Ire
land hate their Protestant fellow country
men. l deny that any charge can be
brought against them of proneness to
persecution. Is there any people in
Europe who have suffered more in conse-
quence of their fight for religious liberty
than the Catholics of Ireland ? And is it
to be supposed for one moment that they,
with their record of centuries of struggle
for religious rights, would be so recreant
to the record and their own principles as
to turn round and prosecute their Pro-
testant fellow countrymen? Why, do you
know that all the leaders of almost every
revolutionary measure in Ireland during
the last 200 years have been Irish Protest
ants. Grattan, Flood, Hussy, Burgh, and
Charlemont, and all the leading lights of
the Parliament of 1928 were Professionals.
Wolf Tone WaS.a protestant, Emmett was
a Protestant. Mitchell and Davis in 1S4S
were Professionals. Isaac Butt, the founder
of the HomeRule movement, was Pro-
testant. Our present leader, Mr.. Parnell, is
a Protestant. And yet we are told that the
majority of the people of Ireland are only
waiting their opportunity in order to COM
mence the persecution of their Protestant
fellow -countrymen Well, in conclusion,
desire to say
A FEW WORDS UPON THE LAND BILL
which was introduced by Mr.. Gladstone
the other week. l am not at all in love
with that measure. I believe, / may be
wrong, but have the conviction that the
bill was introduced more in the interest of
the landlords of Ireland than of the Irish
people and | confess / was extremely de-
lighted to see the opposition with which it
was received from the Tory benches. 1t
was another characteristic evidence of
stupidity and | sincerely hope that the
opposition given to this effort Of Mr..
Gladstone's by the very class which it is
meant to help and to save will induce the
Government to withdraw the measure in
order to allow public opinion in these
three countries to decide the single issue
on the Home Rule question. believe
that the people that electors of Great
Britain will lie called upon to decide
at the polls whether Ireland is to be ruled
in future according to her own desires ina
constitution like this of Mr.. GladStOne'S,
or whether you are to fall back upon the
exploded measure of coercion and force.
| would ask you when this supreme mo-
ment arrives, not to allow prejudice to
ilhuence your votes. Ireland has never
done anything wrong to you. In asking
for a measure of self government which
would enable US to manage our own affairs,
we are asking for nothing that can in any
way bring injury or disaster to your doors.
We ask you, therefore, to hold up the
handso Of that courageous statesman who,
at the end Of a great career, runs the risk
of defeat and disaster in order to do JUS
tice to poor and prosecuted country.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Davitt S speech
a resolution of thanks to him and of ap.
prevail of Home Rule for Ireland was en-
Enthusiastically carried.