National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-06
THE IRISH QUESTION.
Some Reasons for the Protestants OBJ
jectiDg 20 Homo Rule.

jeotIng 60 Home Rule.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: A word
with you in reference TO the "Irish ques-
ton" In an editorial in Saturdays issue
you not only take great credit to yourself
for sagacity in voicing the sentiments Of the
great bulk Of your readers on the subject OF
Irish nationality, but you convey the i'm
preston that the whole Of Ireland, Protest
ant as well as Roman Catholic, are earnestly
yearning either for "home rule" or entire
separation from England. You further
more assert, ex cathedra, that there is
"Dothipg sectarian in the movement what
ever" that "it is led by q man who says, Il
was born Protestant, and hope to die a
Protestant but his religious faith has
nothing to do with his political mission"
&c.
Now, sir, so far as the "sectarianismn OF
the movement is concerned, venture, with
great respect, TO differ from you In toto.
You are egregiously mistaken, and are
either ignorantly or willfully misleading
your readers. The facts are within the
reach Of any one who will take the trouble
to inquire into them. With the exception
Of Parnell, who Gays he is Protestant,
but whose affiliations belle the assertion, for
the company he keeps tells "who" and
what he Is, have not heard of another
even so-called Protestant prominent In the
Irish agitation. Every other member of the
home rule party In the house Of commons
is Roman Catholic, while every member
OF the Gland League" in Ireland and the
National Irish League in America is a
Roman Catholic. Every one Of those over
whelmiDg "league meetings" that take
place almost every Sunday In Ireland are
composed Of Roman Catholics and generally
presided over by a Roman Catholic priest
or bishop. On the other hand, can you
nj m Rnpnan
either at home or abroad, who is opposed
to the leaguep
The late Bishop Simpson OF the Methodist
Episcopal church made an extensive tour
In Ireland during the heat Of the Gland
League" excitement. On his return he
made speech, in which he said that he had
never seen SO distincta religious line drawn
in any issue that he had not, in all his
travels in Ireland, found single Protestant
on the side Of the "league,n nor single
Romanist who was opposed to 1t. The
bishop did, however, make one exception
a Methodist-who, through the persuasive
influence of the system known as ''boy-
cotting," had Joined the league. This he
had done as an alternative to starving.
You might also have known that there
are some eighteen or twenty members Of
parliament, representing constituencies in
the north Of Ireland, who are as''resolutely"
opposed to 'home rule" as Parnell and his
followers are in favor Of II. This fact In
itself would do away with your "unanimity"
theory, but would like to have you ex-
plain In your paper, in harmony with the
statement above quoted, the following
paragraph copied from the "Foreign News"
column of the REPUBLICAN, of last Wednes-
day, the 17th:
congregations In Ireland, numbering 32S, 100
members, have adopted resolutions de-
nouncing the project Of establishing home
rule in the country" Did you read that
paragraph and II so, how did you recon-
cile II with your article Of three days later,
quoted above? / would like to read your
answer to this question. But not only have
the congregations, but the Presbyteries all
over the country--Dublin, Belfast, London
derry, &c.-resolved, "That the present de-
mands of the nationalists will meet with the
most Incorporating opposition Of the
Presbyterians Of Ireland TO man." There
are about million Of Presbyterlans in Ire
land, and such is their unanimity. But they
are not the only professors against "home
rule" The half million of Methodsts and
Protestant Episcopalians are quite as 'stiff-
necked" and incorporating as the
Presbyterians, and have held monster
meetings not only In the Protestant
north, but wherever they "durst" in
other parts Of the island, protesting In the
strongest terms against "home rule" This
YOU may interpret as ''unanimity;, but II
Is not the kind OF unanimity that will tell
on the British parliament in favor OF "home
rule" Orperhaps you may not consider the
small Protestant minority as worthy OF
notice In the estimate; still they constitute
third Of the population, and possess three
fourths Of the wealth and intelligence OF
the country. Or perhaps you may say that
the authorities quoted are all Protestant,
and that such ecclesiastics as the late Bishop
Simpson, or the moderators Of Presbyteries
are too much warped and prejudiced to
give an impartial testimony on so great and
Important question. / will, therefore,
refer you 10 an authority to whom you will,
perhaps, more readily bow, II you will turn
to your contemporaries EyefiR1 IStdr-
OF the 25th ultimo you will find an official
dispatch from Rome, through the pope's
organ, the MOniteur dc Roma, from which
you may learn that ''his holiness" not only
fiavors home rule for Ireland, but regards
the Protestant element OF its population as
the greatest obstacle to the accomplishment
Of his wishes, and hence, that he piously
''lopgs for the time to come when the
world shall see Professionalism entirely EX-
TRPATED" that's the word--ertirpated
from ireland. There's an ''infallible" au-
thority for you. Do you still think there
is .no sectarianism" in the movements
Not only, then, are the people OF Ireland
irreconcilably divided on the subject OF
home rule, but this dispatch from "his
holiness" furnishes the reason for such
division.
The principle which 1t embodies'makes the
Protestants OF Ireland "shy" of "home
rule" They remember 10i1, when over
100, 900 Of their ancestors were "extirpated"
in icold blood" and they have heard Of the
various "extirpations" on smaller scale
that have been going on ever since that
date in the interest Of "home rule,n and
you can hardly blame them for not wishing
to taste again Of the bitter cup that has been
so often put to their lips. "a burnt child
breads the flre.n They know that II the
protection of England were withdrawn
from them, the DISCRIMINATING" policy
would be renewed with fresh zeal.
This is the real reason why Methodlsts,
Episcopalians, and Presbyterians are all
alike "resolutelyn opposed TO "home rule"
They know that "home rule' means Rome
rule, and that Rome rule means the estab-
lishnent OF papal supremacy and the ex-
tirpation of Professionalism from Ireland.
Perhaps when the Professionals of America
come to find this out they will not be so
liberal with their money toward the estab-
lishment Of "home rule" in Ireland. Re-
spectfully, &C., JAMES REAY.
WAsHISoToN, Feb. 90, 1886.