The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-03-10
GLADSTONE AND IRELAND.
A Lecture Delivered by Hon. James
0'Brien at Spring Valley,
Minnesota.
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ON
The Wrongs Suffered by ireland al
the Hands Of the Eng
lish.

llSn.
The following is synopsis of a lee
ture delivered by the Hon. Jane,
O'Brien at Spring Valley, on the even
ing of February Is.
1t is IA ausplcious proof Of the ]iber
aEty OF the age that an American COIN.
munity should desire correct informa.
tion from person of Irish birth or :
question that can only beimportantirop
the standpoint OF q CONNER, humanity
Until recently, Ireland s history, the
character OF her inhabitants, the sources
OF her discoutents and misery, ths
causes OF her chronic poverty aud peri
odical famines, w5ll narrated sx.
clusive}y by and learned fcom her
enemies. The people Of this country
heard Of her Yebel]ions, Of her peasantly
dying of starvation, Of the killing Of hez
landlords. OF agrarian outragts, Of the
arrest and punishment OF her leaders,
and they read, were told ald perhaps
believed that such grievances Were ths
natural outgrowth OF Lile hereditary
vices and cherished customs Of the
irish people.
But England has no longer mon
opoly Of the channels Of public iufor-
nation; der language has become the
yernacu lar Of the diverse races included
IN her past and present dependencies;
her history, her laws, her policy, her
treatment OF Ireland are now depicted
by hands that she cannot control by
men who owe her no allegiance save th g
homage due to trut.l.
In the popular mind. this is but g.
vague conception OF The real cause Of
lreland's compialats; Of the object Of
the agitation now in progress; of Che
disorders which Gladstone, ,arnell and
their associates are esdeavoIing to re-
move, and OF the remedies which they
seek to apply; aud 10 enable us fairly
to understand these questions, it is
necessary TO have some idea of Che rela-
tions which have hitherto existed be
tween the TWO cnuntrlos--the conQueror
and tlae conquered-from the Anglo.
Norman invasion TO The present time.
During the greater part Of this period
the two countries professed the same
religion and Ilelaud was subjected to
the following, among other, grievances:
/. The invaders took from The ma
tives all Jhe lands Of the kingdom, by
the so-calIed rights Of conquest, and
best,wed them en a few families Of
Norman harons.
2. When the invaders gave the Irish
a parliament during the reign OF Ed.
ward Ii. u . nore Lrlsbmen were entitled
to be a znerp Der or vote for a member in
that l,3dy.
3. The provisions OF Magua. Charta
were Dever extended to Ireland OF lhe
Irish.
d.. The descendants and followers of
the invaders were forbidden to inter"
marry with the native Irish; to lease
them lands for pasturage; to permit
them to enter their conyents Or mon
or to ofticiate as priests in
benefced churches.
5. The Irish were adjudged out OF
the Kings allegiance, anu it was no
felony to kill mere Irishman.
6. BY Poyning's Law, &n act of the
SO called Irish parliament, passed in
in 1885, no future parii&ments
might be held in Ireland without the
English Kings permission, and nc bill
could be proposed Or passed therein
which had not been previously submit
ted TO and received the sanction Of the
King and his council, and his approval
after Its passage.
J. No Hishman was eligible to or
competent to hold any Office Of trust or
emolument in his native country; no
was permitted to attend
Divine service in church of the Irish,
not to adopt the national customs Of the
Irish, wear al Irish dress, nor to speak or
earn the Irish language under penalty
II forteltlng all his lands.
8. Irish music and minstrelsy were
prescribed: no person In the island of
Anglo Norman birth or descent was al
owed to obey the ancient laws of the
[risn; the soldiers Of the conquerors
;ould be qua1tered in the households OF
he people without paying any compen-
,ation; no Englishman could transact
mercantile business with the natives;
md every lrishman living within the
,ale-Dub!in, Louth, Meath and Kill
|are-was obliged to drop his Irish and
axe an English nams and wear an
English dress.
From the 10th to the present century,
Turing which time England changed
ler religion, the Irish suffered ad- =