The Irish standard., 1890-05-31
CANNOT EXPLAIN 1T AWAY.
English Speakers and Writers Can No
Longer Find Good Argument 4;
Against Home Rule. q
THEY ARE COMP ETELY BAFFLED
No Grounds for the Statement That Irish
Catholics Are Intolerant and Re- s 4
igiouslY Prejudieed. ID

I
igionslY Prejudiced u U
/ The argument which is occasionally
urged against horne rule, that Irish
Catholics, if left uncontrolled by a SUE
perior power, would immediately begin
to persecute their Protestant felleWsT
countrvmen, is one that, to any one.
with even moderate knowledge Of
Irish history and of the Irish people
carries its own refutation. VI
To suppose that people who, fronN.
almost the earliest dawn Of their
authentic history, have shown them
selves exceptionally tolerant in religious
matters. should, at the present dag
from some unexplained cause, change
their character, and, as soon as thew
had gaiued legal right to manage their
own affairs, should be SO infatuated az
to imperiI that long hoped for liberty
by engaging in q senseless persecution
of those who differ from them in reli-.
gious matters, is only a childish suppo-..
sition, only worthy Of some over Jealous.
Orangeman, The Irish Catholics hay-.
ing for centuries set their hearts on
securing home rule, it is scarcely likely
that their first act as a free nation
would be to do that which would be the
most direct step towards bringing about
a we'll deserved forfeiture Of a right
which tnev had shown themselves un-
worthy to retain.
It IS boast of the Irish people that,
in Ireland alone amongst European
countries, there never has been a Chris
tian martyr. the early Christian mis-
sionaries, in st. patrick's time, having
been allowed to preach their doctrinsEts
without molestation among the pagan
Irish. When, more than a Thousand
years later. in the reign of Queen Mary
Tudor, Protestants were being per-
secuted to the death in England. En-
glish protestant refugees coming to
Ireland were allowed to live unmolested
aad to remain protestants without in
reference on the part Of the Irish
Catholic authorities. In the following
century when DR.. Bedell. Protestant
bishop Of Kilmore, was, with the Pro
testant bishop Of ElpIlln, in the hands
and at the mercy of the Irish Catholic
leaders, after Che massacre" Ct 1911,
these two prelates were treated with
respect, and allowed tc celebrate the
rites of their religion by the very men
VINO are falsely charged With having
attempted to exterminate all the Pro
testants in Ireland. Writing Of these
troubled times-l64l- 1913 the Protes-
tant historian Lelan says: THE Cath
olic priests labored ZealouslY to mod
crate the excesses Of war and freq uently
protected Professionals when danger
threatened them, by cenceaiing them
in their places of worship, and even
under their altars." Forty years later,
in 1889 1890, when. under KING James
L., the irish Catholics had. for a few
months. almost entire control of their
own parliament. one Of the first acts
passed BY that parliament was one '.for
securing liberty of conscience" which
act began by declaring ''that it is the
law of this land of Ireland that neither
now nor eyer again shall any man be
prosecuted for his religion
It is SAD to have to record that, 1mme
diately on the re. establishment of ''Pro.
testant ascendancy in Ireland under
William I'LL, after James expulsion,
the Irish parliament, then exclusively
Protestant, began the enactment of the
atrocious penal code, which was de.
signed to crush and degrade the Irish
Catholics. and to make them pariahs
and outcasts In their own country. For
nearly century and half, in fagrant
violation of the treaty of Limerick, this
unjust code was enforced with VARYING
degrees Of severity, until, in 1841. the
Irish Catholic members Of municipal
corporations, then first admitted to
some degree Of political power, had an
opportunity Of showing how well they
had learned from their oppreSSOrS, the
lesson of religious intolerance. Their
action. then and since, has been one Of
the most remarkable displays Of reli-
glous toleration recorded in history.
Since ls4l, Dublin corporation has
elected fourteen p rotestant lord MAYORS,
and the Catholic cities Of Cork. Lime
rick, and Waterfo ord have had, respect
3ively, seven, thirteea and twelve Pro
ltestant mayors, nearly al these gentle
men having been elected to their
respective offices by corp ations5 in
which the CathoIic les had an over iheI M
sing majority 1ther Irissas Ga tholie3
towns haye acted il q like u lauIlsr;; but
forsunately The same cannot be said