The Irish standard., 1891-12-05
SEARCHING PAST HISTORY,
Reflections Aroused BY Copy of the
Dublin Journal Of
May, 1853.
HON. GEO. FAuLKNER'S PAPER.
Some Very Strange Disclosures and
Paral!elisms in Politics
Contained Therein.

aUme V6Iy Durango UISClOSuTeS ALI
Paral!elisms in Politics
Contained Therein.
John J. O'Shea writes the following
interesting article TO the Belfast Irish
Weekly. How interesting it is to look
into an old dublin newspaper OF the
period when the bold doctrine Of the
liberty OF the press' had not even as
yet been whispered! There is world
Of suggestion il its conspicuous omis
sions; a fund of philosophic reflection
in its quaint record Of what was per
mlssible to say then without any danger
OF the pillcry or the docking Of editorial
ears; flip for the complacency with
which we take pride to ourselves, in
these days, on our gigantic strides in
the art OF printing and concocting at
tractive advertisements. Above all,
there is an Irresistible driving home of
the time confirmed truism Of the ap-
hori5rn CT the late Lord Carnarvon, IN
his historic interview with MIR. Parneli,
that ''the government of Ireland is a
continuity" 1t strove to muzzle the
press then, and it succeeded; it stroye
with might and main to muzzie it in our
own day, and it failed. That is the
only difference which a century and q
half has made in the relations Of the
R,.ify io 1proIo Fl
great bulwark Of popular liberty.
A friend lately thrust into my hand a
copy of the Dublin Journal-George
Falkners paper OF May, 1853. 1t was
brown and shreddy and dog-eared, and
the printing had begun to fade in
patches here and there, yet, withal, and
Typography was clear, and the spelling,
as a rule, far mere correct than one
usually meets with in the average news
paper of to-day. They seem to have in-
telligent compositors and keen proof
readers. But George Faulkner could
evidently we'll afford TIC pay for the best
service in this respect. for his sheet Is
so packed with advertisements that the
printer Was actually obliged TO put
some "outside the chase" to use the
Language Of the composing room. The
outer margin of each of his four sheets
is taken up with public announcements
arranged at right angles to the body of
reading upwards to the title. And
these were the days when advertising
was an expensive luxury; and George
Faulkner intinated in his imprint that
his advertisement transactions we're
conducted only on the principle of
money down." George Faulkner's
bookeeper's post must surely have been
a.sinecure. There is a strange parable
lism in politics, between the days Of
this old paper and those in which we
now live and move. The process of
looking into its pages, indeed, seems
somewhat like the converse of looking
into one of Sir Howard Grubb's great
observatory telescopes, wherein, If we
would get good look at the great side
rial armament, we mustnot look upward
and forward, but downward and back
ward. The castle was here then en-
deayo1ing to substitute itself for the
constitution in the government of the
country; the same castle is here now,
endeaycring-and always very success
fully endeaYoring-to> do the same
thing. There was small party whose
policy was "independant opposition"
in the country then; we haYe It's repH
cation here in our midst to-day. A
Marquis of Harrington was the holder
of the viceroyalty then, and he appears
to have been selected for the post be-
cause of the possession Of no qualities IN
particular just like his yawning and
letharg1c successor and relative of today.
Anthony Malone and Henry Boyle
were the dioscuri who led the party Of
ssindependant opposition.,, They took
their stand on the right OF the Irish
Parliament to appropriate surplus
and the fact that there was surplus.
and big one, for those days OF small
population and the restricted trade
{more than $780, ought to be noted
by those who want tangible arguments
for home rule; and the castle wanted
the privilege Of making the King de.
clare that he was graciously pleased to
consent to the money being devoted
TO such sensible purpose. There was
q tough tussle over this constitutional
point, which ended in the lord l1euten-
ant (not Harrington then, but Dorset)
getting kings letter. bY virtue Of
which he drew the whole sum out OF
the treasury, and applied it in the way
to which his Hanoyerian majesty had
graciously consented. This was the
test ot the strength Of s'indepe endent
oppositlon d For doing 9 similar act