Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-03-17
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
''Priests in Irish Politics. Discussed
BY An Irishman.


BY An Irishman.
To the Editor of the DEMOCRAT:
dublin, March Sir Charles Gavan |
Duffy has written letter to the Free |
mans journal in which he says that I'M |
til all clerical interference is changed
there is no more hope for the Irish
cause than there is for corpse on a dis
secting table.
1t is wonderful how some men change
as time changes. Charles Gavan Duffy
in 1859, and Sir Charles Gavan Duffy in
1891, are two different persons. In 1859
the rebel Duffy was the tenant right
candidate for New Ross in opposition to
Sir Thomas Redington, the renegade
castle Catholic. Now let us see who
were the chief supporters of Duffy on
that eventful day in July '52.
/ think l see them coming down the
mountain passes of Wicklow and WEEK
ford, from the wales of Munster, to stand
by Duffy and tenant right. On the
Hastings stands the venerable Arch
Deacon Fitzgerald, parish priest of
Rlthkeal, county Limerick, and by his
side is the Rev David Bell. Presby terrain
minister from county Monaghan Rev
James Crane, prior of the convent, New
Ross; Rev Michael Walsh. p. P, Rev
John Rickard, P. p. Thomas Doyle,
Rev Patrick Neville. Rev f Pendergast,
IL
w. Lambert, Rev Mr. Moore. Rev Mr.
Doyle, Rev A. Kehoe, Rev John Morris,
Rev w. Lynch, Rev NJ. Maher, Rev Mr.
TuOmy, Rev John Heating, the veneer
able Archdeacon McCannon, Derry,
sends a letter with two pounds enclosed
for the Duffy fund.
Now, these priests were the men by
whose means the New Ross election
fund was started for the purpose of
sending Mr. Duffy to the British house
of commons free of expense. And who
was the man that came forward to pro-
pose him? The Rev Thomas Doyle, c..
c., of New Ross, presented himself
amidst a perfect hurricane of cheering
and waving of hats and handkerchiefs.
He said: My friends and fellow
countrymen, the day we so anxiously
. trumpet has sounded, the old green flag
is unfurled, the enemy, blinded by a
just providence. and led on by a rene
gade and a traitor, have committed
themselves to the cont1ict-retreat is
now impossible. They must fight, their
: ignomInious defeat is inevitable, our
, triumph is secure. On Wednesday
, evening the valley of the Barrow shall
3 ring with the shout of victory. 1t will
reverberate from the hills of Wexford tc
the crags of Kerry. Yes, my friends
this victory in Ross, of virtue and Erin
5 over the Saxon and guilt-this victory
< of a crushed, and bruised, and down
2 trodden people, over landlord tyranny
1 and bribery, and corruption, will assure
our fellow cOuntrymen scattered ovel
the globe that Ireland is not dead, but
only sleepeth."
l think hear Mr. Duffy at this point
t say Father Doyle, want no clerica
1 interference better retire, say no more
al Trol nd no u 10
, secting table" But he did not say any
} thing of the kind. will tell you what
he did say two years after, in 1854
y Mr. Duffy says in a public letter to j.;
/ friend: Exclude priests from Irisl
S politics The scheme seems to me on 4
par with an instruction against the
r solar system. Exclude priests from
g Irish politics! Exclude the men who
$ have stood between the peasant and hi
: tyrant, who have shared the last crus
: with the pauper, and brought sunshin,
. to the poor mans hearth, generation
. after generationw So said Gavan Duffy
e in "a. But alas how fallen is ST
e Charles in 1891.
v But priests should not NEEDLE in poll
D tics. Meddle! There is something yer,
Z offensive and impertinent in this wore
q when so applied. l say that nowhere, t.
n my mind, is religion called upon to ex
e ercise its functions so faithfully, so fear
e lessly, and SO necessarily, as in TIN
g domain of Irish politics., and as a coroI
g larry add that 1t Is from the inadequat,
a applications of religious principles tina
e this department of life has become
J. wilderness, IA scandal to the weak, ant
n an universal disgrace. Oh, what tim
e is the old land Just now passing through
t What grief. and tears, and hunger, ant
oppression, and madness. Now thu
s question arises, is this to continue, or i
, it to be stopped? And to put it still NOR
h distinctly and emphatically, are TIN
n priests, who for long centuries of sorrow
g have held the heart strings of the PEG
v pie in their hands, for whom the peOpl
h were at all times, and are now ready t,
e part with their last fragment of food, o
O shed their blood-are they to stand BY
IS and see these things done? And again
are such of them as do fling themselve
s between the people and their woes to b
!. tauntingly met by every jack-a-nape
v and martinez with the parrot insolence
l. that PRIESTS should not NEEDLE in poll
t tics p My blood boils when such doc
It trines are proclaimed aloud. What, tn
n soggarth aroon, to stand neutral Will
e the poor are swept ruthlessly from tn
o homes where he so often shared thei
,. humble, but warm hospitality, an
q starved out of the faith he was conse
d Grated to guard! No, God forbid. w.
=, a. WALLER ADDRESSES THE CAUCUS
a The Little Giant Wants the ouestio
r Submitted to the People.
HARTFORD, March 17.-Ex- Governo
e Waller was in consultation with tn
e democratic leaders to. day and addresse
!. the caucus of the democratic senators a
1t noon. He spoke for over a half hour i
It his usual eloquent style and said tn
n best way to reach a settlement was [