The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-10
THE FATE OF PARNELL.

SEATTLE, July 9, 1891.
To THE EDITOR: Parnell is completely de-
feated in the Carlow election: the hostility OF
the priests was a. strongly manifested as in the
previous elections of Kilkenny aud Sligo; tie
people, prompted by the priests, have rspudiated
the once idolized agitator, and Parnell is lost
leader in Irish politics for the future for he has
defied the Roman Catholic hierarchy OF Ireland,
and not only has been defeated, but absolutely
crushed by them. The Irish Catholic church has
not forgiven Mr.. Parnell and until he is forgiven
by that church he is In no political sense helped
at all by his marriage.
II is TO Ireland that Parnell must look for
political redemption, and Roman Catholic Ire
land Is absolutely puppet in the hands OF the
priests This is the melancholy fact which Par
nell has to face, and because of IL he is utterly
without hope of resurrection as the leader OF
home rule. / have called this q melancholy
fact, because, fayoring as I have always,
the cause of Irish home rule, it Is
g subject for sincere regret that the
Irish people should seem to be little better than
q lump of clay in the hands of the ecclesiasti-
cal potters, for the conservative opponents of
home rule will be quick to argue that a people
who take their politics wholly from their priests
are unfit for home rule. Lord Salisbury and his
cynical secretary for Ireland, Balfour, will not
be slow to speak with increased bitterness and
contempt of the proposition TO grant home rule
70 people whom they will describe a. so be-
sotted with superstition that they vote an their
priests dictate from the pulpit; they will ask:
s'Who would dare trust such people with home
rule, and who would dare trust priesthood
that ruled such a people"
This argument will be sufficiently specious to
delay the gift OF home rule, because it 10 new
and effective pointing of the very argument that
was successfully used to cause the split in the
Liberal ranks when Gladstone first declared for
home rule. 1t was this argument that had great
weight with very able Liberals OF Irish Protes-
tant birth, like the famous Professor John Tyn-
dali, and caused them TO desert Gladstone for
Salisbury. Home rule do not believe is dead;
but fear that 1t has received q severe shock, not
because Psrnell has been digraced and dis
mounted; not because Gladstone is nearing the
decay and death of his noble powers, but be-
cause Parnelfs struggle for political life has
furnished the Tory opposition with an object
lesson which seems to support their claim that
the Irish people who ask home rule are the
slaves of their church, not only in religion, but
in politics.
These Tories will point out that one of the
grounds of our resolute opposition to the ad-
mission of Utah TO the Union and the conse-
quent grant OF home rule, is that the Mormon
people are practically q theocracy; that the
Mormon in politics is the subservient child and
obsequious slave of his church, not free, indie
pendent and patriotic citizen of the United
will be sure to say: 'Tf thoughtful Americans
feel thus concerning the abject ecclesiastical
slavery of the Mormons to their church, why
should not thoughtful Englishmen pause before
granting home rule to Ireland, three-ffths of
whose population are Roman Catholics still 10
incapable of self-government that they go to
Rome for both their politics and their religion
To such q people home rule would mean
but the record of the will of hierarchy,
and what could be expected of good
government from hierarchy that
stoops to such display of passion
and violence AZ they invoked from the
people to beat Parnell." This will be the Tory
argument henceforth against home rule; an
argument not sufficient to prevent its ultimate
triumph perhaps, but specious and plausible
enough probably to delay its triumph. For this
reason, desiring as do the speedy triumph of
home rule, deem the Psrnell quarrel most I'M
fortunate, not because it upset Parnell, but be-
cause 1t exposed q seeming situation which will
be quoted by the Tories long az possible to
the disadvantage of Ireland and the delay of
home rule. al.