The Irish standard., 1892-12-31

exposes the injustice done to the priests
OF Ireland by the Tory and Parnellite
press in representing them as tyrants
and political dictators. Il often find
myself asking the question, Who are
those men against whose charges we are
called upon to defend ourselves" says
Father Halpin, and then he answers the
interrogatory by saying that they are the
scions Of little broken down ar1stooratlc
families, who a few short years ago
thought it everlasting disgrace to be-
called Irish Nationalists. The writer
must have in his mind such political
demagogues as Pierce Mahoney, who,
when he saw that no honors could be
gained by remaining Tory out of Uls-
ter, joined the Home Rule party and was
sent to parliament by Mr.. Parnell. He
is q Protestant and an ex-ofice holder
under the Tory administration, and one
of the most blatant of patriots since the
unfortunate division in the Irish ranks.
He misses no opportunity in assailing
the character of the Irish priesthood,
and strange to say, his utterances are
app auded BY the unthinking and ire
weren't factionists who follow the banner
of John E. Redmond and his eight con-
federates. In defending the character
of the clergy, Father Halpin cites an
English minister, T. T Rogers, who de-
clared that in the history of the world
be knew nothing 30 unwearied and 80
sedulous as the labor Of the Irish priests
has been, from the dark days of the infa'
| NOUS penal code to the present time.
The next article on the subject is from
P. O'Neill Larkin, Bostoa journalist
! who studied the question on Irish soil.
He takes the stand that the majority
should rule and holds the opinion that
Parnelliem, like Boulangsrism, is kind
of hero-worship which has never had any
other reason for existence than the ig-
norance of it's adherents of democratic
principles and methods, backed by q
feeling 0! personal loyalty to leader
who had rendered splendid service to the
Irish cause during his public career. He
refers to the actions of the priests in the
elections, and says that as far as he
knows from personal observation they
did not dictate to or intimidate the PEG.
ole. The election contest in Meath,
however, would tend to show that some
Of the priests did act imprudeDtly in
harping too much on politics from their
pulpits. The IRISH STANDARD has al
1 ways bsen OF the opinion that when the
priests had read the pastorals from the
bishops to their congregations they had
fully discharged their duties and ought
TO have refrained from interfering with
the voters at the polls, no matter
what the result may be. The right OF
suffrage should be exercised without let or
hindrance on the part Of the clergy, and
thus the sacred ties binding priest and
| people would not be severed, as they
have been in many instances. M. Lar
kin asserts that in not solitary case
were the Parnellite speakers molested by
their opponents. and that Mr.. Harring-
ton and his colleagues had all the forces
on their side to advance Home Rule by
:'making 1t hot with sticks and stones
He does not question the sincerity OF
the Parnellite leaders, but believes they
acted in singular manner during the
late election. Faction, no geyer, will be
short lived in Ireland and will have prac-
tically vanished before the next general
election comes round.
John O'Callaghan, another Boston
journalist who visited Ireland, contrib
utes the third article ON the Irish situa-
ton. He deprecates the division in the
parliamentary ranks and suggests the
ACCESSIBILITY of saying nothing which
could add to the bitterness already ex
listing between the rival sections of Ma
| tionalists. He does not defend either
side, though he inclines to take the part
of the Rsdmondite faction, on the same
principle that our sympathies should &C
with the .'under dog in the fight. The
Redmondite party is ia the minority
having only nine members to eighty one
in the other. BandYinz such expressions
as ''pledge breakers and ''factlonists" in
one unending chorus is apoor way tx
serve lreland, thinksMr. o. Callaghan, and
we heartily agree with him. He closes
his article by saying that forty years
hence the people who come after rs viii
look on the men of to-day on both sides
as we look on the mon of 48-as honest
men. who, if wiser counse]s haa pre-
vailed amongst them, would have right
ed the wrongs Of their country. The
Irish on this side of the Atlantic ought
to exert their influence toward harmon.
ling the two sections of the Home Rule
party and impressing ~hpon them the
great necessity of undivided allegiance
| - %l,o:, oo,,n+rv Of thic cr1aia in liza hia