The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-14


home rule for Ireland is advancing to high
noon. Not few Americans, intelligent
on other subjects. inquire impatiently
what Ireland wants. The question is best
answered by telling what the scheme of
misgoyernment is in Ireland today which
since ISIS has made the Irish peasant an
exile in search OF that reasonable comfort
in America he cannot find at home, a sys-
TEN of Eisgovernment whose economic
evils are illustrated by the fact that, with
q fertile soil. an industrious and prolific
people, Ireland has declined in population
from 5000. coo in 134l 20 about 5 100 900 to-
day.
What is this government The queens
vceroy sits in Dublin Castle at salary Of
100000 year All his subordinate Of
hcials are either EngIishmen or Irish
Tories. The viceroy, under the law, must
be Protestant, while the religion of nine
tenths OF the people is Catholic. The
viceroy's court is composed of judges, army
officers, crown prosecutors. government
officials. office-seeking lawyers, landlords.
Tory members of parliament and rich
tradesmen of Dublin, who are opposed to
the national sentiment of the Irish for
home rule. All popular Irish public men
are excluded from the court of Dublin
Castle" The vlceroy has an army of
5000 soldiers, commanded by q Protestant
English general and the vIceroy governs
Ireland through the royal Irish con-
stabulary, 1900 strong, an armed police
with whom no public body. municipality or
board can interfere; they can arrest on
suspicion day or night; can shadow any
suspect; can bludgeon a man on the
smallest provocation and then prosecute
him for insolence and intimidation;
they allow nobody to wear arms who is
not of the English garrison: they carry
rides and side arms in the ord mary dis
charge of ''police" duty.
The great majority of the members and
inspectors of the local government board,
Of the board of public works, of the board
of education and privy council are
Professionals. No Irish history is al
lowed TO be taught in the national
schools. The privy council inc udes
number of noble Irish landlords
and the two highest dignitaries of the
English church in Ireland; no Catholic
bishop under the law is eligible. The
Irish judge, who gets SIS, 900 year, is at
the same time a member of the viceroy's
government, of his privy council, men,
Der OF the court of Dublin Castle, and is
not judge in our American sense of Judi
cial independence. The salaries that these
thirty-tive persons comprising the vice.
roy's government draw, amount to over
s6oO0oo year. and Ireland pays the bill
They dispose OF the entire revenus of the
county, dispose OF 5000 government posts.
appoint all county justices and sheritfs,
control the appointment: of magistrates
and the entire machinery of justice. be-
fore whom cases OF eviction and breaches
of landlord privileges are brought for al
Indication.
The county court judges are landlords.
and 40 are the sheritfs and their sub
sheriffs No less than 50 per cent OF the
rura! justices of the peace are members of
the landlord class or recruited from re-
tired military ANA naval officers or ex-
inspectors OF the cOnstahulary. Eighty
per cent. of these magistrates. large and
small are sure 10 be Protestants, and the
rest Tory Catholics. An Irishman's house
may be entered at any hour Of the Z, ghE
by the police in search Of arms or treason
able documents. Policemen can even sit
in church and take notes of the priests
sermon for report 10 his sare7lors. In
other words. Ireland IS governed by an
English garrison, made up Of soldiers. Do
lice, judges, magistrates and landlords.
The cost OF governing Ireland ont OF her
total contribution Of over $40, 0l0,o0 dur
ing iS>2-SS was SO. 55oo00. The rule Of
Scotland for the same year cost but slS.-
SIS. 600 In proportion 10 her taxao,e
| wealth. which is but seven-tweltths thar
Of Scotland, Ireland 5 Just contribution -
the imperial revenue ought 10 be $ll000,-
600 less than Is now exacted from her.
Scotland, which Is virtually ruled b. her
own people, IS governed for one-thiyd OF
the relative expense that IS entailed upon
Ireland, where the government is carried
on by obnoxious. Offensive officials. NJ
wonder Ireland wants home rue?
English government Of ireland has been
| n record q; the inhumanity and iuditfec-
ence shat stamp anon peoples trade, It's
religion, its schools and lis agriculture Tor
centuries and then curses il roundly be-
cause il bcoods over the past wrongs and
! bees to he released of is present burdens
Gladstone. nv the logic of events, has been
| converted - home rule; he tried the sus-
| pension and expulsion Of home rulers when
| rarneil. wigh 4 handful Of followers, tiTsi
| confronted him less than twelve years aso.
/ Gladstone tried coercion acts, but the Sec
! rotary tor Ireland iailed misrrably - exc
| cute them; then new secretary, Trevel-
| yam, tried his hand and resigned, ana
| Psrnen found himself in less shan ten
| years with etshty-ave Irish members, and
: Gladstone was TOO great no. 10 see a: last