Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-12-08

moniuIs.-A Thousand Years of Home
Rule.
Special Correspondence Gazette and journal.
DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN, Nov, 3D.
"Dear little Isle Of Man. ELAN Vannin
Veg Vean, is the fond title by its natives
of one of the most diminutiye and inter-
esting island countries to be found in
the civilized world.
1t is sturdy little bit of sea. girt land,
yet in the turbulent Irish Sea almost
equi-distant from England, Ireland and
Scotland, forever withstanding the
fiercest of ocean currents and the Wild
est of ocean storms. The hardy little
nation inhabiting it has as ceaselessly
bid defiance to the maelstroms of con
nicting interests of men and govern
ments seeking its thrall, and from almost
prehistoric time has preserved So re-
i markable u national independence, that
to this day IL comprises practically the
only folk on British soil who enjoy the
full benefits of self-goyernment.
Briefly told the little ManX nation has
had three periods Of history period of
Celtic rule, one Of Morse supremacy, and
OF British dominion. In the tenth cen
fury the Vikings came. They had Just
overcome Iceland and established their
Morse kingdom there. When they found
the Dear little Isle of Man" they made
short work of taking complete posses
sion. The women were dark haired
fair skinned and blue eyed. The Vikings
were freckled and bleached as to hair
and eyes. The Manx nation of to-day
sprang from the union Of these hand
some Celtic women and these huge
freckled men.
The latter were led by ono Orry. He
Is called King Orry now. Whether he
was sea-rover or the son of Danish
or Norwegian monarch, does not mat
ter. But he became king of man and
the Isles. lie was great without the
titlc. lie gave the Manxmen their first
constitution. IL was quite like that
which had just been given TO Iceland. It
was good one, too, and the proof of it
Is that with little change it has existed
to this day.
King Orry divided the island into six
shlp-shires. They are the Manx 'shead.
lngs" or representative divisions Of the
present time. Each shedding elected
four men by popular vote to law
making house called the house OF keys,
probably from the Morse kese or
chosen men. They were the peoples
delegates, just as they are to-day. Then
King Orry gave the church share iii
the government, but prevented its
supremacy. He established Tynwald
court where church and state sat
together. Two laW-men, called
deemsters, one for the north and one for
the south, were appointed. These were
equivalent to the lcelandic speakers
of the law" These remain unchanged
Orry then had built, after the manner
of the lava lawrock Of Thingyellir, an
artificial mount of laws. The house of
keys sent up laws to the Tynwald
court, or the latter sent them down.
Assent in Joint session, and the kings
sanction concluded the making of law,
But laws were never operative until
the king, the court and the house of
keys had convened on Tynwald Hill
and promulgated them by reading them
first in the language in which they were
written, and second in the language of
the people.
Every essential feature of this patri-
archal and representative government
established early in the tenth century
exists in its original simplicity to-day.
The Manx are the only Morse nation
left that can show so close and strong a
binding to the days of the Sagas through
an unchanged governing system. And
the folk of this little island are the only
people acknowledging complete British
dominion who are in no way interfcrred
with from Westminster, and who enioy
the actual practical blessings Of home
rule.
Ireland battling for similarprivilege
of self government, Scotland FESTIVE
under conditions, well enough in their
day of making, which now prevent her
dealing with pressing church and econ
omic questions, Wales constantly almost
in revolt over her burden of tithes, and
Wesleyan Cornwall glowering over her
lost prestige and uncongenial relation
to an order of things out of all SYM
pathy with nine-tenths of her people,
can almost from their shores look upon
the misty mountain heights of this self
governed Utopia. All are unable to
secure what this handful of unyielding
island folk have held intact for more
than thousand years. On this line of
consideration Mainland is UNIQUE, and
is well worth any ones attention and
regard.
A brave and bloody history has the
little island had from King Orrys time
down TO its unreserved cession by its
then reigning duke to the crown, for a
consideration of G4l6,000, in 1926. The
system Of government is interesting
from its simplicity. Electors must have
a property qualification in the shead.
ings Of tlO occupancy or Is owner
ship. In towns voters must possess a
IA occupancy or ownership qualifica-
ton, aad this sum gives all women I'M
married, widows or spinsters, the same
vested right; right which, although
veNing to women sutlragsts, is rarely
exercised.
The island is divided into 10 electoral
districts, comprising King Orry's origi-
nal six sheadings Of Glanfaba, Middle,
Rushen, Ayrc, Carl and Michael, each
of which returns three representatives,
the city of Douglass with three, and the
towns Of Ramsey, Peel and Castletown,
the ancient capital OF Man, with one
each. These "A representatives consti-
tute the house of keys, corresponding
to our House of Representatives at
Washington.
There is an upper house called the
council, whose powers are similar to
those Of our Senate. 1t is composed Of
the lord bishop OF the diocese e'Sodor
and Man who has a seat but no vote
in the British house of peers, the attor-
ney-gencral, the receiver general the
Two deemsters or judges, whose offices,
almost relic OF Druidism, are precisely
as constituted by the Morse King Orry,
the clerk of the rolls, the water baliif,
fIN.an ID ID.