The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-01-21
IRISH AUTONOMY Y
The Condition of Ireland Under
Legislative Independence in
the Days Of Grattan.
ERIN's LAST PARLIAMENT,

ERIN'S LAST PARLIAMENT.
O'Neill Daunt, O'Connell's Private
Secretary, Writes a Timely
Article on the Subject. i
In recent number of the Westmin-
ster Review, w. j. O'Neill Daunt, a vete-
ran Irish patriot and secretary Of Daniel
O'Connell in the days of the Repeal Of
the Union agitation, has timely article
on ireland Under Grattan's Parlia.
ment."
His essay is an historical gem. Taking
as his basis Leckys "England in the
Eighteenth Century," he finds that the
condition of Ireland, for the first few
years that she was under her own guild
ance, was one of good will between all
classes of ber people, There was no an
tagoniem between Protestant and Cath:
olic, and Orangeism was unknown. In
direct contrast to this our author finds
her condition at present, for, pursuing.
~England's policy that the best way to
rule Ireland is by creating and foment-.
ing religious strife, the Unionists are
actively occupied in deepening the divi-
sions between the Protestants and the
Catholics. Lord Salisbury trafics on
whatever there is of Protestant credulity
and bigotry by asserting that the con.
cession of Home Rule would be sem.
tence of death or exile to the Protestant
minority Of Ireland. There was time
in the last decade of the eighteenth CEN
tury when the pestilent sectarian ami
mostly which our modern Unionists press
into their service had almost died out.
Between 1878 and 1894 salutary change
had come over the spirit of parties. The
penal laws had generally passed into de-
suetude before their formal abolition,
and the majority of the Irish Protestants.
we're in the latter years favorable to the.
emancipation of the Catholics. Grattan
was full Of hope. Pitt, in personal IN
terview, told him that although the gov
ernment would not themselves introduce
the question of emancipation, yet they
would give it "a handsome support if in
troduced by the opposition. The Catho-
lies were given the strongest reasons to
believe that their claims would be con.
coded. Earl Fitzwilliam, jealous
emancipation, was sent over as viceroy IN
January, 1895, fully authorized as he be-
lieved, to give the measure of emancipa.
tion his support.
"Here, then, was the situation; the
emancipating viceroy in Dublin Castle; a
promise from the premier to support the
Catholic cause; Catholic expectation ex-
cited to certainty-when a sudden and
disastrous change took place. Before
Lord Fitzwilliam had been quite three
months in Office he was recalled The
policy of the English cabinet was to re-
sist, at all costs, the emancipation of the
Catholics, although emancipation was
looked upon with favor by the Irish
Protestants.
lit is scarcely possible" says Mr..
Daunt, Ito exaggerate the wickedness of
such policy. It was successful. What
ever elements of sectarian animosity ex-
listed in the country were blown into
fame by the subc rdinate agents of the
government. Faction fights had fre-
quently occurred in the North between g
Protestant party called the Peep O. Day
Boys, and Catholic party called De-
tenders. This warfare was carried on
for years, with great loss of life on both
sides, till finally the Defenders were OBJ
liged to succumb to their better armed
adversaries. Then it grew to be under
stood that the Orangemen were encour-
aged by the government in their attacks
on the Catholics and Mr.. Daunt quotes
numerous letters from representative
Protestants, beseeching the government
to cease stirring up such unholy discord,
as it was greatly detrimental to the
country's welfare.
'It must be borne in mind" eays cur
author. that this policy was admins
tered by the government as a means Of
ultimately effecting the legislative union.
TO corrupt the legislature in order to
make it unpopular and to make the
country scene Of sangu1nary anarchy
this was policy which necessarily par
alyzed the popular strength, and thus
facilitated the destruction OF the resident
Parliament This policy, he claims,
Pitt was directly responsible for, and, in
deed, Pitt was aware that such q policy
would not result in rebellion, antici-
pating which, he was ready at any mo-
mont to .pour 137, 600 troops into Ire-
land = Mr. Daunt goes On to say: The
condition Of Ireland which Pitt policy
fatally disturbed, was 8 condition Of
rapidly growing prosperity and relipiioIie