The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-01-21
concord. The members Of the different
chnrches had agreed to differ amicably.

All national prosperity advanced, sec
tartan discord disappeared. A large
body Of Protestant opinion was in favor
sofS Catholic Emancipation, and opposed
tothe mischievous policy of the govern
ment." Here, however, the government
steppe in to ''cheek the growing fusion
and consequent strength and prosperity
5otthe Irish nation; the government, as
wei as the patriots, perceived that Ire
land was rapidly developing into a con-
siderable nation; but Pitt and the Irish
Patriots looked at this development from
vsry different standpoints. Mr.. Under
Secretary Cooke complained that the un-
deniable prosperity OF Ireland would
make her too strong to be governed;'
tint is to say, that the Irish constitution,
Dot destroyed, would enable Ireland to
RETAIN and enjoy the first fruits of what
eSer material or intellectual gifts the AL
Mighty had bestowed upon her. Lord
.Cbrnwallis, like Cooke, admitted the ad-
sYance of our prosperity; but he consid-
cred that its growth was dangerous and
should be checked by a union because
the emajority OF the Irish we're Catholics" !"
MI. Daunt then shows what a change the
union would have on Irish taxation,
though Pitt denied that Ireland would
be called upon to share England's ma
aonal debt. "The pre-union British
debt was about sixteen times as large as
The pre- union debt of Ireland; so that
protection from the British liability was
d matter of vital Importance to Ireland.
The debts at the time of the union, in
round numbers, stood thus: "The Irish
debt, f28,O0O,O 600; the British debt, ;e450,-
100000 With such vast disparity be-
tween Irish and British liabilities, it
would have been impossible to propose
ia ia Immediate equality of taxation. The
p3roblem OF the government was how to
affect an ultimate equality Of burthcns
without giving any compensation to Ire
hnd for the new load to which she was to
He subjected. The plan embodied in the
'SSct of union was this: the debts we're to be
Aept separate until the Irish debt should
le forced up from being only one six
jkenth Of the British, to the much higher
I|oportion Of l irish to TX British.
When that higher proportion should be
reached, separate quotas Of contributions
were to cease, and both kingdoms were
to be taxed Unfortunately. +
ITO carry out this plan, it was neces-
sary to initiate the Irish debt. This was
done by overrating the taxable ability of
Ireland, which Castlereagh fixed at !
to 711a British; a proportion which he So
lected because he knew that Ireland
could not pay it and that her deficient
revenue should be supplemented by bor-
rowing, thus rendering inevitable, and
producing the intended result. In 15years
the so-called Irish debt, forced up by a
dishonest overcharge on Irish resources,
reached the specified ratio of / Irish to
715 British. Special quotas of contribu-
tion we're then abolished by the consoli-
dation act Of 1916: which, by making the
taxation of the two countries indiscrim-
mate, rendered Ireland contributory to
the whole British burthens, pre-union as
we'll as post-union. In 1853 the ticti-
tious Irish debt-fctitious because orig
mating IN an overcharge-wasp pleaded
as pretext for imposing the income tax
on Ireland. At the present time, the
consolidation OF the two exchequers ef-
fects, according to Mr.. Robert Giden, the
result of exactlng from Ireland about
double the revenue fairly chargeable on
her comparative resources.
seWhile the scheme of fiscal fraud was
in preparation by the authors of the
union, the other modes Of promoting the
union were actively practiced by the gov
eminent" Indeed, such was the terrible
nature of Pitts policy that he was warned
by Earl Fitzwilliam that, if he adhered
to it he "would ralse fame in Ireland
that nothing but5the force Of arms could
keep down." Pitt, however, was not to
be deferred. A chance to show bis 'force
of arms was the end he looked for. By
some means Ireland must be melted into
9 rebellion, for that was the only way
the union could be effected.
With the prospect of such horrors be-
fore them, Mr.. Daunt does not think it
at all wonderful "that Lord CORVALLIS
should have been able to induce Arch
bishop Troy and nine other Catholic pre-
lates to give their support to the union.
They saw that Pitts policy had inaamed
to fever heat the reciprocal hatreds OF
creeds and Of classes. They saw the
practices Of burning cottages, OF tortur-
ing the numbering peasants, in constant
operation. They also saw that Lord
CORVALLIS had attempted to put 9 stop
to those outrages, and they yielded ready
credence to his assurances that under an
union the scourge would be withdrawn
and Catholic Emancipation conceded: