The Irish standard., 1896-06-13
JOHN DILLON
closing Portions Of fils Speech on the
Educational Bill.

closing Portions OF His Speech on the
Educational Bill.
John Dillon, M. p, thus concluded an
able speech IN the recent adjourned debate
on the second reading Of the Education
Bill, now before the British Parliament:
We have heard the expression political
Nonconformist used very often during these
debates as term Of reproach and 1t has
been SAID that but for the political Noncon-
formists the opposition to this bill would
have been very slight, Il there was any OPP
position at all. The political Nonconform-
Eist is as much entitled to live and to have
the protection of the laws of this country as
the political churchman, and when we Irish
men look back over the history OF our coun-
try and Of our cause in this country 1t IS not
to be wondered at if we prefer the political
Nonconformist to the political churchman.
The political Nonconformdst has been
in the past history OF this country al
ways on the side Of religious liberty. He
helped us to emancipate the Catholics in
this country, as well as in Ireland, when
the churdhman did his very best to
maintain the penal laws. He helped to
pass the Irish land acts. He voted
against coercion, and at the present
hour, when we bring forward annually
the motion for the release OF the poldti-
cal prisoners in Ireland, 1t Is the polfti-
cal Nonoonformist who supports us.
and ann not in the least ashamed to
confess that it is with a sense of the
deepest pain that go into the lobby
tonight against those who have been our
allies, but would say to my friends, the
Nonconformists of England, that in this
matter we have no choice. Taking the
bill, with all it's imperfections, upon it's
head, and think they are many, be-
cause it appears to me there are many
clauses in the bill which betray far more
a political bias against the political
Nonconformists than any zeal for the
voluntary schools, and on these clauses
/ think we shall have the pleasure OF
supporting our old allies, but taking the
bill as it stands, with all its imperfec-
lions upon his head, what is the principle
of the bill? What is the protested pr1n-
ciple of the bill? To remove from the
Catholics of this country and also from
other religious denominations what I
hold to be and what every Catholic must
hold to be an intolerable injustice-per-
secution for conscience sake. So long
as it is confined to the principle Of say
ing Eyes" or "No" to this attempt at I'M
doing this great injustice and stretch
ing out some helping hand to the Cath
olics of this country, l and those who
sit with me on these benches have no
possible choice in the matter. We must
vote for this bill, and in committee we
shall do our best to make this bill a real
attempt to undo this great Injustice
and make it possible for the religious
schools of this country to maintain their
existence and increase their efficiency,
but on all the other points where any
injustice is inflicted upon any section of
the community of England, OF any at
tempt made to lower the general edu-
cational standard Of England, or attack
the great institutions which have done
good work in this country, for my part
will certainly oppose the government.