The Irish standard., 1898-07-30

SSoAA
"Papist" could not own any article of
personal property Of the value Of more
than 95; if of greater value, anyone
offering that sum for it and being re-
fused could take it by force without
compensation. Informers We're reward
ed at the expense OF their victims. If
an Irishman was slain by an English
man, 1t was declared by statute not to
be murder. The penal code was in
force with varying severity from 1890 to
1929. Sir Jonah Darlington, an English
jurist and historian, says: THE penal
statutes-a code which would have dis
honored even the saneuinary pen Of
Draco-had inflicted every pain and pen
atty, every restriction and oppression,
under which people could linger out a
miserable existence. BY these statutes
the exercise of religion had been held a
crime, the education of children a high
misdemeanor-the son was encouraged
to betray the father-the child reward
ed for the ruin Of his parent--the house
of God declared public nuisance-the
officiating pastor proclaimed an outlaw
the requirement of property absolute
ly prohibited-the exercise of trades re-
strained-plunder legalized In courts Of
law, and breach of trust rewarded in
courts of equity-the Irish Catholic ex-
cluded from the possession of any office
or occupation in the state, the law, the
army, the navy, the municipal bodies
and chartered corporations
Up to 1869 nine-tenths of the people
were compelled to contribute one-tenth
of the produce of the land or its equiv
alent, to the support of a church to
which they did not belong-the Estab-
lished Church of England
The effect of the anti-trade laws has
been to leave the people almost wholly
dependent upon the soil for subsistence.
Competition for the land became, and
continues to be, so fierce that tho rental
value approXimates the productive value.
In 1888 one-fifth of the population per
ished by famine. In 1865 more than
one million of the people were swept
away by famine, not because the coun-
try failed TO produce enough to feed It's
population, but because it required all
the products of the soil to pay the rent
Of absentee landlords. During the fam
inc years Of 1847-8, Ms the ships laden
with the charity of the world entered
the ports, the ships Of England freight
ed with the products OF the country
the landlords spoils-were leaving for
the markets of the. world. Lord Devon
declared the agricultural population to
be "the worst housed, worst fed and
worst clad peasantry in Europe"
Between 1850 and 1897, in the reign of
Queen Victoria, five millions of her Irish
subjects emigrated from their native
land. The flower of the English armies
has been composed Of 1rishmen COM
PEELED by want to enlist in the service Of
their oppressor, to fight her battles un-
der every sun, in every cline. The pc
titions of the Irish people for redress
have been treated with brutal scorn.
have been answered by new penal and
coercion laws Between 1880 and 1890,
$4,000 armed police and 10000 soldiers
were established among an unarmed
and defenseless people; rigorous coer-
cion laws were enacted; the writ Of
habeas corpus suspended; trial by
packed jury re-established; free speech
silenced; the public press muzzlcd; po-
litical suspects arrested without war
rant, detained for months in prison
without trial, then set free for want Of
evidence to convict even by packed
British bastilcs with murderers and
criminals of the lowest type. Two years
ago the world was shocked when two
Of these unfortunates were released
Of DEATH hopelessly insane because of
their brutal treatment.
-Four years ago, when the house Of
commons, by a narrow majority, passed
home rule bill for Ireland, it was a
foregone conclusion that the regular
membership of the house of lords would
defeat it almost unanimously Yet the
opposition, to show the intensity OF its
contempt and hate for any measure
which would grant even partial reliet
to the Irish people, searched the hooks
and corners of the kingdom for the dis
solute. obscure and discreditcd scions of
nobility, who by hereditary right were
entitled to seats in the house of lords,
but who had never before set foot in
London. When the result was an
nounced, it was greeted by the assem-
bled lords with an exultant roar like
that Of Roman mob in the days of
Nero when the victim received the NOR
tai wound in the giadiatorial combat.
In May, 1896, a royal commission ap-
pointed in 1894 reported that ever since
the act of Legislative union In 1900
Ireland has been taxed $1375O,0O0 an
nually in excess of her Just proportion
But no restitution nor abatement has
been made, nor is 1t intended to be
made. In 1900 Ireland had population
Of 100000; in 1847, a popation Of
100000; she now has a population Of
4,500,00O. In 1860 England had a pop-
ulation of 10000 ,0O0 she has now a
popu1otiop of 2s mn mn Will, I,xu,,