The San Francisco call., 1898-06-26
PATRIOTISM
 OF PEOPLE
 OF IRELAND Shown by Celebration in County Wexford. SCENES ON VINEGAR HILL NOT SINCE 17es HAS THERE BEEN SUCH A SIGHT. J. J. Clancy, The Calls Special Core spondent, Describes the Demon
 stration and Gives Other
 Interesting News.
SCENES ON VINEGAR HILL
NOT SINCE 179s HAS THERE BEEN SUCH A SIGHT.
BY J. J. CLANCY.

DUBLIN, June 4.-The '9S celebration of last Sunday in the County of Wex- ford was an affair of no ordinary mag nitude. This was to be expected. The insurrection of a hundred years ago was chiefly the work of the men of Wexford, and the principal fight of the campaign was that at Vinegar Hill, a moderate-s sized eminence outside the town of Ennisworthy. Vinegar Hill was the scene of the demonstration to which I refer, and not since 179S has there been seen such a sight as that of the thousands of people who crept up it's sides on Sunday from all quarters, ac- companied by bands and banners and headed by politicians representing all the nationalist political parties in Ire land. The scene has not been described in the English press, but that fact is nothing unusual. The idea prevails in England that, if only an Irish national movement is not noticed as it pro- gresses. in the English press, the move ment will simply die and leave no re- suits behind. Experience, it is true, does not bear out this theory, but that fact does not matter. Events of inn portance in Ireland are nevertheless kept from the knowledge of the Eng fish public, with the result that that public is greatly surprised when dis agreeable things happen which are in natural sequence from what has been suppressed. l do not say or hint that a fresh insurrection is to flow from the Vinegar Hill meeting; but that demon stration does enthusiastically show that the Wexford people are as hostile to British rule as their forefathers were in 179S, and that only the opportunity Tn lyp as daylight. I may add that the chief figure at Vinegar Hill on Sunday was John Redmond, M. F. He not only made the best speech of the day but he got the best receQtion-which IS some what significant, seeing that the Coun- ty of Wexford, as whole, has appear ed at least to be antf-Parnellite since 1890
 The local government bill for Ireland, about which | have already written so often being now virtually law, people are beginning to turn their attention as to the use to be made of it. MT. Red mond, the leader of the Independent party. has spoken on the subject dur ing the past few days and what he said has attracted very general attention. He takes the view that the measure of reform now about to be enacted may or may not be made stepping stone to a full measure of national self-gov-
 
 present experiment. If the mass of the people to whom the business of manag- ing their own local affairs IS now to be entrusted boycott the Irish minority because of their past political record and exclude all representatives of that party from all the new elective bodies the inference in England and among the Irish minority will be that the very same boycotting would prevail under home rule, and the determination to re- siSt home rule will be strengthened in both quarters. If, on the other hand, the mass of the people have the wis dom and generosity to wipe out old scores and let bygones be bygones, it is only natural to suppose that the just minority will be compelled to see that they would be as well off under home rule as they are now, if not better off, and that the best thing they could do would be to cast in their lot with their fellow countrymen for the attainment of home rule Holding these views MT. Redmond has publicly advised the peo- pie to elect members of the minority wherever they can to the new boards, and his words have been widely quoted They have also been widely approved, though not by the journals which rep resent the majority of the Irish mem bers. Of course, it remains to be seen whether, if the policy of MT. Redmond 
 as he expects. On this point time must pronounce; but at present one thing is certain, namely, that among the mi nority in Ireland there is a widespread feeling that they have been deserted by their own friends and that they would not lose anything by "cutting the painter" with England. It would seem to be but the sheerest common sense on the part of Irish Nationalists to en- courage them to continue in this frame of mind
 The death of Mir Gladstone has been followed by that of two or three men who were, curiously enough, long mixed up with him in public and priv ate life; but of those personages the only one whose demise has any partic- ular interest for Irishmen is that of Lord Playfair. Dr. Lyon Playfair, to give him the name by which he was best known, was chairman of commit tees of the House of Commons in one of the stormiest periods of the Parner campaign. In ordinary times, perhaps. he would have been very well suited for such a position, for he was man of capacity and learning, but the times were not ordinary. Parnell and his neutenants were Ion the rampage" and almost the last man who ought, from the English point of view. to have been selected to preside over the House of Commons "in committed" was a grave-visaged, middle aged, professor like gentleman with spectacles, whose traditions were those of the peaceful times of the past, who sought to act only in accordance with tradition, and who was certain to do something fool ish in presence of a revolution. On one occasion he at last fully justified the anticipation of the philosophic ob- server. The House of Commons had been kept sitting continu- ously for some twenty-four hours by Parnell and his colleagues, During this sitting many exciting scenes occurred, which Dr. Lyon Play fair, who was in the chair, was utterly unable to check Some couple of hours after midnight he at last retired to rest, hoping, perhaps, but scarcely ex- pecting that the battle would be over by the morning. It was still going on, however, at a. m., when he re- turned to his post; whereupon he took out of his pocket a list of names of Irish members whom he invited the House to suspend" for obstruction