The Irish standard., 1899-09-02

carly mobiles whom Cromwell left be-
hind did not realize as much from the
plumber as they were promised; the
sordid menials who followed or joined
the army on the pledge of similar prom
Uses, and who, like plague of vultures,
awaited their ful6lment; the ministers,
hirelings OF the government, like Bishop
Doping OF Meath, continually preach
ing to the rabble that no faith was to be
kept with the people, melting them to
rebellion, and augmenting that hatred
OF Catholicity with which they were al
ready sated,- all combined to influence
the government and start the rumbling
of the approaching storm.
The English parliament while adher-
ing to the exaction OF the oath of allegi-
ance, demanded in addition an oath of
abjuration, that was an oath to forswcar
the faith OF their fathers. Refusal to
comply debarred from all the profess
sions and government offices. No Cath
Ole could practice law medicine or en-
gage in any other profession without
first abjuring his faith. Such were the
means devised that a Protestant minor
ity might rule The prosecutors were
well aware that the Catholic would give
UP everything rather than abandon his
faith, and so taking advantage OF that
noble trait OF character, the indomitable
genius OF his creed, they placed him be-
tween his religion and his rights; to
exercise the latter he had to abandon
the former by taking an oath which he
could not take without doing violence to
his conscience.
The same year i'll which those diabol-
ical measures were devised a parliament
was assembled in Dublin. The major
lty OF its members were imbucd with the
same gloomy, rabid, Calvinistic spirit
and tenets that had injected the follow
ers OF William OF Orange That major
ity, haunted by the suspicion that turks
around guilty mind, feared the oppo-
sition OF the Catholic minority. Their
first acts were to sanction all that had
been done by the British parliament,
and to pass in addition a new series of
penal acts such as a remuneration OF the
spiritual authority OF the Pope declar-
alton against the doctrine OF transub-
sanitation, and rejection OF other
fundamental Catholic doctrines. Every
member OF the Catholic minority had to
subscribe by oath to each OF these meas
ures before he could take further part in
the proceedings, the inevitable result
being his Withdrawal from the paria-
ment, thereby leaving the Catholic pop
ulation without a voice in the govern
ment OF their country whose welfare and
interests were thus cast into the hands
OF as constituencies and goddess set OF
rascals as ever assumed the rcgns OF
government in any land since the crca
ton OF the world.
From that time forth every scheme
that human ingenuity could devise was
brought into play to impoverisF the
people, to degrade Them to sweep them
from the land The humiliation OF the
race was the ultimate end in view The
various contrivances that the mind
could invent, each successive one more
cruel than that which preceded, for the
materializing OF that most awful pur
pose continued to increase until about
the middle OF the 18th century when the
system was supposed to be perfected,
that is every conceivable device calcu-
lated to rob the people OF their posses
sions, stamp out their religion, debase
their manhood, and destroy every YES
tige OF nationality was in full operation.
1t is maintained that the barbartics in
vented by the Pagan emperors OF Rome
in their hatred of Christianity we're not
greater than those inflicted on the Cath
olcs OF Ireland during the greater part
OF the eighteenth century by the min
ions and officials OF England.
1t would be impossible in a brief ar
ticle like this to give the entire list of
the penal laws. Thomas Davis has
summary OF the most important ones as
follows:
I. Catholics are forbidden to be elect
ed members Of the Irish parliament or
hold any official position in Ireland.
2. All Catholics are denied the liberty
OF voting
3. Catholics who will abstain from
Protestant form OF worship, must pay a
fine OF sixty pounds ($5oo) a month.
4. All Catholics are forbidden to
travel five miles from their houses, to
keep firearms, to. maintain suits at lawor
to be guardians, or executors OF wills.
S. Any four justices OF the peace may,
without trial, Danish amy man for Life, if
he refuses to attend Protestant worship.
6. Any two justices OF the peace can
call any man over sixteen before them,
and if he refuses to abjure the Catholic
religion, they can bestow his property
on his next OF kin who have joined the
Protestant fold.
7. No Catholic cam send his children |
to Catholic schoolmaster, and if he
sends his child abroad he is liable to a
fine of not less than 100 pounds ($5oo)
and the child cannot inherit any prop
erty in Ireland or England.
8. Any Catholic priest coming to Ire
land should he hanged