New-York tribune., 1900-04-23
THE GRIEVANCES" OF IRELAND.
AN ULSTER MAN SAYS THEY HAVE BEEN REN1D-
DIED

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: AS seems 20 have answered the ques
ton recently asked in your columns by Atlanta
reader as the present grievances of Ireland"
perhaps one who spent twenty-siX years of his life
in ireland and a member of the Land League
(avoidfng the extremes of The Home Rule League
and the Orange Society may be allowed to
press Of his views.
! make bold 20 say that the Irish people as
whole have now no real grievance that calls aloud
for reform any than the people OF England
and Scotland haze. Those who have been writing
The Tribune this question have dealt with
the past wrongs OF Ireland that have all been rem
eded Sc far Il possible 10 do 81. No one de-
MES that much Of the Legislation Of the lnsh Par
vicious anG cruel. but is IL just TO hold
the English people of to-day responsible for the
acts of the Irish Parliament the last century,
Us IT tust to hold tie England of to-day-a gov
ernment of the peopie-responsible even for the
acts of the English Parliament in the last century.
when the country ruled by the governing
classes under constitutional forms and when the
masses OF the people were deprived Of political
power7
Can any fair minded Irshman deny that more
and more political power came into the hands of
the people of Great Britain the result has been
more and more beneficent legislation for Ireland?
The trouble IN Ireland IS that there is too much
prea ching of the gospel Of discomfort. ASK any
law abiding Irishman to-day what grievance he
has that is also part OF the lot Of the English
man or the Scotchman. and he cannot truthfully
say that he has any. But the chances are that
some OF the irreconcilable malcontents Will prompt
him to say: But what about the cruelties OF
Cromwell?" If ireland had Home Rule tomorrow
the ''crueltfes of Cromwell" would stil be a con-
yenient text for denouncing England. This shows
the impractical nature OF the ITishman. The
Scotchman OF to-day IS practical. He knows the
rrefent day Engishman Is not to blame for the
cruel persecution OF the Covenanters two hundred
years ago, for tho corruption and fraud by
which the Parliament OF Scotland was merged In
1907 in the Parliament at Westminster.
Mr. X a DraarlCal lr7Shru2n
rot dwell the former wrongs Of Ireland. but
with the grievances of his own day that still
Unredressed. The American negro shows more
judgment IN matters OF this kind than tho irrecon-
ctlable Irishuen. Our negroes do not go up and
do.n the country preaching disloyalty to the
United States because Of the cruelty and oppres-
sion to which the slaves were subjected. under
sanction Of the law. only forty years ago. The
negro has equal rights with the white now,
and be knows that the crlelties which were in
fiicted on his ancestors can never De remedied.
Why cannot the Irishman take the example In
this respect of the coored man?
But gays. ireland has not an Irish
legislature" True. but neither has England its
own legislature; nor hrs Scotland. The Parliament
that sits at Westminster Is the Parliament Of the
United Kingdom IN the case Of Ireland there S
70 such thing as taxation without representa- ton.
for Ireland IS only fully represented at West
minister. but has % per cent more members than
her proper quota. On the basis Of population she
is entitled to but 50 members yet she has l03.
but sixty-two representatives IN Parliament. When
the Home Rule movement WIS started BY Isaac
Butt in 1870 there many who supported him
On the ground that there seemed 70 be no other
way than by Of Irish Parliament 20 re-
dress the grievances OF the Irish and put them on
footing Of equality with the people Of Great Brit
ain. But the Legislation OF the British Parliament
since that has removed practically all the
grievances that existed In 1870 An Irisfman has
now more right TO complain than has an Eng
District Councils and the voting qualification
FOR these is the the Parliamentary all
over the United Kingdom 1t is doubtful II there
are three fths of the Irish people who really
Home Rule. luxury which would burden q poor
least s, 10000 year. while there are two-hfths
OF The people who were uDalterably opposed 10 the
Experiment and would raise the standard Of civil
war II 81 were passeo .
university endowed by the State To remove an
admitted grievance Of the Irish Catholics Mr. Glad
stones first Parliament disestabished and olsen
dowed in 1853 the Church of England in Ireland
and thus put all religious denominations on com
mon level The same act abolished the Maynooth
Grant to the Catholics and the Regfum Donum 70
the Presbyterian ministers. giving each fourteen
years purchase of the annual amount as compen-
sation. But the Catholics raised demand for an
endowed Catholic university. The situation
sentence: The Roman Catholics. having reduced
Ireland o a spiritual desert, dscontented and
have a grievance. and they come to Parliament in
order that we may create blooming Garden OF
Eden for them
II would be useless for the Catholics Of Indiana
TO ask the Legislature 70 endow q university for
them for Il would be unconstitutional to do this
AL religious denominations no more on level
IN Indiana than they are IN Ireland; why should
- religious denomination be singled out for State