Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-04-11
VIEWS ON THE
IRISH LAND BILL
Judge O'Gorman Looks For a
Parliament III Dublin.
INITIAL eILI gG TI EGAE RULE

Irish woaii e,i. says tbe
sevy Tcvs ss4e cecrt jus
tice, UndeF cs4s aa lbs .9at
Of AuasraI.a a a-er@dif
eiyea United @Ae.
rishmen in NaV YORK Gig who have
been prominent 81 the l5i4e fr canse
for years eSpf satisfaction the
Other day over th Introduction of the
Irish land purchase bill in the house
Of commons. and many see ia the prop
osition Of the British government to
help Irishmen buy outright their own
farms. as they have never been able to
do before, the end of the struggle for
redress which Irishmen have wagea
for seven centuries. says the New
York Telegram.
Judge James \. O'Gorman Of the
New York state supreme court, who
has taken an active part in Irish affairs
for years, said:
at is the one sensible step taken by
the British government to overcome
the hostility Of the Irish people. 1t
means much for the future OF Ireland
and means just as much for the future
Of England. For the last 100 years
the demand Of a great majority Of the
Irish people has been for Il local par
lament. Under a wise and %benefcent
imperial government the Irish people
would be content with the same meas
ure Of home rule that the people of
Australia and Canada have had for
many years.
"The only excuse offered by England
for not giving Ireland this measure Of
local government has been an UNI
founded fear and mistrust of the Irish
people. Nothing tends to make a peo-
pie more contented and conservative
than their W possession of the land
of their country. With the Irish PEG
pie owners of the soil of Ireland the
fear of the English people should GER
tainly disappear, and am quite conf
dent that this b~eneficent land meas
ure is but the precursor of a policy
which will result in the restoration of
the Irish parliament, of which the
Irish people were despoiled in 17oS
through the most corrupt methods
known In the history of free govern
ments.
q hail this land measure as the
dawn Of a new day for Ireland and Us
the harbnger Of a prosperity and tran
guilty which the Irish people have
never kAosyn since the invader first
put foot On Irish son 700 years ago.
Heretofore the British government
has pursued a consistently unwise, as
we'll as cruei, policy. which tended ut
OIL times to ALLEVIATE the Irish people.
1t has rarely occurred to British states
men that the strength of the kingdom
might be increased and its glory eX-
tended by adopting a policy which
could win tile love and attachment.
ana even loyalty, OF the Irish people
By. giving them fair and humane treat.
ment
Their industries were prohibited
and persisted because they competed
With the commercial activities of Eng
lishmen. Their institutions were de-
graded and their liberties destroyed.
In their own land they were victims
of a tyranny worse than any ever
known, the record of which forms the
darkest page in the history of Great
Britain.
"The land was depopulated, and to-
day Ireland has less than half as
many people as it had in 1880. TO for
eign lands her eXiled children have
carried in their hearts a hatred of Eng
lish government which has created an
influence bitterly hostile to British
projects in every part of the globe.
fortunately, the indications now
are that the imbecllity and cruelty
which have marked England's past
treatment Of the irish will giTe way
to a wise and progressive policy which
may atone for the wrongs of the past. =