The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-04-13
TORY CATHOLICS AND
HOME RULE FOR IRELAND


Rule for Ireland has been just recently
brought once more into prominent no
tice through the action of the Earl of
Denbigm, one of the Catholic MEM
bers of the House of Lords in display
ing by means of questions in the House
bis opposition to the Government
Irish Home Rule policy. In connection
with this matter the Dublin Freeman's
Journal observes that the attitude as
sumed by Lord Denbigh towards the
Irish National movement is quite in ac-
cordance with the traditional tenden-
cies of English Catholics to be as bit
terly hostile to Ireland's national rights
as the highest mo Popery" Grand
| Master of Orange Lodges, and it recalls
that during the Repeal movement led
by the famous Daniel O'Connell, Lord
Beaumont an English Catholic peer
who owed his seat in the House of
Lords to O'Conne1l Through the Cath
Ollie Emancipation Act obtained by the
work of that great Irishman) thought
himself called upon to denounce the
! Repeal agitation. DO you know who
this Beaumont is?" asked O'Connell at
his next meeting. Why" the mans
name is Martin Bree, though he calls
! himself Stapleton. His grandfather
married a Stapleton for her money and
then changed the name. He was a
Stapleton when / emancipated him.
beg your pardon for having emanci-
pated such a fellow
The Earl of Denbigh, it may be re-
/ noted, was one of the English Catholic
peers and gentry numbering over a
! hundred, who in 1893. published in the
! London Times a declaration against
! Mr.. Gladstone's Home Rule bill. This
remarkable document, which was head
! ed Statement of British Catholic
| Catholic UnioniSts on Home Rule" was
virulent indictment of the Gladstone
policy. 1t denounced the Irish Ma
! tional movement as revolutionary
asserting that 1.-The agitation carried on
in Ireland since 1879 had been based
to a great extent upon principles mani
testify Identical with those of the Euro
pean revolution, so often and authori-
tatively reprobated by the Holy See"
A remarkable feature of this Brit
ish Catholic manifesto against the Ma
tional claims and right of Ireland to
self-government was it's arraignment
of the Irish Catholic clergy as sympa-
thizers with the revolutionary" agi-
tation. 1--WE are aware" said the
Catholic lords, knights and gentlemen,
that some Catholics confidently rely
upon the influence of the Irish eccle
siastical authorities to mitigate or to
avert the evils of such a government, !
chat is. Home Rule for Ireland), but
we must sorrowfully acknowledge that
we cannot share this hope"
AT the same time, however, the anti
Home Rule Catholic Englishmen |
thought it their duty 10 recognize the |
virtues of the Irish clergy outside the |
domain of politics. I'VE have ever
felt" said they, 1.-The deepest admira-
ton for the many signal virtues of the /
Irish clergy. We are familiar with |
their heroic history. We are not UNI |
mindful of the benefits we have re- |
ceived at their hands. We know that I
now, as always, hundreds of Irish |
priests wholly devote themselves to |
their sacred duties and that their Ia
bors bear abundant fruit among their
flock" Nevertheless the undeniable
fact remained that the Irish clergy had
failed to cope with the revolutionary
tendencies of the movement" and the
Catholic Unionists could not forget
the repeated boasts of the extreme |
party that. some of the most eXtrava
CANT developments of their system had
been openly countenanced or tacitly
approved by the majority of the cler
gy. Nor can we affirm" continued the
authors of the manifesto, that these
boasts have been unfounded. We are
unable to ignore the significant cir
duct we have described (the Irish agi
tators) have been able to retain and
now enjoy the appreciation, the favor
and the strenuous support of the ac-
tive majority of the Irish clergy
But even worse than this it was that
the English Catholics could not hope
that the clergy would be able under
Home Rule to avert revolutionary
dangers. I'VE can see no adequate
reasons" said they, for supposing
that under Home Rule the Irish clergy
would be better able to induce their
people either to discard revolutionary
leaders or renounce revolutionary /
courses than they are under the pres
ent Constitution of the United King |
dom. 1t seems to us, on the contrary, L
certain that Home Rule must inevita-
bly, lead to speedy and progressive de-
velopments of the revolutionary spirit,
and must thereby aggravate those very
evils which the Irish ecclesiastical au-
thoritieS have hitherto failed to COM
bat with effect. For a time, indeed,
as politicians, the clergy might acquire
fresh powers by successive compro-
misses with the popular movement, but
those powers, in our Judgment would
fail whenever it was sought
to use them to moderate the popular
passions or to check the popular ca
reer. We believe that under these cir
a section of the Irish peo-
pie must ultimately be brought into
conflict with the church, and we can
not look forward to such a struggle ,
without the gravest apprehensions. 1t
is certain to be fruitful of many scan
dals. 1t may result, as similar strug-
giles in other lands have resulted, in
spiritual calamities, yet more griev-
Ous."
The first name to this British Cath
bic declaration against Home Rule
for Ireland, a proposal of justice cor
daily approved by the civilized world :
was that of the Duke of Norfolk; the
second was the Earl of Denbigh. And I
he revolution which so much scared
these Catholic gentlemen is now an
Act of Parliament in the shape of a
aw authorizing the extinction of land
ordism in Ireland by purchasing out
he landlords.-N. Y. Freeman's Jour
nal.