The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-09-24
DJJBLINCASTLE RULES
ERIN LIKE GARRISON
Sixtyseven Irresponsible Bodies Under Irish Secretary
Act Without Regard to Public Opinion
By HUGH SUTHERLAND
(Twenty-sixth LETTER.

the real ruler is the premier. who is
invariably the most popular and In
fiuentiaI man in the party which has
carried the preceding election. The
premier is the choice of the people. the
representative of their will; not even
the sovereign can prevent his taking
and exercising the vast authorities Of
the office. In the same way every
member of the cabinet. each of whom
is head of an important department.
is virtually appointed by the people and
is actually responsible to them
In direct contrast with this condi-
tion, the lord lieutenant of Ireland is
named by the crown without the
slightest reference TO the wishes OF the
Irish people. The chief secretary, too.
is thrust upon them. and while some
times he is sympathetic. he can never
be anything but a foreigner. He is
distinctly not the choice of the people,
and the machinery Of Dublin castle is
such that he never is free to carry out
policies which he may advocate.
The under secretary is in many re-
spects more powerful than the chief
who appoints him. He resides In Dub
lin. and is the actual director of the
castle machine. since for the greater
part of the year the chief secretary is
attending parliament in London. The
under secretary likewise is appointed
without any regard to the desires of
the Inhabitants of Ireland.
Under these three o1iciaIs-one a
hgurehead, one member of the Eng
fish cabinet. one a resident secretary,
all appointed by the British govern
ment-the affairs OF Ireland are adj
ministered by great nest of bureaus.
departments and boards. There are 81
OF them-67 costly. complicated. ire
sponsible bodies. conducting the gov
ernmental business of the poorest ma
ton in Europe. and not a single one of
them within the remotest reach of
public opinion.
AS an illustration OF what the Irish
government is, I give a list of the
"67 varietiesc:
Lord HentenaDts household chief secre-
tary Office, state paper department office
OF arms. treasury remembrancer national
sehooi teachers sE1erannuation Office con-
SENATORS Of fisheries. registrar OF petty ses.
sions clerks. general prisons board office Of
reformatory and Industrial schools. inspect
ors OF lunatfe asyluns. public loan fund
BOARD royal Irish eonstabuIary office. Dub
I'm metropolitan police board office
Local government board. board Of trade
customs. inland revenue (stamp and tax.
excise and estate duty Ofhces). stationery
office. intermediate education board a sen
erai valuation and boundary survey of1ce.
board of public works civil service com
mission. land commission, land estates
commissioners. land office of the nuh1ic
trustee. national gallery. department Of
as-ieuiture and technical instruction asb-
cries office. veterinary department. college
OF science. school Of art science and ART
museum. national library
board OF national education. general regis
Ter office. congested districts board. regis
Try of deeds. postofhce department. geolori-
cal survey. commissioners OF charitable do
nations and requests. commissioners of ed,,-
cation In Ireland mot the same as-board OF
national education). ordnance survey In
rra
department. royal naval reserve office
woods and forests office. public record Office
Joint stock companies registry office regis
trar OF friendly societies. office OF the
royal university commissioners OF light
houses. nnacy department. crown and han
aper office, local registration OF title office
record and writ office. consolidated taxing
Oince. consolidated accounting Office. chan
sery registrars office. principal registry Of
nee OF probate. kings bench division office
iord ehaneeilor's court master OF the rolls
court cnancery division court. land judges
court bankruptcy court and admiralty court.
One fact is so vital to an understand
ing of the case that reiteration can NOT
be avoided Not one of these bureaus
oHces and departments is responsible To
the people of Ireland Some OF tbar,
are responsible direct to the British
government: some are merely local
branches OF English departments; some
are responsible in theory to the CHIEF
secretary; but none Of them has any,
thing to fear from. or any respect for
the public opinion OF the county whose
affairs they direct.
There have been in recent years sor,s
49, o1ae4 COASIicutlOus CQleI SeCretarfea1
such as John Morley. Gerald Balfour.
James Bryce and the incumbent. An
gustine Birrell; but it is quite obvious
that they have been helpless in the
grasp of the Dublin castle machine
with its intricate tangle of red tame.
its horde of more than 100000 perma-
nent officials and employees. it's inds-
pendent and irresponsible departments
Despite the imperial parliament. with
its tireless Irish membership. and de-
spite the labors of well meaning chfas
secretaries. Dublin castle rules Ire
land according to its own sweet win
and Dublin castle represents the
minority and despises the majority as
did the cliGues of land grabbing adj
venturers In the days OF the ~planta-
tons.
In Great Britain each department is
represented in the house of commors
by minister, placed there by the peo-
pie OF England or Scotland. as the