The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-12-11

AHey Adu AOPCO W ''e COlHpleLely eA-
empted from the severe laws that ex-
listed before, and enjoy the privileges
contained in the treaty. King William
was resolved to adhere to the princ!-
pies embodied therein so much so that
there was, through his commands, \
proclamation issued by the Lords JUS
tices in Ireland commanding "all off,
GERS and soldiers of the army and mill
tia and all other persons whatsoever
to forbear to do any wrong or injury,
or to use any subjects, whether of the
British or Irish Nation, who taking
the oath of allegiance and behaving
according to law, should be deemed
subjects under their Majesty's protec-
ton, and be equally entitled to the
benefit of the law"
This had the temporary effect Of
giving some satisfaction to the Irish,
who, under the new law, were restored
to a good many of their estates. 1t
wos not long destined, however, for
the Catholics to enjoy this measure
of justice for. a very long period, 70,
on the Treaty being submitted to the
English Parliament 1t was only met
Nth contempt and scorn. The Parlia-
ment broadly stated that with such a
leople as the Irish no laws or treaties
were binding, and therefore the ar
ticles contained in the Treaty of Linn
crick were not to be observed.
In further violation they introduced
a series of laws, directed mainly
against the Catholics, the severity
and injustice of which were without
parallel William Of Orange endeav-
ured to check this tyranny by assem-
Hing an Irish Parliament in Dublin.
The bigotry Of. the Protestant men,
bers of this Parliament, who were n
the majority. was so ardent that they
determined they should not be easily
smothered down. whereupon, jn order
to more readily proclaim their views
against the Irish, tssy passed an act
imposing new oath.&%This oath made
it necessary for the Catholic members
before being permitted to legislate in
the Parliament of their own countr.y
to renounce the spiritual authority OF
the Pope, the doctrine of transsubstan-
tiation and other fundamental articles
of their creed. In the face of these
disgraceful conditions the Catholic
membeEs withdrew, and no Catholic
from that day. ever took part in the
legislation Of ireland until the Eman-
ventlon of further growth of Popery
were rapidly enforced from time tu
time. Edmund Burke, speaking of the
Parliament, says: "The code against
Catholics was Il machine of wise and
elaborate contrivanoe, and as we'll
fitted for the oppression, impoverish-
ment and degradation of people and
the debasement in them of human ma
ture itself as ever proceeded from the
perverted ingenuity of man."
The 100 years following the intro
duction of the Penal Code was one OF
gloom and misery for Catholics. They
were made mere slaves of, and seemed
to have lost all courage and all desire
er many heroic struggles they ap-
Feared to surrender all claim to indc-
pendence. They were forgotten race
by the. other European nations, and
might be considered wiped out of ex-
istence.
At first the struggle between the
Protestant and Catholic assumed a
mere political character, but it was no
longer looked upon in such a guise,
after the passing Of the Popery Act.
Elizabeth's cruel and crafty policy
was renewed with Wgor after the in
PRODUCTION of this measure. Jesuits
monks and friars we're banished and
forbidden to set foot on Irish shorc
under pain of death Rewards were
offered for the discovery Of bishops
and priests.
Yet they lived They had only one
token of nationality, namely, the crude
s:ltars of the glens They had few
hunted priests officiating for them in
the mountains and woods. There dur
ing the dark nights under the canopy
OF heaven, before a tude crucifix, they
often knelt, one stanhing on some pro-
jecting rock or peak, or at the en-
trance to a wood, ready to give the
alarm If he saw the reward hunters
coming to devour them. This alone
saved the Irish Nation, for is it not
TO the bOgs, morasses and mountains
we must now turn 10 what is left of
the old stock, upon whom so much de-
pends the building up again of the
,eritable characteristic of our nation
ality, namely, the language of the