The San Francisco call., 1909-09-18

its bearing upon the present day
demand for home rule. we come to
survey of the nineteenth century. The
record is totally different from that of
the preceding centuries. The old order
changes. and changes in a great degree
for the better Hoary abuses are done
away with, mighty reforms are inaugu-
rated: the new system of government.
under the act of union, has a trial OF
100 years, and in the closing of the
century an economic regeneration of
the country is under way.
Yet, if confscations massacre and
persecution have been abandoned. con-
demneG by the spirit of the age; if in
tolerance has disappeared before the
spread of enlightenment, and if "a gov
kernment of landlordism. tempered by
assassination" has been swept away,
there still remain intolerable evils.
and the people of ireland still persist
| in demanding a revolution in their
public affairs.
The making of the union in 1900,
which Gladstone termed the blacklist
and foulest transaction in the history
OF man, simply perpetuated the syste
matte misrule under which Ireland
had labored. The Irish parliament of
sentative body. but it might have been
the basis of a really free legislature
With the union, control of Irish af-
I fairs was transferred to Westminster,
Ireland TO have 100 members of the
! house OF commons and about 80 men,
bers of the house of lords, elected by
the Irish peers. The worst feature was
that Ireland was to be ruled henceforth
by Englsshmen, who had no knowledge
of the country's needs and no SYM
pathy with the people or their insti-
tutions.
Throughout the century. moreover,
English policy toward ireland was
marked by fatal vacillation. Egotisn
and indifference combined to reject
all representations of the people and
to exasperate their spirit. When con-
cessions were made. they were made
in manner to wound rather than to
heal
Events moved always in the same
course. The demands were met at first
by contempt and mockery; when this
became unbearabIe the Irish retorted
with ourhursts of lawIessness; the gov
ernment's invariable remedy was CO.
ercion, the infliction OF sort of mar
tial law which, superseded the orderly
processes of justice and placed the peo-
pie at the mercy of political magis>
trates; tier violence as invariably in
creased until finally, through sheer
terror of general uprising, the gov
.crnment yielded and hastened TO grant
what had been demanded
Your oppressions." said Lord John
Russell to his eountrymen. ..have
taught the Irish TO hate. your conces-
sions to brave you. You have exhib-
tied TO them how scanty was the stream
of your bounty. how fun the tribute
of your fear"
The Land League campaign of 1879
was defiant revolt against law and
order, yet it won signal reform.
a more lawless. more violent. or
ganization has scarcely ever existed
in any country" declares r. Barry
o'Brien. an Irish writer. '1f it had
not been violent and lawless it would
not have succeeded. In 1881
the government surrendered at dis
cretion, and another land act was car
ried amid scenes of law1essness, vio-
lence, anarchy, outrage. panic and
alarm scarcely paralleled even in the
troubled history of Ireland"
If English testimony on this point is
wanted. it is at hand:
'Fixity of land tenure" said Lord
Derby. has fbeen the direct result of
two causes-Irish courage and parlia-
mentary obstruction. The Irish know
it as well asswe. Not all the influence
and eloquence of Mr.. Gladstone would
have prevailed on the English house
of commons to do what has been done
in the matter of Irish tenant right, if
the answer to all objections had not
been ready. How else are we to
govern Ireland@''
Mr.. Gladstone himself, and that is
that without the Land league the act
of 1881 would not at this moment be
on the statute book
Furthermore, the reforms granted
by the British parliament were never
whole hearted measures. AS they were
granted under compulsion. so they
were restricted as far as the govern
ment dared. >If ever country needed
drastic remedies, it was Ireland. Yet
the authorities temporized, vacillated
and made blundering half concessions
that never fully remedied the evils
at Which they were aimed
The century opened ouinously. The
people watched in sullen anger the
extinction of their liberties by the act
of union. In 1903, Robert Emmett, the
bravest and most picturesque of Ire
lands heroes. led despairing revolt
which failed. and died on the -scaffold
with such supreme courage that his
name has ever been dearest to his
race. But the story of this rising
belongs really to the eighteenth GEN.
tury; sit was the last flicker of the
fire of 179S,'' says O'Brien. Let us
examine briefly the condition of the