The San Francisco call., 1909-09-15

preceding oUt years ndQ DeeH 80
effective that the beginning of the
eighteenth century found Ireland quite
crushed. The land, wealth and politi-
cal power of the country were in the
hands of the English and Protestant
minority; the Irish and Catholic ma
jority were helpless and hopeless, sub
missive to the monstrous government
inflicted upon them. because resistance
meant more massacres and wider starv-
alton
But while the conquest was in this
sense complete, the English garrison"
was not satisfied. 1t deemed it neces-
sary to protect the future, to make i'm
possible the restoration of the stolen
land and stolen rights to the Irish.
Though landless and powerless, they
were still q menace by their very num-
bers and by the spirit of unity result
ing from their common misery and
common religion They must be OUT
lawed for all time. Having been
robbed by every kind of violence. it re-
mained only to give the robbery form
of. legal sanction.
The obvious resort was religious per-
secution-not by the coarse methods OF
the rack and the stake, for these had
simply stimulated faith. whether used
against Catholics or Protestants. but
by the more deadly methods of legis-
lation. To the era of land confisca-
tion, then, succeeded the era of penal
laws. This form of oppression is the
distinguishing infamy of the misgov-
ernment of Ireland during the eight
eenth century.
Some historians believe that 1t would
have been possible to weld the two peo-
pies, at the beginning of that century,
into strong. united nation. As we
have seen. they were widely apart in
social, political and religious SYM
pathies, but under decent and eauit-
able system of government the Irish
would gradually have assimiIated the
minority, as they had assimilated many
OF the early planters" and many OF
the invading soldiery- England and
selves deliberately to widen the breach
instead of bridging it. and thus per-
petuated the enmities and the wrongs
which haxe existed to this day.
The Irish suffered also from the in
herent weakness of the system above
them. They were ruled by the Eng
lish garrison" but the garrison. was
In turn subject to the schemes and
whims of the government in London.
Ihus all sense of responsibility was
submerged in selfish interests Eng
land worked to wiring all she could
from both the peoples in ireland, in
different to the rights of either, while
the garrison" exploited to the utmost
the helpless majority. The Irish had
to bear the double burden.
As to the penal laws, the chosen
weapons Of spoliation during the eight
eenth century. it is hard for Americans
to realize that only 200 years ago such
monstrous. perversions were cloaked
with the dignity and force of legal en-
acfment They were deliberately de-
signed to exclude the majority of the
Irish people not only from political
power. but from free ownership a.
property, from the benefits of educa-
tion and the consultations of their re-
ligfon. No charge was brought against
these people except that they were
Roman Catholics; upon that ground
alone they were condemned. their self
supporting activities hampered, their
most sacred rights prescribed.
TT would not be difficult" writes
Goldwin Smith. the venerable Canadian
philosopher and historian, ito point to
prosecuting laws more sanguinary than
these. But 1t would be difficult to point
to any more insulting to the best feel
ings of man or more degrading to re-
ligion."
A brief but effective summary of the
penal laws is given by Paul Dubois.
Violence" he says, was united to
hypocrisy, perfidy to corruption, and
the highest honors and rewards were
reserved for the apostate and In
former The scope of the statutes
which were passed between 1896 and
170s--he defines thus:
Catholic worship was tolerated, but
only on sufferance. All public cere-
monies and all pilgrimages were pro-
hibited: even bells and crosses were in
terdicted. The ordination of any new
ciergymen was forbidden by law: de-
cree of Punishment was passed against
all bishops and members OF religious
orders, and death was to be their pun
ishment in case they returned to Ire
land Secular priests could not exer-'
else their ONCE under pain of deporta-
tion until they had registered them
selves and taken, not merely an oath
of allegiance. but an oath OF abjura-
ton, which their church forbade them
to take.
Every papist was ordered. under pain
of fine. to inform against his clergy
man. On the other hand, public pen
sion was assigned by the state TO every
priest who should turn Protestant. As
for the Catholic 1aity, they were de-
prived of all political rights whatever.
They were forbidden to act as teachers.
under pain of hanishment They were
forbidden to have their children edu-
Gated. except by Protestants. or to
have them educated abroad. They were
debarred from obtaining any public
employment or practicing any liberal
profession except that of medicine.
They. could not hold property in
land or take land on lease for q longer
term than 80 years. and then only on
the harshest conditions. IL they en-
gagged In trade or industry they had to
pay a special tax and could not employ
more than two apprentices. They were
forbidden to carry arms, or to own a
horse of greater value than f5- They
could not act as guardians of their
own children, nor marry a Protestant
wife, nor inherit an estate from a Prot
estant relative. Moreover, the prop
erty OF Catholic was equally divided
among his children on his death. the
law of primogeniture being confined to
Protestants. The object of this last
provision WAS, Of course. to secure that
il Catholic chanced to make a fortune
ii should soon be dissipated.