The Irish standard., 1912-11-16
THE PARLIAMENT
OF HENRY GRATTAN
Accomplished Great Good During
its Brief Existence But Was
Grossly Corrupt.
Swept Away Many of the Clauses of
the Penal Code, Tho Composed
of PrOteStants.
Catholics Were Admitted to the
Franchise but Could Not Sit j..
in Legislature.

The following sketch of Grattan's
Parliament has been contributed to
the Dublin Freeman by Horace Nor
ton, Barrister- r-at-Law:
''Grattan's Parliament was the
Irish Parliament which sat from 1882
to 1900: and it received the name from
the fact that the central figure IN it
was the llustrious orator. Henry
G1attan. who moved the historic De-
claration Of Irish Legislative Inde-
pcndencc in 1892.
The ancient Parliament in Ireland
had been in existence for many CEN
turies before Grattan's Parliament
came into being, but had exercised
only limited powers 1t was restricted
under Poyning's Law to passing such
bills only AS had been proposed by
the Lord Lieutenant and sanctioned
by the King and Privy Council of
England. The English Parliament also
claimed the right TO pass laws for Ire
land, right always denied by Ire
land, but finally asserted by Statute
Of George l.
New Spirit Of Nationality.
English control was further secured
by corrupt system of representa-
tion which filed the House Of Lords
with Government partisans, while the
representatives of boroughs in tho
Commons were largely the nominees
OF the Lords. More than third OF
the Lower House in the latter part
of the eighteenth century held places
or pensions under the Government.
| and were the scrvile tools of the
Castle"
Grattan's Parliament was the out
come of new spirit of nationality
which was springing into life and
! supplanting that of religious bigotry
which had hitherto swayed both
| Catholics and Protcstants The Ro-
,, man Catholics who were the native
race and constituted four -fifths Of
the population, had long been suffer-
ing under the barbarous Penal Code.
Excluded from Parliament and the
franchise, deprived Of the common
rights of citizenship and property,
shut out from the benefits of educa-
tion. and the learned professions, with
every avenue of public usefulness and
ambition closed, they were little bet
ter than outlaws in their native land.
Catholic Loyalty.
i But at the time Of which we arc
writing these laws had long ceased to
! be strictly enforced, and the worst
| features of the code were abrognted
-, by the Irish Parliament in 1878, while
their milder treatment had evoked on
the part of the Catholics a correspond
y, ing sentiment of loyalty.
/ England was embroiled in the AM
| erlcan war, while at home there were
! fears of foreign invasion. Iroland.
anxious to boar her part in the ma
tlonal defense, set on foot volun-
| tecr movement. Thousands enrolled
themselves to defend their country
against foreign and domestic enc
mics" They assembled in armed con-
vention and demanded an independ-
cnt Legislature. The Catholics who
We're precluded from bearing arms,
subscribed money in support of the
movement. The Lord Lieutenant wrote
home that "the practicability of gov
erning ireland by English laws is be-
come utterly Visionary
/ Declaration Of Independence.
! Henry Grattan, foremost of orators
and statesmen. introduced and carried
through Parliament a Declaration OF
Independence. England gave way
promising full concessions. Acts were
j, quickly passed abolishing Poyning'.
Law, the obnoxious statute of George
l.. and, in short, comforting the sole
right Of legislatins for Ireland upor
the King, Lords and Commons of Ire.
land. The Crowns remained united
the Legislatures were hencefor:h tc
be separate, co-equal and coordinate
Nevertheless, England still held tn,
!, reins Of power. There was a fata
= flaw in the new Constitution. Their