New-York tribune., 1917-07-23
Ireland and Great Britain

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: You have printed several exceiieh'
letters on the subject of Ireland and Great
Britain in reply to Charles Johnston's article
There was one special effort to deal justly
with Britain by writer who suggested tha'
all the misunderstanding was not on the
English sde that Ireland or her main repre-
sentatives equally failed to understand Eng
land, and, beyond any temperamentai nm
drance or mental obsess!on, continued against
the light Of knowledge to misinterpret her
On this point l would like to add the testi-
mony Of an old English Radical.
When Gladstone achieved his great MS
painful and perilous, task of disestabhsn-
ing the Episcopal Church Of England as the
state Church of Catholic lreland-Glads.one,
q pronounced and enthusiastic Episcopaiian
him self-fought his own party and some OF
his dearest friends TO attain that worthy
object, was there much rejoicing or efusion
of gratitude among the millions OF devout
Roman Catholics in Ireland? l don't re-
member any. As delegate from working.
mans radical association In q section OF
London where we had several fine lrishmen
as compeers it seems to me that small
mean, carping criticism was the main re-
sponse to Gladstone's act.
II is true, Of course, that the state Church
should not have been thrust on them; neither
should the political priests Of that Church
have placed Cavinistc Scotland or dissent
ing Wales under the same ecclesiastical
domination-they fought against it, and be-
lieve Scotland has come from under, but l
don't learn that Wales is yet relieved from
paying tithes 20 state Church she reprdl-
ates the spiritual authority Of.
don't wish TO be msread as eondemring
the Episcopal Church as a great moral force
in the world, containing as it does the names
of as great saints and scholars as any other
branch of the great Christian community; but
a state Church of any denomination is an
anomaly and a hindrance 70 true Christianity.
At the same time, as Mr. Johnston has amply
testified, Mr.. Gladstone, Balfour and other
British minister's have so aided peasant pro-
prietorship that the same agricultural class
in Ireland are in better position now than
those in Scotland, Wales or England. Does
even Mr.. O'Connor acknowledge this, much
less a Sim Fein agitator?
remember the English section OF that
Radical club in Marylebone when-as Charles
Johnston points out-many millions OF Eng
lishmen showed their sentiments toward Ire
land by the party support in helping along
those measures of ameloration we we're
politely informed by the minority of IRISH
men that sit didn't matter what we did we
were all BY Saxons together" This Is ex-
actly the Sim Fein attitude to-day.
Now, finally, as to why Ireland cannot be
left free entirely from British authority TO
govern herself. Who can say the last word
on that subject? Let me ask the United
States people and government why they re-
fused to accept as q permanent foreign
neighbor Spain in Cuba? 1t was too near
her shore. l don't know the geographical
miles, but Cuba is much further off the
coast than Ireland is from Britain, just q
hop, step and jump across the ISle of Man
to North Wales or South Scotland.
AN ENGLISH RADICAL.
Jersey City. y. j., July 10, 1917.