Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1921-03-17
CONTRAST
Condition of Affairs Prevailing in
Ireland One Hundred
Years Ago.
Daniel O'Connelrs Letter to People
Would Now Apply
With Force.
System of Outrage, Robbery, Muir
der and Assassination
Commenced.
KING MADE MANY PROMISES.

If for no better reason than that
of curiosity, 1T is often interesting |
to contrast the condition of affairs /
in ireland in any given year with |
the conditions prevailing in the |
same year of the previous century
On looking into some records of the'
year 1921 | was astounded to find
everywhere references to raids for
arms. shootings. proclamation OF
disturbed areas" protests against
Government tyranny, the Govern
'ment's double policy of coercion
and Cancellation, etc An interest
ing document of the period is Dan
iel O'Connell's pastoral letter to the
Irish people. dated Merrion Square,
Dublin, January /, 1921
Although the letter deals almost
entirely with the then burning
Catholic question. nevertheless it
contains some remarks on the state
of the country and the policy of
the Government that would apply
with equal force in 1921. Eel
low-countrymen," wrote the Liber-
ator. 1--WE have lived another year,
the victims Of causeless injustice.
Our lives wear away. and we still
continue aliens in our own land.
Everything is changed around us.
Our servitude alone is unaltered
and permanent. To the Sc
verest of injuries is added the most
cruel of insults, and we are de-
prived of the miserable consolation
of thinking that our enemies deem
Themselves justified by any neces-
- finn 7 O
our degradation"
One would think O'Connell had
in mind the Lloyd George coali-
ton when he wrote of the No
Popery administration Of Lord Liy-
erpool From our eXertions we
can expect no relief; can we hope
for any redress from Parliament?
In my conscience | think not
whilst the Parliament remains in
| It's present most unanimous state"
On the system of Justice" pre-
vailing at the time, the great Agi-
tator makes a comment that has
lost its application with the lapse
of century. He says; "A man
has only himself in the situation OF
being prosecuted with a certainty
that his prosecutors shall also be
his judges. Can anything be more
frightful?"
"But shall be asked If l adj
wise you TO lie down beneath your
grievances in sullen silence and
despair" he continued. "No, my
loountrymen=no we will not, We
ought not despair. There is a rest
less spirit of liberty abroad. which
IL ii will submit to just necessary
and temperate regulation must leat
10 good. Let us not disturb III
course or retard it's progress. -
1t was his sensational "reply' Il
; this letter that first brought the
great orator, Richard Lalor Shiel
Into prominence in Irish politics
| "Either from personal vanity, or ;
desire to break a lance with mar
so famous as the Liberator, he ven
tnred the dangerous experiment o
attacking him." writes one of O'COn
nell's biographers, "Truly / am a
loss 60 know how | could hav'
provoked the tragic wrath and nobl
! ire of this iambic rhapsodist" wrot
! O'Connell in reply. II was the sam
| 'rhapsodist" that O'Connell de
scribed, years later, as "MyNeloquen
& young, friend, whose power Nand &c
MUS were unequaled by the orator
of Greece and Rome in the days o
] their brightest glory"
The year 1891 was signalized b
a Royal visit TO Ireland Georg
Nv. landed at Howth on August /.
: and received kindly welcome. i
freturn he made many plausibl
promises TO the Catholics 9TH
gaudy and hollow bubble of concilif
ton soon burst, and system {
outrage, robbery, murder and assas
nation commenced. scarcely TO B
paralleled in any civilized country,
says the annual register for 1872
I'In various parts of the country,
1.-THE register further chronicle
"midnight meetings and robbery (