The mirror., 1922-01-12

little peace between England and Ireland.
The history of the struggle has been a
succession of blunders coming time and
again just when there seemed promise of
improved relations.
Thus the good will engendered by the
aid given by Irish troops to England in
the wars with France was forgotten when
a son of Edward III framed the statute of
Kilkenny in 1867 forbidding inter-mar-
riage of Irish and English and forbidding
also the use of the Irish language. So,
also, in 1895, during the reign of Henry
VII, the wise governorship of the Duke of
York was undone by Poyning's act, pro-
viding that all former laws passed in
England should become effective in Ire
land and that no Irish parliament should
be called without previous announcement
of its purposes.
Again, after the Irish parliament had
given Henry VII the title, "King of Ire
land" monasteries were suppressed and
tribute to the papal see abolished. And if
anything of good which had gone before
remained undone when Elizabeth crushed
the great rebellion it was undone by the
wholesale confscations which followed
and which were continued under James !,
who based his action on technical pre-
texts. These produced new attempt to
throw off English rule, but Cromwell in
1649 deliberately confscated the property
of Catholics, and it was alleged that TO-
900 Irishmen were sold as slaves in Amer
ica.
New hopes were crushed by the victory
of William III during the English revolu-
ton of 1888, but even then had promises
of religious federation made in the famous
treaty of Limerick been kept, there might
have been chance for peace. Limerick
is known today in Ireland as "The City
of the Broken Treaty" More lands were
confscated.
England seemed for time to learn the
lesson taught by the American revolution.
Poyning's act was repealed in 1888 and
many of the Irish demands were met.
When attempts were made to press others
they were vigorously repressed, and at
tempts by France to help ireland resulted
in the declaration of martial law. Dis
covery of an organization of 100000 Irish
men, known as the United Irishmen, de-
termined England to unite the English
and Irish parliaments. When the attempt
failed through refusal of the Irish parlia-
ment to consent, England procured pas
sage of the union act in 1890.
This proved to be one of the greatest of
blunders in that it not only undid what
little had been accomplished in the past
but prevented the success of many subse-
quent moves toward conciliation. 1t rem
dered ineffective, as a peace move, the
emancipation bill passed under George w.
1t was followed by still another blunder,
the coercion bill of 1888 which forbade all
assemblies, proclaimed martial law and
sent over from England an army of 36,-
900 men and 5000 armed police. The act
was soon repealed but its effect remained.
Famine in 1S45-46 combined with many
disappointments seemed to break the spirit
of the Irish, but O'Connell and his follow
ing remained active, the Young Ireland
party surviving O'Connell and attempting
to take advantage of the French revolu-
ton of 1S4S by an arrangement with the
provisional government at Paris. This
move was promptly suppressed, and i'm
proved economic and agricultural condi-
tions seemed for time in fair way to
do what craftsmanship had failed to do
The Fenian government, however, origi-
mating in America during the civil war,
eliminated in a riot in Dublin in 1864
and produced so much agitation that Eng
lish statesmen determined to undertake
amends. Disestablishment of the Irish
ProteStanf Enisconal church and imDroyed