HOME RULE.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1916, Page 6

HOME RULE.

lo the Edito'*. Sir—ln your issue of August 29 we have one U-ttev by 'Catholic Federationist" and another by Dr. James Kelly, each attempting to take the pitli out of my former letter on Home Rule, Respecting 'Catholic Federationist," I .lave only to say that he evidently means well; hut he is far too believing to "be wise. Dr. Kelly, being a 'Doctor of Philosophy, is more crafty in his going, and shows a more twisted spirit. His citations of how "Englishmen of world-wide fame, statesmen, historians, and men of genius dare to disagree with him" (Taylor) is bad, English to start with. The citations, as he gives them, prove more than ho would Let your reader know. The union of England and Ireland was inevitable, that is, it had to come. The then Ministry tried to bring it about by fair means, and when thes« failed, they bought the Irish politicians, stock, "lock and barrel," for £1,200,000! Thus the Irish sold themselves and their country for money, and now tlicy blame the English for having bought them! Henry 1 of England had the sanction of first one Pope and then of another to invade and claim Ireland; England had secured Ireland time and again by force of arms; and finally she bought Ireland from the priests aiul politicians a hundred and fifteen years ago for £1,200,000. There was strife in Ireland from the start of it-; history up to the date of the union in 1801; there has been strife up to the present day; and it is a safe thing to predict that there will, he no peace nor lasting happiness in' Ireland until the priests are put into e back seat, und kept there. Just mark the treatment accorded to a good Catholic who daies to have an opinion of his own. as instated in the case of Mr Quin, of Hawera, who dared to be a man and give an honest expression to 'his conviction. The Catholic Federation had to meet post haste; resolutions passed condemning Mr. Quin, and the s&nie weie wired off to the Daily News for instant publication! ; 'Peopln whose souls are too small ■ . ■ . should hide their ignorance in a mantle of shame, says Di. James Kelly, "and so say all of us"! Dr. Kelly would have your readers believe that I hate Ireland because I speak well of England. Greater nonsense no man could write. Ireland is one of the finest countries under the sun, and ought to' be one of the 'happiest parts of the Empire and one of t'ho richest; and why is it not! It is not, because the priest blocks tlic path of - progress by putting his finger in every pic. Hea'i what an Irish Catholic of a fearless spirit has to say on this question. "As soon as we nchieve our mental freedom, once we assert our independence of the priest in social and secular affairs, then we, Roman Catholic Irish, shall stand on a footing of equality with Protestant Ireland and with the rest of North Europe and North America. When we Roman Catholic Irishmen have won a share in all the administration, social, religious, educational, charitable, and Church work connected with Christianity in our own eountry, then we shall 'have started in the road which has led to success for all other countries who have travelled it, and we shall have removed the universal cause which has produced our. national degeneracy."--I am, etc., J. 0. TAYLOR. .Waiongona, Aug. 29, 1910.