HOME RULE.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 September 1916, Page 6

HOME RULE.

To the Editor. Sir,—Mr. Taylor complained bitterly because Irishmen, were allowed to resent their wrongs. When I pointed out that Englishmen said as hard things about the Government's treatment of Ireland as any Irishman could say he marvels at my craftiness! i did not quote Englishmen, as I might have done, to prove that the slaughter of .vornen and children was part oi the avowed policy of the English in Ireland, or that the upkeep of women of shameless life (favorites _of English kings) and their illegitimate offspring .was a charge for years on the Irish revenues. I did not quote them to show that Ireland prospered as no other country ever prospered under its native Parliament, and that from the day of the union—"the blackest and foulest transaction in the history of man"—England systematically plundered Ireland. I state these things now, , and I leave your readers to judge between Gladstone, Dicey, Morle'y, Belloc, Lucky, Fox and Chesterton on the one hand, and Mr. Taylor on the other. No Idoubt he thinks his opinion better than theirs; but he is in a very small minority. " Mr. Taylor says the Irishmen sold their country at the time of the union. Who wore these Irishmen, Mr. Taylor? Were they not the same ascendancy gang who in more recent times have been trafficking with the Kaiser? And does their infamy excuse England's execrable part in the 'bargain? Moreover, he informs us that the Popes authorised the English to invade Ireland. The late Cardinal Moran, who surely knew a little more history than Mr. Taylor, denies this. The Italian historian, Pennacchi, the greatest European authority on Roman history in the last century, says there is no reliable proof of such authorisation. Eellesheim says the documents adduced are English forgeries. Hut no doubt Mr. Taylor is competent to settle the question. Mr. Taylor has a splendid admiration for his beloved England and a splendid incapacity for seeing anything wrong in the systematic Irish murders in "the- imbecile cruelty and sexual filth" that drove Wexford into rebellion. By saying there i 3 nothing to blame in England's conduct he approves of murder and rape. He gives us a quotation from an unnamed "Irish Catholic." Mr. Wright at least gives us the name of his authority, Micky Muldoon. lam not going to discuss the relations between the priests and people of Ireland with an irresponsible interloper like Mr. Taylor; but I will say this much: the priests and people of Ireland are bound as by hooks of steel through" the horrible persecutions they have suffered at the hands of Mr. Taylor's friends, who are not blind to the fact that this union has been the secret of the strength which maintained the spirit of Irish nationality in spite of all the crimes of England. Some people say these outrages are past histiry. What -about the murders by Colthurst, and the present ruthless taxation of Ireland'/ Murder and robbery in present history are surely strong grievances, though Messrs Taylor and Wright think 'We poor Irishmen should beseech the Lord to make us duly grateful for the administration wMiich is responsible for them. lam sorry, Mr. Taylor, but we arc not grateful; nor do we admire men who condone and approve such things. They may be Englishmen, but not Christians. 1 owe it to your readers to support with tho proper authorities some statements I made concerning the misrule of the English in Ireland. For the avowed systematic slaughter of Irish women and children, see Lecky, vol. 1., Froude, vol. x., Cartw M.S.S. Foi the plunder of Irish landowners, see Lecky, vol 1, Hallam, 111, Purke's letter tc Sir H. Langrish; foi the destruction of Irish trade and Irish manufacture, see Hutchinson's Commercial Restraints oi Ireland; for my assertion that a host of royal Get man. French and English concubines:, with their illegitimate offspring, fountain heals of much of the English nobility ot to-day were suported by Irish revenues, see Irish State paper*, Commons Journals', Bedford Correspondence; for the statement that the people of Wo.vford weie driven to light by "the imbecile cruelty and the sexual filth" of the Irange yeomen, see Belloc, History of F.ngland. Mr. tayloi shows he is incapable of polite controversy by accusing me of going to work with' a "twisted'' mind. His statement that the Irish priests sold their country is a. common lie. He tells us that he is no enemy of Irishmen while he pats approvingly on the back the Government which has left in Ireland an unrivalled record for murder, robbery, sacrilege and lust. He approves of these crimes by holding up that Government as a model of honor and justice. With a man of Mr. Taylor's views there i? for a Chri.sl.iaii mi common ground for argument. Men of his type will always find, even among Irish Catholics, many ready to write books which of their nature appeal to a mind like theirs. lam sure he is deeply read in tin. lore of Mchael .McCarthy and similar "nightinen." Un til he has given evidence that at least the Uagrant breath of the ten commandments has not his sympathy to notice his letters is a 'vasto of time—l am, etc., J. KELLY. Opunakc, August 31.

To the Editor. Sir,— Xow that the bigots have disgorged their supply of bile, I may sum up: (1) My statement that the failure of the Homo liule. negotiations is not to he attributed to Mr. Redmond, remains unshaken and unassniled. The breach of faith has come, thank Clod, not from the Engli-h people, the vast majority of whom at Home and abroad are loyal to us and their honorable pledges, but from the English (iovornnient. 1 know that Mr. As!|uith's heart is right. His hands are tied by his Tory colleagues and by the capitalists, who have always been the. enemies of liberty in England as well as in Ireland. (2) My defence ot patriotism has occasioned a great dis-' play of foul bigotry. This f do not regret. The Roman fathers held up monsters of vice before their children to' warn these against the horrors of vice. I Your readers, having now seen to what lengths blind bigotry can go, will understand, as they never understood 'before, j what a foul thing it is, and will be on their guard against it. We are allj united in our determination to save this Dominion and this Empire from the foes against whom we are now warring; but not all of us, alas! are convinced that bigotry within a State is a far more powerful and rapacious enemy than any foe who attacks it from outside. (3) I am proud of those who have written in defence of patriotism. It is the fairest gift of Cfod to us; it demands a clear and dean (Jefenee, and not the meretricious aid of slander or abuse. Their letters are worth preserving. Would that writers generally followed their ,;lean and honorable methods. (4)

"Catholic. Fedcrationist" is neither a Catholic nor a fedcrationist. He could not claim membership in any Episcopal Church; ho denies two most sawed dogmas of Catholic faith, founded ,m the Holy Bihle ■ mid on the authoritative voice of the Teaching Church (Ecelesia Docens). I treated this at some length a few years ago in a published letter on the Epistle of Saint Ignatius of Aiitioeb to the Smyrnaoans. lie repudiates the greatest of the great Letters of Pius X. So much for his Catholicity. He goes directly against a fundamental rule oi the Catholic Federation, which leaves to all its members, clergy as well as laity, full freedom to hold and defend their political opinions, and encourages them to be, and to prove to the vrorld that they are, ardent and devoteci patriots. He is no Catholic Fedcrationist, but a clever anti-Catholic bigot, who, working underhand, would bring abo.it in New Zealand the state of things obtaining in the Church iu Fiance and .England today. In France the regiliov.s were expatriated, the Catholic schools ciose<l, the churches wrested from their owners, mainly because priests kept to their sacristies and were not patriotic enough to stand between the people and their persecutors, Similarly in England: il the priests had been patriots and the leaders of their people the Eight Rev, Monsignor O'.Riordan could not have made the statement, humiliating t( the Catholics of England, which he did make in a great sermon .preached by him on March 17 last before a great concourse in the city oi Koine. F.ngland, he said, had' onlv '1,800,000 Catholics, and out of these 1,500,000 were Irish. If the "turbulent priests" of Ireland could be conMined to their sacristies, Ireland; in this respect at least, would become more Anglicised than it is. (5) I shall he always, according to my ability, willing to uphold in the press as well as in the pulpit, religion, patriotism and anything else that is vital to the individual and to the State. lam not, however, willing to condescend to repel abusive attacks iiipon my own poor person.—l am, etc., P. J. POWER. Hawera, September 1.

To the Editor. Sir,—T «beg to thank Mr. "Wright for liis letter of August 27 in support of Home Bule. 1 have heard many eloquent speeches made by men in and out of Parliament for the last 30 years, but I must say that I never heaid a stronger case put forward in favor of Home Rule than that expicssed in Mr. Wright's-last letter. He says: "Gentle readers, follow me closely." I say the same. Follow Mr. Wright closely, and you will soon catch -up to" him and find him, like Job, caught in a rat-trap of his own make. He says Ireland of to-day resembles Ireland of the past as amich as- Stratford of 1010 resembles Stratford "of 1870. I think that there is a little error here, loi the simple reason that there was no Stratford in Taranaki in 1870. He says that in the last twenty years the face of the country is changed. Self-govern-ment has been established in the shape oi county councils and congested district boards on the most democrat! plan with the most democratic results ever accomplished by any country. This Irish Local Government Board, though much exposed to criticism and •coming in for a fair share of abuse, is ; essentially an Irish board and wholly free from Dublin Castle influence. The Board of Agriculture and technical instruction are ail worked on purely Irish plans, according to Irish ideas. He says "the cringing 'bat-touching, half-starved farmers of IS7O have through this mingy measure of local sclf-govenrmeut been converted into happy, •wclT-fed, independent, progressive farmers." Wi.at stronger argument could anybody put forward in favor of Home RuloY John .Redmond, in his balmest days, could not use stronger expressions in pushing Home Rule, nor could there be any more damning evidence put forth to'iprove English maladministration in Ireland than that expressed .in Mr. Wright's last letter. When he says that a very small particle of purely Irish legislation jhanged Ireland in 20 years from starvation and misery to independence, comfort and prosperity, think, gentle reader, what might be the result if they had a full measure of self-government. What more does Ireland want? What a narrow, small mind! Ireland wants her Oodgiven rights, the same as other countries possess. She wants Ireland governed according to Irish ideas by Irishmen of every shade of politics, of every religion and of every class, to legislate according to Irish ideas with a Parliament such as we have in New Zealand. This legislation would make Ireland a hundredfold more prosperous than she is even now, a Parliament whose legislation would enable her not only to maintain a population of •1,01)0,001), such as she has now, but a population oi 17.001),000 or even 20,0:)0.00<), which she would have now if she were only left her own Parliament, which she was robbed of 11(1 years ago. That is what she wants. I am not, Sir, vain in any sense, but I must confess that 1 feel a bit vain to think of the effect my last letter hud on Mr. Wright, how it roused him from his long slumber. But 1 must give him credit for his honesty, for as soon a< the scales fell from his eyes he hastened to make amends. Hence his letter. Ihit there is one more suggestion 1 would make to him. and that is to, employ the services of an interpreter when reading Dean SPowerV, letters, because it is an old proveri that constant dripping wears away a stone, and 1 am sure that constant milling wears away brains, so it is scarcely fair to expect him to be capable of interpreting Dean Power's letters correctly.—l am, etc., ■> JOHN" DIGOIXP. Icpeerton, August 31.

To the Editor. Shy—Ac'ording to a couple of your correspondents, Catholic priest* have been tiu; cause of Ireland's national degeneracy. ] suppose they mean Ireland, though they say "our.'' 1 would like, to ask them wliat are (lie principal religions of Belgium, France and Ucrmany, a fso where tlie'OrangoMon originated ?—1 am, etc., BUSH BAPTIST. , Oaonui, August 31.