The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1885. HOME RULE FOR IRELAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1326, 11 April 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1885. HOME RULE FOR IRELAND.

The loyalty of the Australian Colonies seems to have made a great impression in England, In speaking on the subject in the House of Commons, Mr Gladstone contrasted the Colonies now with the American Colonies one hundred years ago, when they were driven to rebellion. He said : " When I recollect that just one hundred years ago this country had scarcely ceased to reel under the shock of a great dismemberment of the Empire, which dismemberment was brought about by unfortunate attempts to force on what were then the most important colonies of Great Britain contributions in aid of the public revenue for the military charges of this country, it is certainly a gratifying contrast which is now presented to us. Such attempts uyon these free communities have now become entirely obsolete, and the consequence of the abandonment of untenable claims has been to open a fountain-head of loyalty, patriotism, public spirit, and liberality in the Colonies themselves that has led to the most gratifying and most importaut offers." (Cheers.) — The contrast is certainly most striking. England drove the American Colonies to disloyalty, rebellion, and separation by the unwise poliey of forcing them to pay taxation towards the maintenance of the Imperial army; the Australian Colonies enjoy complete immunity from any such imports, with the results that the very moment they find danger threatening the Mother Country they are ready not only to assist with money, but to shed their blood in her defence. In this there is a powerful argument in favor of granting to Ireland the same freedom which the Australian Colonies enjoy. The very cause which led tin Americans to rebel has its counterpart in Irelnnd in a hundredfold-aggravated form. The American Colonies rebelled for no greater reason than that a tax was levied upon them ; Ireland is rebellious because not only has she to pay a tax many times heavier than America had to pay, but also because every means is employed to crush out hor national instincts. Her trade has been crushed by special Acts of Parliament passed intentionally for that purpose ; a garrison of 50,000 soldiers, besides an army of the most military police in the world, is kept up to assist a tyrannous landocracy to exact from a povertystricken peasantry the last farthing they can produce out of the soil they cultivate; Parliament makes for her .laws of which nine-tenths of her people disapprove ; contumely and insult is being constantly heaped upon her, and, in a word, she is kept in subjection at the point of the bayonet. If Americans received sufficient provocation for rebelling, Ireland

has received much more so ; yet while Amerieans are held up as the champions of liberty, and extolled to the skies for tcliieving their independence, Irishmen, wuo seek not separation from England but merely legislative independence exactly as we enjoy it in these Colonies, are held up by the English Press as the most atrocious scoandrels unhung. By the last mail we received a copy of the Referee containing an article in which Mr Parnell was set down as secretly connected with the dynamitards, and suggesting that someone ought to shoot Mr Parnell as Miss Dudley had shot O'Donovan Itossa. A. short time previously the Times insinuated that the Pope was implicated in the dynamite plots. What drove the } oung Ireland Party lo rebellion in 1848 was that the Priire Minister of the day said that if all Ireland as one man asked for a repeal of the Union it would not be granted. Thu? not only has Ireland bsen wretchedly misgoverned, but she has also been outrageously insulted, and her disloyalty is the result. This is only natural. Let us suppose, for instnncp, that England passed for us in this Colony laws quite unsuitable to us, and insisted upon obedience to these laws by garrisoning town and village armed force : would we sit down quietly and say nothing about it ? We certainly would not. England has refused to annex certain islands in the South Pacific which the Australian Colonies desired to add to their territories, and because she did so colonists have shown a good deal of irritation over it. It was not that England robbed us of anything we pos- | sessed, but as she refused to secure for us territory which did not belong to us we showed signs of discontent. What would we have done if an unjust taw had been forced upon us by buckshot and bayonets? We should undoubtedly have rebelled against it as the Americans did, and instead of being a tower of strength in the moment of difficulty we should be a very sore thorn in the side of England now. The only controlling influence England wields in this Colony is that 6he appoints her own Governor. Considering that we enjoy the blessing of her naval protection, most people will admit that to have the appointment of her own Governor is only just and fair. Yet our present Premier—the Hon. Robert | Stout—has gone to the extent of tabling a motion in the House of Representatives which aimed at affirming the principle that the Governor should be elected by the people. The man who felt that to allow England to appoint her own Governor was inconsistent with true liberty, could easily be converted into a rebel. If he were in Ireland, where all the high offices are filled by Englishmen and Scotchmen appointed by the British Government, he would be a red-hot rebel. It is, therefore, on these grounds that we think England would do a very wise thing in granting to Ireland self-government, America became rebellious because she was treated as Ireland is being treated now; the Australians are magnanimously loyal and patriotic because they enjoy complete liberty. Would it not be better for England to grant to Ireland Home Rule, and make her happy, contented, and loyal, than to keep her in subjection with an armed force of about 70,000 men ? If Ireland had her own Parliament she would not hesitate to send to England assistance in the hour of need as the Australians have done : but she has not, and the result is that in time of war England will not dare to withdraw from L eland the troops Btationed there. As for the truculent, insane argument so frequently used that Irishmen are unfit to govern themselves, it is unworthy of notice. The greatest general England has is Lord Wolseley, and he is an Irishman ; her greatest diplomatist is Lord Dufferin, and hb is j Irish of the Irish ; her most successful Governors of Colonies are Irishmen ; amongst the leading legislators of the Colonies, Canada, and Ainetica Irishmen fill preeminently distinguished positions, and yet it is said they are not fit to govern themselves. They had a native Parliament in College Green before, and no Senate in the world can show such a galaxy of orators : and no country in the world made such progress in national prosperity as Ireland did during the eight years she had her own Parliament. Let us hope for the sake of Ireland ; for the sake of the peace of the Empire, her union and her strength ; for the sake of justice and fair play, that wise counsels will soon prevail, and that Ireland will be granted the only thing that can make her contented and loyal —a Parliament of her own.