AN ENGLISH OPINION ON HOME RULE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2105, 30 September 1890, Page 4

AN ENGLISH OPINION ON HOME RULE.

A Napier resident (says the Evening News of August 20th) who holds a strong opinion -against Home Rule recently wrote Home expressing his objection to the granting of selfgovernment to Ireland. The other day he received a letter from a brother in Sheffield, from which we have been kindly permitted to make the following extract:

Now for Home Eule —Don’t think I wish to convert you to my views, I want you to judge for yourself. Every man has a right to his honest opinion, providing he has - sufficient knowledge of the subject to be deals with. Now, ;you do not believe in Home Eule as .expounded by Gladstone, Parnell, and Co. Have you sufficient knowledge of the subject to judge? Do you.not see by the action of the Irish parliamentary party what a step has been taken in the right direction ; and what has been for eight centuries smouldering and burning out the hearts of the Irish people, occasionally showing itself in faction, mutilation, outrage, and incipient rebellion, has been removed from the seat of disorder, and brought legitimately before ment? Now I ask you which is the preferable method ? I have on several occasions been in Ireland and can to' some extent speak of the necessity* for a change in the laws. There are no Irish who wish for a severance from England. There is such a lot of cant about “ the sister Isle,” but we live in the' drawing room, and send the “ sister ” to live as best she may in the cellar kitchen. Do you know anything of Irish history? How should we have put up with what they have done? What did Hereward th® Wake and your Saxon heroes do when Norman William wished to change their religion, language, etc.? Can you blame the Irish for doing the same? And now that they are legitimately working for the ends they have in view, can we not honor them for the great advance in political wisdom, and is not this an argument in favor of their being allowed to manage their own local affairs ? I’ll mention one fact. The Falcarragh estate was bought twentyfive years ago for £SOO. The men Who settled on it (almost a bare rock) carried in sacks, etc., or as they could, earth from the bogs, or where it could bo procured, to make fields and gardens round these little holdings, themselves built houses, tilled the soil, and, in fact, created the estate. Now, for the last 15 years the. owner has received £2500 a year, and has gradually increased his rent, grinding down those people until be has got the last farthing out of them, and now they are sent out, the Lord knows where, to die of starvation, or to emigrate. No one can estimate an Irishman’s love for his home or his native land, and is there any wonder if the men who emigrate hurl curses at

the rulers - who allowed them to bo dragged from their home and, severed from kindred for ever ? ,Again, you say that ijU the colonies,you are wishing to be closer to tHe Old Country. That is quite right, for your Imperial interests are identical, providing that you have your system of local government; but you cannot put yourself in .the , same boat as Ireland, for you are but. one of the younger and most affectionate .children - of a very indulgent .parent, whilst Ireland has everbeen a kidnappedchildy beaten and scourged in order to make it love and revere the master, who has not| made its interests identical with hid own. You say Home Rule is a retrograde step. is open ; tO| argument.,, But, admitting -for i;.,the moment that it was jßo,iWo.uld not you, think a man 'who had got on the wrong track a far wiser maU to retrace his steps than to go floundering across country in tlhe hope of hitting, by chanee, bis right road ? You seem to think that all Home Rulers.are looking after No. 1. Did you ever,come across a large body, of • men and recognise purity of motive in the of everyone? Well, my boy, your actions must be very pure, and your eyesight yery keen, if you do; and because you feel tharp's a good deal [ of .jostling in the crowd, and. theiibjg eel gets to the top of the basket, yom try‘to put down my throat (without batter) a cynical view of the world, • which you call “philosophy” andj “ human nature,” and, to cap all, youj tell me “ I known you will not like these opinions,” for the very reason; chat you do not like them yourself, can very well,see s through them, and: feel quite ashamed te be sponsor for: for them. i