THE IRISH QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2901, 17 February 1891, Page 4

THE IRISH QUESTION.

. _,» Oxi: of the moot potent causes say* the Daily Tulßjmiph of Unionist defeats in Knjrl.md has been, uot refusal of Repeal, hut. the npplicntiou of Coercion. The English people now seo what Irish moon cini do even against their own country, men. They rend of ii Tipperary prieat exhorting: his partisans to " beat out the brains'' of tho I'arnellites ranged nguin.it thorn ; they seo that sticks are used and stouts thruwn at .speakers simply because they take one side or tho other in thin purely liish dispute. Throughout North Kilkenny, »lso, they Hnd Mr Balfour'fl police drawn up in array, nut to oppress thn people, but, to prevent them from breakinir each other's heads. Already we have un example of what this contest H likely to bring forth. Yesterday's '• dhindks" at Ballinakill and Caetlecomer, in which blows were freely interchanged between tho followers of Mr Partiell mid Mr Davitt, and in which the leaders themselves were slightly injured, do not, appear, indeed, to have been very serioue affairs, at, any rate hs such things are regarded in Ireland. It h hardly possible however, that the Kilkenny election will pass without still greater violenco, and no one can be suprised if liven are lost as well as heads broken before tho contest is over. Under these chanced circumstances it is not so easy for Englishmen to denounco " Coercion" with the old generous enthusiasm, ortopraiso tho Irish as a peaceful and patient people united iii their constitutional leuging for Home Rule. An American paper relates the folhnvinp; :—"I paid a bill the other day," said a manufacturer, " without a murmur, simply because of the way it, was worded. My engineer funnd that his hot-water feed pipe wunlcl not work and after pottering at it for an hour sent for n machinist. He bothered with it half a day and concluded it must conns iipiut. I was much annoyed, for that meant the stoppage of my factory fur a lung time. Before I pavn the order to take it to pieces, someone suggested that a neighbouring engineer bo sent for, as he was a sort of 'genius in tho matter of machinery. Ho came, and after studying the pump awhile, ho took a hummer ami gave three sharp raps over the valve. "I reckon she'll go now," he quietly said, and putting on steam "she did Ro." The noNt clay I received a bill from him for 2". dol. ■">() cents. The prien :.iini/.t:d me, but when i examined tho items I drew a chermc at once. Tho bill read this way : "Messrs Blank and Co., L»r to John .Smith. For thing pump, ."50 cents. Fur knowing how, 2o dols." Had he charged mo 25 d'.>ls. r>o cents for fixing the pumn, I should have considered it exorbitant. Hut 50 cents was reasonable, and 1 recognised the value of the knowledge, so I paid and said nothing." The Lyttelton Times and the Opposition representatives profess to believe that a Land tax wnnd suit the settlers better than the Property-tax. The settlers ought to know, said the Times. Behold how they voted out Mr George ISeetham, and put in Mr Hogg; elected Mr Hutchison, and rejected Mr Bruce. The Times would have its readers believe that the Masterton electors who supported Mr Hogg are men anxious to escape the oppression of the Property-tax, and are sighing to have their Land-tax. The Times believes nothing of the sort. It knows quite well that it was not the property-owners who gave Mr Hogg his majority. At the booths whfire he had his heaviest majorities not one in fifty of those who voted for him ever paid a penny of taxation in their lives, except indirectly through tho Customs. It was tho bash-fallers in Pahiatu, Kketahuna and Woodville who returned Mr Hofrg. Just as certain Canterbury politicians acted, no doubt Mr Hogtr led his deluded hearers to believe that if they voted for him instead of a man from whom hundreds of them had received good wages, each would have a splendid section ot his own all at the Uoverntuent expense, and without working for it. It ia disgraceful u> mislead men by such false hopes. But at all events it must not be forRotten that it is not thosii who pay the property t.ix who w:.nt u change, but those wh(-p never paid direct taxation, and who know they will not have to do so even 1 under Mr Uallance's scheme, should the . country be foolish enough to allow him to jeopardise it by passing such a measure, '. Our contemporary should pray that the 1 virtue of veracity may bo conferred upon . it. —'•Christchui'ch Telegraph." f * """