St. Joseph's Men's Club Dunedin

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 18, 2 May 1907, Page 30

St. Joseph's Men's Club Dunedin

At the meeting of St. Joseph's Men's Ckfib, Dunedin, on Friday evening, the inauguial address was delivered by the Rev. Father Coffey, Adm. (president). -Mr. T. Dctohan presided, and there was a very good attendance. The subject chosen was ' Home Rule,' "which, as the rev. lecturer explained in his introductory remarks, was a live qwestion at the present time, and one Which they were lively to hear a great deal aUout within the next few months., and hence no apology was necessary for" bringing it forward that evtni'm.j,. In order to fully understand the demand for seli-gav eminent by Ireland it was necessary to go back and consider the true position which Ireland and her Parliament occupied in regard to England in the year 1753, wiien, guided toy the genius of G<rat>tian> and Flood, she obtained her lepislati've independence. '1 he lirst successful attempt made by the English Parliament on the indt/pend/ence of the sister parliament in Ireland was in 1494 by Pojn'ings' Law. Sir Edward Poynings was sent over to Ireland as" lorddeputy with a force of 1000 men and a number of judges and otbe: officials, whom he l immedia'tely installed in office. In, the following year he summoned a Parliament in Dro£hcda,- which among other things enacted ' that all statutes lately made in England affecting the public weal should be good and effectual in Ireland,' and also that no Parliament should be held in Ireland until the chief governor and council had first certified to the King the Acts they designed \o pass, and till the same was approved by the King and Council. This legislation was the death-blow to the independence of the Iriah Parliament, which was thus debarred f~om legislating for the welfare of the country. During the three hundred years that followed, the iniquitous Penal Laws in all their intensity were fully enforced. In the year 1719 a further encroachment was made on the liberty of the Irish Parliament, when the English Parliament passed what is known as ' The declaration of George 1.,' wherein, among other things, it was enacted' ''that the said Kingdom of Ireland hath been, is, and of right ought to be dependent on the Tmj:e ial crown of Great Britain ; . . and that the 'Kind's Majesty, with the advice of Wie Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons of Great Britain, hath full power and authority to make laws and statutes to bind the people pf the Kingdom of Ireland.' An attempt made by the King in 1746 to seize the Irish reserve was defeated, and this incident ga\ c heart to the Irish Parliament. On the outbreak of the American war in 1775 Ireland armed her volunteers, and -within a very short time had a well. drilled force of 100,000 men. Then came the demand for free trade and the full constitutional independence of the Irish Parliament. The resolution in support of fiee trade was introduced in the Irish House of Commons by Henry Grattan, and was carried amidst the utmost enthusiasm. An Act embodying, this resolution was passed during the following year in the En lish Parliament. Tn 1780 Grattan, in a great speeoh, moved in the Irish House of Comimions, ' That no* power on earth, save the Kdng, Lords, and Commons of Ireland has a rip-ht to make laws for Ireland.' At the suggestion of Flood the resolution was not put to the vote. The following year C 1782) was a memorable one,— the year of the conv\enI'iOir of the volunteers at Dungannon, when resolutions in favor of free trade, religjous freedom, and upholding the supremacy of the Irish Parliament in 'Ireland were passed. Two months later the substance of the Dungannon resolutions was embodied in an amendment 1o the address-in-reply at Mi© oneitne of the Irish Parliament by Grattan, and unanimously agreed to In May, 17(82, similar resolutions we -e ' introduced I ' and passed in both Houses of Parliament in England This decision of the English Parliament was received

with outbursts of gratitude in Ireland, as the concessions were looked upon as an unconditional surrender on the part of England of all claim to govern Ireland. To show t)<o-ir gratitude the Irish Parliament voted 20,000 men to the British Navy,' a sum of £100,000 to fit them out, anid to Grattan £50,000 to purchase an estate. Dombts havine arisen as to whether •the Act of George I. was repealed by th« resolutions referred to, an Act was passed by the English Parliament in 1783, which, among matters declared. ' That the right claimed by the Irish people to be bound .only by the -laws enacted 'by his Majesty and the Parliament of that- Kinpdom J in all cases whatever, 'also all law cases, shall 'be finally 'decided *tin that 'Kingdom/ of Ireland without appeal from 'thence. These rights shall be, and it is hereby declared to be, established for ever, and shall at no time hereafter 'be questioned or questionable.' This was the day of Ireland s« greatest triumrih. But no sooner was this great concession won, than British statesmen set afoout devising means for destroying the legislative independence of Ireland. The constitution of the Parliament offered the readiest means for carrying out this object. Four-fifths of the people (the Catholics) were excluded from all share in the representation of.- the oountry. Of tiie 300 members of the House of Commons only 72 were returned by the people, 123 sat for nomination boroughs, and o>nly rep-esented their- patrons. Fifty-three peers appointed these legislators, whilst fifty Commoners nominated 91 rn'erii'bers. 'The Irish Parliament incurred the displeasure of Pitt over the appointment of a regent, and that unprincipled statesman determined on its destruction by the most treacherous -.schemes ever practised by a Minister of the Crown. He drove the country into rebellion, set his agents to corrupt the representatives with promises of money bribes, and to win over their patrons with money grants anid titles. The great fight made by the patriotic party for the independence of Ireland and the < unblushing bribery and political corruption practised by the Government were graphically described by the rev. lecturer. But the unlimited resources of Pitt, assisted by Castlereagh, and Lord Clare, eventually carried the day. On February 15, lflOO, Loijd Oafetlettreagh formally brought the project of union before the House, and after seve'al able debates the articles of union were assented to by both Houses on March 22. They were passed by the English Parliament on May 9 and came into force on January 1 1801. On that day Ireland ceased to be a distinct kinaiom. . The very instructive address was listened to with the closest attention, and on the motion of Mr. H. Miles seconded by Mr. E. W. Spain,, and supported by • brother Brady, a hearty \ote of thanks was passed' to Rev. Father Coffey.