Show CURRENT TOPICS IN EUROPE Itis It is is often asked why England should have such an enormous dim dim- difficulty difficulty culty in governing Ireland and many writers of eminence have endeavored more or less satisfactorily satisfactorily to answer this question Mr Samuel amuel R Gardner in his interesting work The Civil War of the Sixteenth Century attrib attrib- attributes attributes attributes utes the difficulty to two causes causes- causes first the imperfect conquest of Ire Ire- Ireland Ireland Ireland land by the N Normans and secondly the rapid assimilation of the first population conquerors with the native tion N Neither either of these reasons can be considered as conclusive because they would equally apply to the conquest of England itself by the Normans William the Conqueror and his bis immediate descendants had bad to deal with an imperfect conquest in England and it did not require many generations to turn the Nor Nor- N Norman Norman or- or orman man barons into Englishmen In England and Ireland the same political phenomena present them them- themselves the selves selves the assimilation of the na- na nati natives na natives ti tives ves and the invaders We must therefore seek to find the reasons of Irelands Ireland's unrest in other causes Both countries had submitted to a Norman conquest but the process by which England had been welded into a nation only served to the distractions of Ireland Between the conquest of England and the conquest of Ireland there was nothing in common but the name I In n England the army kept the petty chieftains in check but in Ireland every man whose wealth or influence was sufficient to attract around him a band of armed men was in possession of a power which knew no limits except in the supe supe- superior superior strength of his neighbors Every cable e became a centre whence mur mur- murder murder murder der robbery and disorder spread over the wretched country like a flood Against these armed offend offend- offenders offenders offenders ers no law was of any avail for no authority was in existence to put it into execution Each petty chief with his bis little knot of armed follow follow- followers followers followers ers was ready enough to repel inva inva- invasion invasion invasion sion from his own soil but by no DO means eager to assist his neighbor against the common enemy If he had any interest in the conflict he would willingly see his rival chief humbled by the powerful stranger from England A Fitzgerald erald an ON ONeil O'Neil eil a Bourke or an ODonnell O'Donnell cared little for the fate of the theother theother theother other chieftains of the neigh neigh- neighborhood neighborhood It mattered little to the unfortunate peasants who tended their r cattle over the bogs and mou mountains from which race their oppressors sprang Every Every- Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere where bloodshed and confusion pre pre- prevailed prevailed with their usual attendants misery and famine Occasionally a spasmodic attempt was made to en- en enforce en enforce force foree the laws in Ireland but the I effects of these attempts passed pas away LL las as soon as the forces were with with- withdrawn withdrawn drawn and at last when the war of the Roses broke out ont they ceased altogether In the meantime laws had been enacted prohibiting per pr- persons persons sons of English descent from marry marry- ing marrying with the natives wearing their J dress or adopting their manners These of course only tended to g widen the chasm already existing R between the races The danger which England incurred from foreign powers in consequence of the Reforma Reforma- Reformation Reformation Reformation tion compelled the English gov gov- government govy government y to draw its attention to Ireland That Ireland should forman forman form an independent kingdom was mani- mani manifestly manifestly impossible The only ques ques- tion question was whether it should be a de- de dependency dependency de dependency of England or of Spain i Unhappily Elizabeth was not weal weal- wealthy wealthy wealthy thy enough to establish a govern govern- government government ment ment in Ireland which should be just to all alike Much was left to j i I chance and brutal and unscrupulous adventurers slaughtered Irishmen and seized upon Irish property at random It is easy to be seen that the weakness of the central govern govern- government government government ment and ri rivalry valry of the petty Irish chiefs have had much to do with the chronic state of disorder in Ire Ire- Ireland Ireland Ire Ireland land The conquerors like the con con- conquered conquered conquered were Catholics during many manyi i stumbling that the stumbling block stumbling block j jin in the Ireland could not have been religion The The religious barrier between the two countries was which natu natu- naturally naturally an growth after-growth was ray rally the consequence of England's England acceptance of Protestantism and J Ireland remaining Catholic From Fromm i ithe the time of William the Conqueror Ii F to the reign of Queen Elizabeth Catholicism was the religion both of Jj EnglIshmen and Irishmen England Some of the difficulties that Eng Eng- land has always experienced ed in governing Ireland may be traced to the prevalence in the latter country A of the tribal system of property the memory of which haunts the Irish peasant even at the present day According to this system the land was the common property of the K tribe individual ownership being n unknown Although this system 3 has long been superseded by indi indi- individual individual All vidual ownership the Irish peasant still retains 4 t o the t-l- t idea that 1 the k 4 ln land Is to his by hereditary birthright of which he cannot be deprived with with- without without without I out gross injustice Hence it would seem that peasant proprietorship of the land is the only method of mak mak- making making making ing English rule tolerable in iu Ire Ire- Ireland Ireland Ireland land Theres nothing like leather should be a standing toast among British criminals as well as at the convivial meeting held by curriers tanners and aud members of St Crispin's craft Thieves s might appropriately pour out libations lu iu its honor and banqueting burglars drink with en- en enthusiasm enthusiasm en enthusiasm to its world-wide world friendliness friendliness friendliness ness Leather when utilized by human iud industry to constitute the sole of an English policeman's boot boot r is the habitual malefactors malefactor's best friend to which he lies under countless countess and inestimable obliga obliga- obligations obligations obligations The sound of its creaky a tread distinctly audible at consider consider- considerable considerable considerable able distance conveys to the bur bur- burglar's burglar's burglar's glar's attentive ve ev ear e y timely warning of the approach of that able able- able bodied functionary who is sup sup- supposed sue supposed posed to protect the life Ufe and am prosperity of her Majesty's Majesty s subjects The surgical evidence adduced at atthe a athe athe the inquest upon the mangled re- re remains re reA remains A mains of Alice McKenzie leaves leave no doubt as to the fact that the as as- as assassin M sassin Bassin of that hapless woman dis dis- disturbed disturbed disturbed in his work of carnage by bythe b the creaking of a policeman's policeman s heavy boots forewent the full accomplish accomplish- accomplishment accomplishment meat ment of his of multila multila- tion and promptly took to flight thus effecting his bis es escape ae with ease ease I and security probably only a few fesi t seconds before the policeman policeman's s appearance ap ap- appearance on the scene of slaughter f Had the officer of the law been shoe shod upon different principles had principles had the theIs soles of his boots been made of In I n- n in dia rubber dia-rubber in any material materia r r that would have enabled him to tc Is 3 pace his beat noiselessly instead of off o f signalizing his whereabouts to every night wanderer within a radius of at at least thre three hundred yards the mur mur- murderer murderer derer would probably have been caught red-handed red and arrested in in- in- in instead instead instead 5 Crim Crim- Criminals stead of getting off scott-free scott inala by profession unfortunately for honest people are often extreme extreme- extremely extremely ly astute and ingenious persons whose detection in many cases can only be effected by surprise What hope can be reasonably entertained that such merciless wretches as Jack the Ripper can be handed over to the strong arm of the law lawso lawa lawso a so long as the faithful servants of the people are hindered in the quietude and quickness of their movements by the creaking and clumsiness of of their gear foot-gear The condition of affairs in Egypt are such that an active agitation agitation- is iain in progress in Government circles y concerning the early construction ai of a railway into the heart of Africa In the late bat bat- battles battles battles in Upper Egypt there is no doubt that Gen Grenfell in inflicted in- in inflicted flitted upon the dervishes a terrible loss but it by no means follows that they will consider themselves permanently per per- permanently permanently beaten On the contrary it is nearly certain that as soon as the troops are sent back to Cairo s another horde of dervishes will make its appearance and by threat threat- threatening threatening threatening ening the e Egyptian outposts 8 com- com comfor compel pel Grenfell to send again to Cairo r for r reinforcements and to tr fight his battle over again The rhe Mahdi's re- re recourses re courses in men are very much greater than those of the Anglo Anglo- Egyptian Anglo Egyptian commander and like all fanatics fallati the dervishes are slow to believe themselves beaten In fact d the insurrection is apparently no nearer its end than it was two years ago and there is no pros pros- prospect prospect that it can be crushed by Ey merely defensive operations It is from the Soudan that the re resources re- re resources resources sources of the are drawn The occasional defeat o 0 of two or three thousand of the Mahdi's fol followers fol- fol followers lowers on the border of Lower Egypt is a matter of very small sm-lI consequence to him so long as his control of the Soudan Boudan remains as absolute as ever and as long as the theY r Koro Korosko ko desert remains n a practically practically Y ally impassable barrier between the British troops and Khartoum If r however the lake region was II l sible by rail from the east coast an expedition could march rapidly through the healthy uplands upland of Uganda to Gon ing the river to Khartoum capture it with very little difficulty Not ot only would the insurrection be thoroughly and permanently putdown put down but the vast region of the Soudan which Baker and Gordon held for the Khedive and civilization civilizations would he won back Philanthropists who have long toiled for the abolition of the slave trade would hail the completion of an African railway with unfeigned joy joyas as it would mark the beginning be inning of the downfall of that inhuman traffic traffic fic There are those who declare that only with the railway rail way can ean the slave trade be abolished and the der der- dervish dervish dervish vish rebellion crUl crushed hed No wonder the project meets with favor from the leading leadin leading statesmen both of Great Britain and the Continent J J H WARD EUROPE Sept 1889 6 |