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Show English Misrule in Ireland. OMK of the eastern dailies have Sheen sending special correspondents correspond-ents to Ireland to investigate the condition of affairs there. The American Ameri-can reporter finds a strange contrast in the distinction or complete separation separa-tion between the government and the people. Accustomed to our form of government,- which exists for the people's peo-ple's benefit, and depends for continuance continu-ance on our national prosperity, they find it strange anamoly to have all this reversed iij Ireland. What is termed a government in that country is simply a class of officials, appointed by the English ministry. They have nothing in common with the people,. no interests in the country, and are, consequently, indifferent to the wants of the people, to whom they are more or less strangers. Any claim to a share in the public funds for internal improvements im-provements is disregarded, or if granted, grant-ed, as is rarely the case, it is considered consid-ered un p.ct of munificence on the part of the government, which reigns supreme. su-preme. A change of political power in England Eng-land does not mean a change in the government of Ireland. With the ex ception of the lord lieutenant, the secretary sec-retary and lord chancellor, who are subject to a change, all other officials to whom is entrusted the executive work are irremovable. These "vested rights" gentlemen manage public affairs af-fairs as they would their own private interests. Nor do they fail to preserve the old traditions of penal days. The affairs of the counties, which should be in the hands of the people, are directed and administered by the grand jurors who are chosen by the sheriffs who in turn are appointees of the lord lieutenant. This mode of appointment ap-pointment so repelrant to free government govern-ment begets class distinctions. Hence invariably grand jurors are chosen from the landlords. Their duties are: First, to consider bills for damages caused by crimes, or any malicious mischief. Secondly, they have full control of all highways and public, buildings and are empowered to levy taxes for same. The expenditure of this tax, which runs up in the millions mil-lions of dollars annually, is entirely at the disposal of the grand jurors. The people, who pay the taxes, have no voice in the disposal of it. Only in one instance are the people allowed to vote into office their representatives repre-sentatives and that is in the direction and maintenance of hospitals and alms houses. Even this privilege is curtailed, as the government reserves 'the right of appointing an equal number of magistrates as those duly elected. All the detailed work is done by the representatives repre-sentatives of the people, but in the disbursing of money, the government officials take an active part. Home government is confined to this solitary privilege, and small though it is, the general government interferes with its administration, by dictating the I amount of tax that is' to be levied, and prescribing the kind of food the inmates in-mates of these institutions are' to get. Three commisisoners appointed by the lord lieutenant, and known as the local government board carry out the" legal enactments of the imperial parliament. , Their power, is unlimited, and all the accounts must receive the official sanction; sanc-tion; they can compel the chairman to pay items of which he does not approve. ap-prove. This would be equivalent to the government in Washington prescribing pre-scribing for our county commissioners, the food that should be given to the inmates of the county infirmary. What is designated as public works shows the inadequacy, of not the injustice, of English administration in Ireland more than anything else, and when viewed from the American standpoint, where people will not allow any interference with self-government, the injustice becomes be-comes more apparent. The building of a canal, the construction of a railroad, or public highway, or the deepening or I embankment of rivers for certain emer- gencies, the establishment of waterworks water-works for town or city can not be undertaken un-dertaken without a special act of parliament. par-liament. The amount annually spent j seldom exceeds $30,000, whilst the yearly year-ly revenue raised from Ireland for the crown, is nearly $36,000,000. Seeing the I gross injustice done, it is not surpris-! surpris-! ing that local correspondents of some i of our enterprising journals should i : condemn English administration in Ire-I Ire-I land. What parliament can not attend j to is looked after by boards, whose ! members are not- in sympathy with the i people. When the people -demand some rights, they are accused of being agitators, agi-tators, and to remedy the supposed evil, coercion is proclaimed. Until our big dailies sent special correspondents to Ireland to study the different phases of the government and the governed, the American people were unable to form :nn impartial judgment. All their information came directly from London or was taken from the English press. Now the information is direct and the judgment is entirely different. |