Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (1 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)Hurlbert, William Henry
History
Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (1 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)
Hurlbert, William Henry
Ireland -- Description and travel; Ireland -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901
On the margin of the pages which record these statements, certain
indignant Catholics have pencilled comments, the mildest of which is to
the effect that Sir Francis was "a most damnable liar." It is certainly
most unlikely that Catholics should have arrogated to themselves the
Church's function of combating heresy and schism in the fashion
described by Sir Francis. But without mooting that question, these
expressions are noteworthy as showing how just such proceedings, as are
involved in the political "boycottings" of the present day, must be
regarded by all honest and clear-headed people who call themselves
Catholics; and it is a serious scandal that a parish priest should lay
himself open to the imputation of acting in concert with any political
body whatever, on any pretext whatever, to encourage such proceedings.
I asked one of the sergeants how the publicans who had signed the
guarantee would probably be treated by their townspeople. He replied,
there was some talk of their being "boycotted" in their turn by the
butchers and bakers. "But it's all nonsense," he said, "they are the
snuggest (the most prosperous) publicans in this part of the country,
and nobody will want to vex them. They have many friends, and the best
friend they have is that they can afford to give credit to the country
people. There'll be no trouble with them at all at all!"
Walking about the town, I saw many placards calling for subscriptions in
aid of a newsvendor who has been impounded for selling _United Ireland_.
"It'll be a good thing for him," said a cynical citizen, to whom I spoke
of it, "a good deal better than he'd be by selling the papers." And, in
fact, it is noticeable all over Ireland how small the sales of the
papers appear to be. The people about the streets in Ennis, however,
seemed to me much more effervescent and hot in tone than the Dublin
people are--and this on both sides of the question. One very decent and
substantial-looking man, when I told him I was an American, assured me
that "if it was not for the soldiers, the people of Ennis would clear
the police out of the place." He told me, too, that not long ago the
soldiers of an Irish regiment here cheered for Home Rule in the
Court-house, "but they were soon sent away for that same." On the other
hand, a Protestant man of business, of whom I made some inquiries about
the transmission of an important paper to the United States in time to
catch to-morrow's steamer from Queenstown, spoke of the Home Rulers
almost with ferocity, and thought the "Coercion" Government at Dublin
ought to be called the "Concession" Government. He was quite indignant
that the Morley and Ripon procession through the streets of Dublin
should not have been "forbidden."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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