E ARCH, 1914
olume 31
u br6
THE DAWN OF ERIN'S FREEDOM
Before di cus ing the pre ent Home Rule bill, it may no be ami to take a retro pect tep and view a few episodes in the pages of Iri h history. We shall thereby ee how Ireland lost her forn1er Parliament, and the influence that tended to undermine her independence. Ever since the pa ing of Poyning's Act, the Engli h Parliament clain1ed the right to make law for Ireland, and to prevent when it plea ed, the Iri h Parliament from making law . By thi act the King of England re olved to make the whole admini tration of Ireland directly re pon ible to him. Thi reduced the Parlian1ent of Ireland to be only the mouthpiece of that of England. After Poyning's Act, England a un1ed a de potic power, and declared her inherent right to bind Ireland by every Briti h tatute, and Ireland retained no longer the attribute of an independent nation. Then Ireland being helple , and di tracted, groaned under the eternal tyranny of penal tatute . By thi paraly ing y tern uf penal tatute Ireland wa reduced to the lowe t ebb, and the galling yoke of Engli h de poti m increa ed her degradation, and the year r 799 found Ireland lying in the du t. About the 路year 1795 it wa run1ored throughout Ireland th~t a union wa to take place between England and Ireland. The people were enraged at loo ing their parliament and being subjected to the hea y taxation of England. In the year I 799 the Engli h go ernment now thought that the time had come when it could pre forward it fayorite project of a legi lative union between England and Ireland. The in urgent who fought a ain t Engli h oppre ~ ion were cru bed everywhere and they could think of nothing but their afety 路 the country exhau ted, ould offer little re i tance. The Catholic were deluded with tht: a uran e that the union once affected emancipation would fol 1 , and the Prote tant \ ere told that the afety of their church
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