LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE QUEEN IN DUBLIN.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SrEcrAron..1 SIR,—Would you kindly permit me as a constant reader of your most admirable journal to offer a few remarks upon the letter signed "S. G." which appeared in the Spectator of April 7th ? With the three opening sentences I entirely concur, but I deny that amongst the rank-and-file the impres- sion prevails that the Queen "comes to help the recruiting sergeants." On the contrary, the masses know full well that her Majesty's inmost feelings have been deeply stirred by the conduct of the Irish troops and generals in the field, and that notwithstanding her great age she has determined to give practical proof of her appreciation thereof. True. the "Transvaal Committee" and Socialist party have tried hard to create an erroneous impression regarding the Queen's visit, but I am pleased to say that their efforts have been eminently unsuccessful, for to the credit of the Irish masses be it said, they do not take kindly to Socialistic teaching ; and in this connection let me add that when an open-air meeting was called for the purpose of denouncing those "Nationalist " members of the Dublin Corporation who voted in favour of presenting an address of welcome to her Majesty, the effort proved a miserable fiasco, notwithstanding the fact that the police authorities—very wisely, I think—did not interfere with the holding of that meeting. I regret that your corre- spondent should have been betrayed into making the state- ment that " a good many of the windows where flags wave would be as blank and vacant as is the Catholic College in Stephen's Green were it not for the fear of losing custom." Such a statement amounts to a reflection upon the Catholic traders of the city ; and as a Dublin man born, and a business man myself, I can assure your readers that no such unworthy motives actuated my Catholic fellow-citizens, their action being prompted entirely by respect for and attachment to the person of the Sovereign. I am in perfect accord with your correspondent when he says that there was no fear of insult being offered to the Queen by the crowd, and I endorse the remark of the police official referred to that such conduct as that indicated would be " un-Irish." Now as re- gards the "serious apprehension of trouble at some time of the day," allow me to say that such an idea must have existed only in the mind of the so-called "leader among the extreme section," for no one who knows the working class as I have known them all my life long could possibly have by any stretch of the imagination believed that anything would occur to mar the welcome to the Queen of Ireland. Your correspondent's informant must be either an ill-informed man, or else he was having a joke at the Englishman's ex- pense when he said that the mischief began with the action of the Dublin Corporation in re the address. No motion nor amendment was proposed suggesting that a clause should be inserted pressing Irish demands upon the Queen's notice, and no Corporator of standing even suggested such a thing, knowing, as every one did full well, that this would be giving effect to the very thing that your corre- spondent's informant professes so much anxiety about,— namely, the introduction of politics ; and furthermore it was well known that her Majesty would not have consented to receive an address containing any reference to " Nationalist " or Conservative politics. 1 speak with some
knowledge of the facts, seeing that I am a member of the Dublin Corporation, and to the credit of my fellow-citizens be it said that although a Presbyterian by religion, I represent a constituency containing fifteen hundred odd Nationalist and only a couple of hundred Conservative electors. It is true that in the very ward of the city which I represent the Socialist party have their headquarters, but this fact did not prevent my being returned as an independent candidate three months since with a clear majority of 175 over the com- bined votes of two professed "Nationalists," one of them being the sitting member. Your correspondent's informant would appear to me to be one of the very few—I am pleased to say —artisans who have been cajoled by that insignificant band of Socialists who are to be found in all great cities, even in London itself, and who are opposed to all constituted autho- rity; the names and accents of the local leaders of which prove unmistakably that they hail originally from the other side of the Channel; and were it not for the countenance lent them by a few women of the stamp of Miss Maud Gonne and a few faddists we should hear very little about them. You may take it from me, Sir, that Socialism will never flourish in Ireland, the soil of the heart of my countrymen being too prolific in producing good thoughts and deeds to produce such a vile weed as Socialism or its twin-sister Anarchism. The attack upon the Lord Mayor on St. Patrick's Day, to which refer- ence is made in your correspondent's letter, consisted merely of some hissing—which was clearly organised—at certain points of the route, and the flinging of a stone at the carriage, which fortunately hurt no one, merely breaking a portion of the glass. By the way, your correspondent omitted to inform your readers that the pro-Boer procession arranged for the night of the Queen's entry did not "come off," thanks to the prompt action of the police in dispersing the small band of boys immediately they emerged from the Transvaal Committee Room. Your correspondent in his notes dated 5th inst. speaks correctly when be tells your readers that upon the day of the Queen's entry "there was not a man amongst the shouters" in the streets, and let me say that this holds equally true of the party who marched and sang, as the writer very properly states " aggressively," " God Save the Queen." Before bringing this letter to a close I wish, as a constitutionalist myself, to say that the truly magnificent reception accorded to our Sovereign must not be interpreted as an abandonment by the " Nationalists " of their demand for Home-rule, although I think it has proved conclusively that the " physical force " and irrecon- cilable party can no longer dominate the masses and befool them with " talk talk " and unpractical schemes. The present Lord - Lieutenant—Earl Cadogan—than whom no more popular Viceroy ever came amongst us, when making the official announcement of her Majesty's intended visit made it clear that no political significance attached thereto, and the people at large have accepted his assurance and com- ported themselves as all true Irishmen should. Apologising for trespassing at such length upon your space.—I am, Sir, &e., JoHN lawnc.
83 Rutland Square, West Dublin.
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