THE PROTESTANT BOYS.
THE Standard has no patience with those milk-sops of the Cea- servative party, who are deterred, by the fear of bloody conse- quences, from asserting the inalienable right of the Protestant Church of Ireland to the 'produceof Catholic property and labour. In an elaborate article in that journal of Monday last, on the sub- ject of the Irish Church Bill, after an admission that, "to shed blood is a bad thing," and that "to shed the blood of war in peace is a great crime," we are reminded, that "the Magistrate beareth not the sword in vain, and that the Magistrate is bound to use the sword when the rights of those whom he ought to protect are in- vaded, and when his own authority is despised." Then comes the following exhortation.
"Away with this hypocritical squeamishness, then. If the Irish Papists rebel
against tithes, let them be treated as rebels, and tne victis—wo to the conquered." This is plain speaking : the Standard, assuredly is not squea- mish nor hypocritical. The Irish Papists do rebel against tithes : had the party therefore, of which the Standard is the organ, the ascendancy in the land, Mann mercy would the poor wretches -re- ceive at their hands. It would then indeed be, "vce. vieti;f—wo to the conquered." The Orange clubbists of Ireland and the Standard are very much of the same opinion as regards the treatment proper to be administered to " Papist rebels against tithes." The song of the former, on the 12th July, when celebrating " the glorious and immortal memory," bears just the same meaning as the quotation which we have given above, from our classical contemporary. One of the verses of that song, which is always roared with pe-
culiar energy, runs as follows— •
we will root them: we will shoot them:
We will show them English play: The cannons will rattle as we go to battle; The Protestant Boys will carry the day."
It is sickening to think, that in the nineteenth century such a horrid system of extortion and persecution as that which would be involved in the maintenance of the Irish Church establishment on its old plan, should receive the support of any body of well- educated men in this country.' Yet these persons pretend to be Christians par excellence; and some of them, doubtless, actually think that the Protestant religion in Ireland, like that of MAHOMET in the East, would 'best be propagated by the sword.' The history of past times and the experience of the present have taught them no useful lesson. It will-be our own 'fault, however, if this high Church party is again suffered to rule the destinies of Irelandand restore the reign of the bigots. Scarcely a week elapses in which they do not make some sincere and disgusting exposure of their principles of government in Church and State. His Royal High- ness of CUMBERLA.ND in England, and Don Minuet. on the Con- tinent, are the idols whom they delight to reverence and obey. We could, therefore, form a tolerable guess at their policy, domes- tic and foreign, even if we had not the events of former years to guide us. Let us strive, then, to keep these men where, thank heaven ! they are at present—on the lowest step of the political ladder. Wo be to the land, if such "Protestant boys" as these are suffered "to carry the day."
Previous page
