Mr. Cowen made a speech to his Newcastle constituents on
Saturday, in which, of course, he attacked the Government bitterly for their Irish policy. We should like to know, however, how Mr. Cowen proves the assertion, with which he concluded, that "there were no people more easily ruled than the Irish, if they did them justice, and treated them as equals." Was not that the experiment tried daring the first year of the present Government, and was it not precisely because the experiment was so complete a failure, and because the greater the liberty, the more the outrages increased, that the Coercion Bills were brought in P Even the Irish themselves would not think it a compliment to admit that they are easily ruled. They are very far from being easily ruled by a people who treat them with confidenoe and consult them as equals. They are remarkably free from ordinary crime, we will admit. But they are exceedingly difficult to rule on the true principle, the principle of equality and confidence, partly because we have accustomed them so little to treatment of that sort, and partly because they always attribute anything like political oonoession, to fear, and wish, when they think themselves feared, to inspire still more fear. Mr.. Cowen could hardly have laid down a falser principle than that Ireland is easily conciliated by a liberal and cordial policy.
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