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JOTTINGS OX POLITICS.

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JOTTINGS OX POLITICS. Welshmen, or rather some Welshmen, are mak- ing a mistake in tactics at present, and I fear, my dear editor, that you are not absolutely free from blame yourself in this matter. Your readers know that I was never an enthusiastic supporter of the English Disestablishment Campaign. I felt. and I still feel. that our national dignity is lowered by the proceeding. Bat be this as it may if we are to win the Saxon, let us consult his feelings a little. Now, the Englishman does not believe that a religious establishment is non-Christian. He (the average Englishman) at least looks upon it as a question of expediency but, emirris pa r Unix. in any good country he probably prefers an establish- ment to a system of free churches. If you tell him him that an Establishment is wrong in prin- ciple. he will simply tell you that he differs from you prove to him, as we can. that the existing Establishment works badly in Wales, and must, f-om its Anglicised character, always work badly, and vou will probably get him to agree with you. Wales now looks at the question from a wrong point of view. Men revolt. as an old French statesman once said. from impatience of suffer- ing." not from theoretical reasons. Every argu- ment that Mr. Lloyd Morgan and his friends urge against the Establishment in' Wales might, by equal force, be urged against the Establishment in Hungary, but it would b3 urged without the least effect. The argument against the principle of establish- ment as un-Christian is precisely of the same sort as the demand of the French peasant in the last century for the rights of man as defined by Roussean. The French peasant said, All men are born free and equal, and therefore the unjust privileges of the nobles should be abolished, because they are wrong in principle." As a matter o" fact men are not born free or equal, I can o-ive you chiper and verse from John Morley for that, and as a matter of fact aristocratic privilege in France was founded on justice, because at our time the nobles really gave the peasant protection when the State was powerless, and their privileges were their pay. In the eighteenth century the nobles no longer did anything for their privilege, and there was no need for them to do anything +'or them. It was. therefore, right that they should be abolished. The same is the cas-3 with regard to the Church in Wales we have a good justifica- tion in facts which appeal to all men of sense, why therefore fall back on theories which are more likely to alieniate than convince a practical people like the English. I took up the Cardiff limes the other day, and laid it down with real pleasure. How long have I often wondered would the Welsh people stand miserable second-hand stories of low London life. for their literary recreation, instead of going to the fount of their grand old history. Wales has always wanted a Scott to throw into moder.i narration the history and romance of her past. For f .eedom," a story of Glyndwr's insurrection which carried off a prize at the Swansea eisteddfod is at present running through the paper. I have men- tioned that such a paper publishing such a story is one of the most hopeful signs of the times. The good seed that Tom Ellis (the Glyndwr of a latter and purer age) has sown is tak.ng not seed in Anglicised Cardiff, the town that sends that prince of Philistine3, Sir E. J. Reed to Parliament. To the true nationalist these are indeed" tiding of great joy." Of the story itself I shall speak another time. Why all this fuss to push young Davies into Farliament for Pembrokeshire. The young gentle- man is as amiable and estimable a young land- owner as you could wish but he has admitted that 'he knows little about politics, and he has absolutely (and honourably admit it) that he has no sympathy with Tom Ellis' programme. I have heard two reasons given. One that he is a Baptist, and the majo- rity of People are Baptists, and the other that his father is a great landowner. If Pembrokeshire is content with such reasons, I would advise her to return the Tory candidates. Church exclusive- ness and class privilege will in this way be far better advocated in the long run, and at present Mr. Davies' supporters can give no better reason for his selection-. Mr. Davies told the electors that hewent in for Disestablishment because he was a Noncon- formist, and the son of a Nonconformist. It is sin- cerely to be hoped that at the next election some English Churchmen (and let Welshmen never forget there are plenty of Radical Churchmen in England) will look at the question of Welsh Disestablishment from a broader point of view that does the young Baptist candidate for Pembrokeshire, otherwise the cause of Disestablishment will fare badly. ALIQUIS.

IN AND AROUND BARRY.

"ALL RUBBISH SHOT HERE."

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LEGAL JOBBERY AND THE WELSH.

DEVELOPMENT OF ' BARRY.

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BARRY DISTRICT CRICKET CLUB.-

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