The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-04 00:00:00

THE CONDEMNED PRISONERS IN MANCHIVITER.

In the judgment of the Times it would be en act of
criminal weakne►s to spare the lives of Allen, Larkin, and
Gould—the cases of Shore and Msguire, neither of whom
was seen to use a deadly weapon, stand on a somewhat
different footing. The Rome Secretary incurs no respon-
sibility byallowiog the law to take its course, while he
incurs a heavy responsibility by interfering with it.
" Mercy" towards the murderers of Brett is no mercy to-
wards officers who, like Brett, may have to choose between
death and duty, or even towards those who may be
tempted to imitate the Fenian exploit at Manchester. The
time has come to enforce respect for human life and lawful
authority by a stern and speedy execution of the law.
Observing that by the jury and the judge, effect has been
given to overwhelming proof and indisputable law, the
Daily Nein proceeds to add that the expediency of car-
rying out a capital sentence is often rel►tive to public
feeling. Without the co-operation of the other
prisoners, the fatal shot would not have been fired,
and, therefore, in the eye of the law, they
are equally guilty ; but when the spirit of discrimi-
nation is applied to fcur of the five prisoners, the pro-
readings in their case fall short of murderous intention.
Moreover, the popular feeling, which is inflamed with just
resentment at the murder of Brett, would in its turn be
likely to be revolted by the spectacle of wholesale etecu•
tions, by the hanging of men in batches. The change of
the popular mind may be as much for the worse as Mr.
Carlyle would have us believe ; but, right or wrong,
ministers cannot afford to leave it out of account. The
execution of the actual murderer of Brett would probably
' impress, in a very salutary way, the Irish community in
our great towns. To hang the four lesser culprits &gao-
-1 ciated with him might mischievously excite them. Against
the danger of following up the weakness of undue lenity
by the weakness which simulates en inexorable sternness
the, government and the public should he forewarned.

Excepting in the case of Allen the Star can see no grada-
tions of guilt among the prisoners. Justice and reason
would be outraged by making a few the scapegoats of the
whole assembly ; and yet if the sentence passed by Mr.
Justice Mellor is to be carried into effect, there seems no
choice between this and the wholesale hangings for which
even the rabidest of panic-stricken tories could hardly say
a single word now. The Star cannot believe that the
government will so outrage public opinion as to carry out
logically the programme of gibbeting by troops. The miti-
gation of the sentences on all the prisoners, with the ex-
ception of Allen, to penal servitude, seems to be at ones
the wisest, the easiest, and the most righteous policy.

NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND. —At the meeting of
the committee of this excellent institution, held at the
office in Cecil-street, Strand, on Saturday, Lord Hough-
ton, the president, in the chair, eight new members were
elected and several grants made, varying in amount from
30/. to 101. each. Mr. Hyde Clarke was appointed joint
treasurer with Mr. D. C. MALTS( ' • and it was announced
by th • secretary, Mr. T. H. Taunton, that the sum in.
vested in the Three per Cents. awl in Indian railway stock
guaranteed by the imperial govemon or. reached to 3,500/.,
and that a balance stands to the credit of the fund, at
Messrs. Coutts' bank, of Mt.

On Saturday night Mr. W. Cave Thorns& de-
livered an address on " The Education of the Workman,"
at the Working Men'e C,olege, Great Ormond-atreet,
Bloomaintry.