The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-03-08 00:00:00

THE SIX-MILE BRIDGE AFFAIR.

THE-conduct of the Irish ATTORNEY-GENERAL
with reference to the affair at Six-mile-Bridge is
deserving of the severest reprehension, and we art
glad-to-Gee that it is to be brought before the atten-
tion of Parliament, who will -not perform their

manifest duty unless they institute a searching
inquiry-into his conduct on this occasion. There
must •certainly be little encouragement for British
troops to do their duty, when the effect of
their resistance to a seditious mob, -
firebrands, is to subject them to .a trie
wilful murder, promoted by the La;
Crown. In-the case of the soldier;
the voters at Ennis, on their way to exercise their
rights, and •who were so violently assaulted that
they were compelled to fire in self-defence, a coro-
ner's jury of Irishmen returned a verdict of wilful
murder, which an English Court of Law would
have instantly quashed. Not so, however, in Ire-
land, where they were not only subject to have the
finding on the inquisition pressed to trial, but the
ATTORNEY-GEN&RAL preferred bills of, indictment
for the same offence; and though, after a charge
from the Judge, in which his bias towards the
rioters was palpably evident, the Grand Jury had the
courage and patriotism t.) ignore the bills.; yet the
.ATTORNEY-GENERAL persisted in having the men
arraigned on the inquisition, and then took credit
o himself for not preferring any evidence against
them.
had acts;' was particular in pointing out that he
d altogether on..his own responsibility
But Avhat must
be
ing.s.on the part of the moral effect of such ,
of the
acknowledged representative
government the
acknowledged
must be clear to the dullest
that encouragement is
of Irish comprehensions
given, as far as can be dared, to brutal violence and
on
and
intimidation, practised under Romishinfluence,
that even HER MAJESTY'S soldiers,
and
a ;worn
justice of the peace, are liable to be t •
ed, n
the
hazard of their lives, for performing their manifest
duty, even when driven to the extremity of actin.
in self-defence. Nor is this the whole of the
ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S offence, for he has made
the acquittal of the soldiers by the Grand Jury a
pretext for withdrawing the prosecution of the
Romish Priests, who were notoriously the instiga..
tors of the riot, and were criminally liable for the
consequences. He has thereby betrayed the animus
of the whole proceeding, and left no reason to
doubt that in his hands the offences of Romanists
are permitted to pass with impunity, while those
whose duty is to preserve the peace have to suffer
for their fidelity. It is sowing the wind, and for
which one day they must reap the whirlwind. But,
in the meantime, the country suffers, and the dis-
graceful scenes, through which alone the Romish
Brigade were able to make such a show of parlia-
mentary strength, receive the virtual sanction of the
ruling powers. It is well known that the Ministry
have failed in their endeavours to buy more than
the three Irish members to whom they gave places,
and this extraordinary conduct, on the part of the
Irish ATTORNEYGENERAL, may be a bid for the
Vote§ of the remainder,

ed on by priestly

lon the chargeof

Officer of the

who protected

proceed-