The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-11
JOHN Mitchell.
THE IRISH POTATO FAMINE AN EXCITING CAUSE
OF HIS REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT

THE IRISH POTATO FAMINE AN EXCITING CAUSE
OF His REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT
In the House OF Commons on the Goth Of Feb
ruary. Mr.. j. Martin rose to call the attention Of
the House to the papers presented to the House
on the case or Mr.. John Mitchell; and moved iona
copy OF the list Of jurors and OF the panel selected
therefrOm and OF the jury which tried John
Mitchell The subject, he said, was one which
might be fairly considered in the House, and he
hoped the discussion might result benedcially to
Her Majesty's subjects both OF England and OF
Ireland The first part OF the case was to the
eject that John Mitchell was, on the 26th OF May,
1s48, indicted, tried ana convicted OF the crime
OF treason felony-a crime that had been created
Dy act OF Parliament three weeks before
(''hear, hear pD-and that on the following day
he was sentenced to be transported beyond
the seas Tor the term OF fourteen years.
Had he In his hand the additional papers for
which he was about to move he might be able TO
set forth in something more OF Of1lolal style than
lie could hope to DO under present circumstances
the character Of the so-caled trial. which In the
beginning he pronounced to be disgrace to Eng
lish rule in Ireland and disgrace to the admins
tration Of English law in Ireland. From perfectly
reliable sources he found that out OF panel OF $50
jurors summoned for this trial the names OF many
Catholics were taken out and those OF Protestants
their stead. Witnesses who could have proven
this were not forthcoming at the trial. nor could
Q posrponement be obtained until they could be
produced. man named Burch the editor OF the
World, was then reviling Mitchell and hts party as
Jacobins, was afterwards proved in the trial OF
Burch against Clarendon. The poor prisoner had
the right challenge twenty OF MIS- jurors,
and then was leit to men known to be hostile to
him. Thus was John Mitchell tried before his
country; thus was he made ielon. He mad put
his countrymen. AT that time the repeal aglta-
ZION was going o. the potato famine was raging.
ana though no country mad greater facilities Ior
receiving and distributing 1000 there were
l,029 oo2 deaths from starvation. Ins was IN Ire.
land under English rule, at tlme when the potato
blight was lett in France Italy and Belgium.
where no deaths occurred from famine. There
was no account OF any such famine in ancient
modern history, ana he dd not TANK there could
he such famine except IN Ireland under English
still q separatlst, but he was not. The irish
nation Oy ITS legitimate representatives.
asked Tor the re5tora Ion OF their ma
tIonal Parliament, and tnat connection between
the Two countries which would make Her MaJesty's
Irish subjects as firmly attached to the Crown rs
were her Majesty's subjects in England. All they
required Was that justice should he done. the Eng
lish nalon ceasing 10 nate them ana ceasing TO 40
them WI Ong. Circumstances had greatly changed
since 1S4S; larger portion o! the people OF Eng
land mad been taken IA TO form the governing
class, and, although but small changes mad yet re-
suited from their admission, he hoped that their
feeling oil responsibility from having become
sharers In the conduct OF England'5 affairs would
Cause them TO inquire into the political relations
between this country and Ireland, and that they
would come to conclusion which would De more
Just and humane, better Tor the name OF England
and happier Tor the people OF Ireland Furtner,
since lo4S I'm gland mad adopted new principle
in ner colonial and loreign poncy. She mad given
home RUE TO the CaDadians, wno were now mas
ters OF their own land, administered their own
taxes and made tnelr own laws, and she did not
nnd herself any the worse on that account. Home
rule mad also been granted TO tue Australian colo.
MES. England had gwen up the lonlan Islands,
aud PROBABLY before long she would give up Helg.
oland Gibraltar, Malta ana Aden.
An honorable MEMBER on the conservative size
here rose, and said ne wished TO know whether
the honorable member for Meath was speaking
TO the question.
Tue SPEAKER said the question was 'that che
house nov 20 into committee" ana he Thought
tne honorable member was IN order. lCneers!;
common sense OF the Eoglish people would, be-
lore long convince them that nome RUE would
not do more harm IN Ireland than II nan done IN
Canada. The Irish people would not become sep.
aratists. but they would never consent to the
deprivation OF their national rights and their con-
stitutiOnal civil freedom.
Mr.. Z. LEWIS SAID as the representative OF
prosperous irish constituency, In the name OF AVE.
sixths OF that constituency he repudlated the
spirit OF the speech which they had just heard
(Cneers.) Composed as that constituency Was
one.naM OF Protestaats and the other hall OF
Roman CathOiics--ne told the honorable gentle
man that 1t was not necessary TO appeal to That
soe OF the House, or TO any portion OF It. TO cease
haunR the sister country. (''hear, nearby be also
told MIN that TO say that Englanu was Responsible
mons to believe what. was simply ridiculous
lCneers) lie repudlated, too. the sugges-
colony or degraded to Canadian privileges:
('Hear, nearP'j AS to The statement that
slx-seventns OF the irish people agreed IN
1S4s with Mr.. Mitchell, If that were the case 10
would have been gross derellctlon OF duly on
the part OF the government II they had not taken
care that no portion oil the sixsevenths were on
the Jury. uronical cheers rom irish memperS)
IL mad been SAID that there was no sucn thing IS
unconditional allegiance. II tnaL were the Case IN
lS45 sucn q sentiment was unworthy VI any MEN,
Der OF that House. The allegiance wnich nonora'
BILE members owed was unconditional.
Mr.. SULLIVAN rose 10 order. He appealed to the
Journals OF that House to show whether men had
not been committed Dy order OF That House Tor
asserting outside 1t the principle OF unconditional
Tbe SPEAKER said he thought the language OF
the honorable member Tor Londonderry was
scarcely warranted and he must ask him 10 with
draw It,
Mr. q. LEWIS begged TO withdraw the sbserva-
tons objected to- lie believed that noltneE IN the
case oil Mr.. John Mitchell nor 10 any other case OF
the same kind aad there been any sucn dereuction
OF duty or any such oppression as mad been sng-
gested.
voted on thai question with the minority on a
former occasion was that he feared that II q fair
hearing we're refused mat would generate and
renew the spirit oil amnesty which the honorable
me nber VINO mad now moved for papers had dis.
played He (Mr. Newdegate) was member or
that House at the time oil the irish famine and he
declared that IL was gross injustice TO say that II
aid not depart from lts usual customs and strain
! every nerve 10 meet the lamentabio afIiictlon
| which beell Ireland at that period. Tue object or
his observations was to plain TO the House that
! IL was from no participation In the sentiments or
the honorable gentleman that ne was Induced -
vote In the minority on me motion Tor papers, OUT
OF which TINS motion had come; and ne trusted
That the government would resist toe present
motion.
me SOLICITOR GENERAL Tor Ireland said It was
not his Intention TO enter Vt length INTO the topics
which had been imported into the debete, as ne
dld not tnlnk the discussion would oe prouuvnvns