The New York herald., 1879-12-01
THE IRISH ARRESTS.
Necessity of Recent Land
Demonstrations.
APATHY OF THE GOVERNMENT.
How DAILY, Davitt and KiIlen Were
Carried to Jail.
APATHY OF THE GOVERNMENT.


ol the curtain has already risen on the other, and
We find ourselves already assisting at the second act
Of this strange national performance. Strange did
say? Why there is nothing strange. 1t is the same
old familiar spectacle with which the student of
irish history is. Heaven knows. only too
well acquainted. First oppression and griev-
ances and discomfort; then agitation for redress.
public meetings, eloquent speeches. denuncations
Of dongs; then come the arrests the jas, the
prosecutions. the imprisonments. banishments. and
then the game Of the oppressors begins anew. How
well we know 1T all. As it in 48 and '65 and 67
70 1t seems 1t is to be in 10. We are told by the
great historical students that history repeats ITSELF
II any one doubts it let him come to Ireland. Let
him read John Mitchel's any other truth-teling
history of this country. and then let him keep
eyes open and if Irish history does repeat it.
SELF.
NECESSITY DEMONSTRATING.
It was Q hard thing for the chief men who have at.
tended several of the successive meetings at which
the daily growing distress of the country being
explained and proved and illustrated to find that
good was coming of it all. Every day they
things were becoming worse and worse. The mis-
cry OF the people was becoming intense. just
Is the proofs of 1t were becoming visible. The
whole government press had begun by denying
hat there was anything serious amiss. The rank
md file of the party denounced the agitation as a
,ham and fiction got up to influence the elections,
20 throw dust in the eyes OF the Irish in America.
They exhausted the epithets Of vtuperation Par
nell and his friends and called on the government to
Intervene and forcibly stop those gratuitous dis
turbers of the public peace. 1t is to be hoped that
those who wrote and spoke thus believed little at
least OF what they said. But grim realities. like
want and starvation, do not disappear by
mere denials. Even sentimental" grievances.
where Irishmen are concerned. have been
usually found by British statesmen. in tho
long run, to have considerable amount of
backbone in them. But when the crops have failed
where there is no wheat. oats far below average,
potatoes rotting. hay sodden, money to buy NEAL
sti less to pay up rent and other old Scores mere
saying mo" will not change the face of the land
scape and bring back Plenty and host Of blessings
In her shining train.
KING HARMAN's MISSION.
King Hartman. great landowner, o very fair land
0rd conservative and steady supporter of the gov
Srnment. travelled to London expressly in order
to explain matters to the Chancellor Of the
exchequer. He told the authorities that thou
sands Of people would be starving before Christmas
unless immediate of relief were adopted
He sketched out what he thought would suit his
own locality and he suggested that reasonable men
might be found who would know what was wanted
In other localities. He was listened to- but that was
all. report was received from the General Poor
Law Board but SO slow does oficialism move that
information for the use Of the government in the
second week in November did not deal with facts
later than tho end of September. Imagine the folly.
As If any could not that many
q family might have been battling with want
In September, but had succumbed to the struggle |
six weeks later Nothing was being done. however;
the public authorities not yet able to bring
themselves to admit the existence of the Distress
still less to devise scheme for graphing with it,
Is it wonderful If men with strong feelings. who
saw the tide OF misery rising daily higher and
higher. while no steps were being taken to save
those who threatened with destruction, forgot
sometimes to set legal bounds to their lndgna-
ton aud alo we'd themselves to indulge in
criticism which within the definition of
sedition? Alas it is hard to avoid being seditous
in Ireland. The men Of 1s4S found this out, when
looking around them they saw on the one hand
ine wheat harvest and on the other starving
people. They exhorted the people not to let the
precious grain quit their shores.
THE SLIGO PRISONERS
Mr. Davitt and friends of his did not 60
nearly far this at meeting held at Gurteen.
small hamlet in q remote corner of Sligo county.
The parish priest was presiding chairman. A
resolution In favor Of peasant proprietary. in
preference to mere fxity of tenure sup
ported by Davitt In the course Of his speech he
referred to report that tho tenant farmers. who
large lying to their credit in the banks This
money. it was said. would be good security for the
rent 1t is needless to say that far tho bulk OF
the tenant farmers is concerned this story is pure
fabrication. But even assuming it to be true Davitt
denied that the tenants would be JUSTIFIED drawing
their small savings to pay their rents in view Of
IN impending famine "Fixity Of tenure SIM
ply fxity of landlordsm, fxity Of poverty
and degradation. The abolition of landlordism
come when tho manhood of Ireland must
spring up to its feet and say it woua tolerate this
no longer" At the same meeting Mr.. James Daily.
of Castelar, in Mayo county, and proprietor Of the
Connaught Telegraph also spoke in favor Of peasant
proprietary, and went tell his hearers not to
allow themselves to be expelled from their holdings
Mr.. James Bryce Killen. barrister from Dublin
who had come down specially fran Dublin to attend
the meeting, supported the proposal OF peasant
proprietary. He said that che would like to see
every one armed with rifle and knowing how to
It, Az in other countries. people should obtain their
rights by the voice. the pcn-he going to say the
sword--but swords are not used in this country.
There among them reporters from London |
who noting every single word said that day.
for the purpose of putting them. by little legal
frippery. into prisons"
WHERE THE sEDITIoS LIES.
These are the utterances which have seemed TO |
the persons responsible tor the good government OF
order that no timo should be lost in Selling the |
speakers and putting them under lock and bar. For
some days rumor has been current In Dublin that |
the government plated arrestng some of the |
persons who had been most prominent among the |
speakers ut the agraran meetings throughout tho |
country. Many who heard the story dismissed 1t ~
ridiculous hoax Long ago O'Connell said |
there was nothing wicked silly |
which tory government was not capable |
doing in ireland. And Dan was always
right One version of the tale stated that the gov
ernment meant to mako regular "haui' uf agita- |
tors, and that 50 many would be laid by the heels
that there would he prospect of "peace' for some
time to come As q fact Mr. Parnell and other
Leading politicians were aroused out of their sleep
at very early hour yesterday morning by some
Over-zcalous and anxious friends who implorcd |
them to retire TO place OF safety and escape the
arrest. which they knew impending over them.
Mr.. Parnell, however, resisted all entreates to
coal himself. and declared that he would not with
draw from whatever fato might have in store for |
hm.
WEI mn