The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-10-29
IRELAND--TWO BLUNDERS.

| When, two weeks ago, the British govern
ment consigned Mr. Parnell to Kilmainhan
! JAIL following it up with the Imprisonment Of
many other prominent members of the Land
League, all rightminded men on both sides Of
the Atlantic condemned the act, saying Il
could not possibly check the operations of the
league and therefore, from the point Of view
of policy, must be regarded as blunder.
What had Parnell and his associates done
that the gag should be applied to themg The
warrant against them SAID that they had been
melting people against the land act and lntiml
dating tenants from availing themselves of Its
benefits In the sense intended, the accuse
ton is untrue They said to the Irish people,
and the proceedings of the Dublin Congress
bear this out,-that the Gladstone land act Is a
irauG. They said it was a great innovation,
whose merits were as yet problematical, and
whose precise effect on the welfare OF Ireland
could only be determined by honest tests, but
such tests were impossible under the courts as
constituted. The law left 1t voluntary with
the tenants whether they should avail them,
selves of it or not.
This was the gist of the oi'ense of Mr.. Par
nell and his co prisoners. Was there any
thing new IN this? AT no stage of Its pro.
gress through parliament, and particularly
after the emasculaton Of the bill by the lords,
neither Mr. Parnell or his associates ever pre-.
tended to believe IN the measure. Such being
their view, as men faithful to their convictions
and loyal to their constituents how could they
take course morccircumspect, more discreet,
more statesmanlke than the very course they
had pursued.
Yet there was large body of the Irish peo.
plea majority IN fact-who had more or less
faith IN the land bill and insisted upon giving
1t fair trial. Bishop Crokc was among
these and influenced most of the clergy In
short, Parnell and his associates of the league
were rapidly losing ground in popular estlma-
ton, and had the ministry been content to let
matters alone a few months longer, the land
league was in a fair way to lose most of its in
lluence If not to pass into forgetfulness. The
bunder of Gladstone gave it new life and Wig
or--ln short rallied the whole country around
it and united the whole people in its defense
But the blunder of the ministry was more
than off set by the bunder of the league IN the
issue Of its "no rent" manifesto week ago.
That was such challenge to the government
tLat it had no choice but to proclaim" the
league, and by so dong make 1t an illegal or
ganizatiOn, whose meetings are to be dispers-
ed and whose officers are to be seized whenev.
er possible. This is civil war, without the fir.
Ing of gun, and the contest is no less real and
desperate because ne blood is intended to be
shed. In such a contest, where division among
The Irish people Is inevitable and their leaders
are at such manifest disadvantage as to the WIS
iom and right of their position, there can be
but one result Ireland will be made again TO
'uccumb. If there Ia any other hope left it
must arise through sympathy on account OF
he wholly supertluous pertinacity and malIg.
nifty with which the poor, blanched and scat.
crcd members of the league are now being
bounded to their hiding places by the mlnlons
If the government.