The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-02-05
What May Come Of Coercion in IRE
N. Y. Sun

What May Come Of Coercion in IRE
land.
Ny. Sun.
The provisions of the Forster coercion
bill are now known. and 1t is plain that it
will constitute formidable engine OF in
timidation and repression. The very scope.
however of the powers created will call for
extraordinary sagaelty and foresight on
the part OF those who exercise them.
Should the Liberal Ministry fail to make
the most of the instrument they have
created, sy will be denounced by Conser-
natives aud landowners in general as gross
| ly derelict. On the other hand. should
| they strain the new appliance to the ut
most, they will certainly ALLEVIATE many of
their Radical adhersnts. and they might
produce such a state of compulsory silence
aud submission in ireland az would offer
the House of Lords q pretsxt for asserting
/ that the alleged wrongs of tenants were.
| to large extent. iilusory.
A little reflection will show much
ground for the violent assault of Mr.
Joseph Cowen on what he terms Official
| Liberalism. He denounced az a fatal priv
| iiege the power of suspending the writ OF
habe0s corpus and the right of trial by
| jury. which Mr.. Forster had demanded.
w can see the class of difficulties, that
4 tue moulU6T newcastle n4Q Iu view,
| if we look at what might have taken place,
had such instruments of coercion been in
the hands of the Government six months
ago. Having the right TO arrest aud im-
prison without trial any suspected person,
| Mr.. Forster must necessarily have dealt in
this way with MIR. Parnell and his coad-
ju'ors, 10 whoss case, according to the law
officers of the crown, are ample grounds,
| not only of suspicion. but for conviction
La other words. the Irish government
would have deprived of their liberty men
against whom, as the event proved, 90
verdict coud be gained " hen fairly tired
10 city which has always been the focus
of official and land owning Influence.
II is trus that according to the third
section of the bill return of the persons
imprisoned. with statement of the rea
sons for their arrest, must be presented to
parliament monthly. This provision will
merely multipiy aud aggrava,e the INNER
ent difficulties attending the execution of
the law, aud will, in fac;. create period
| zeal crisis Tor the Gladstone cabinet. For,
suppas" NJ the tn1 Of The first mouth The
Z ,v-rnment should ann unce that Mr.
| parp0'i aui the chief organizers of the
lxnd league had been summar iiy commit
| ted 20 jail, is is not certain that a storm of
indignation would break forth from such
men as C9wen, Rogers. Labouchsre, and
the forty or fifty English radicals who
follow thcm2 Would not the ministry be
challenged to show what better grounds
they now had for suspecting Mr, Parnell
than those which had already proved
| insufficient to convince Jury?
Suppose. on the other hand, the
| first months returns should not include
the names of tbs traVersers in the late
| trial, is it not clear that the Gladstone
Cabinet would De reproached not only by
| Conservatives, but by tie whole laudown-
| ing GLASS, as pa!tering and shutting, as
| STOPPING to a weak. cullusive, and pusil-
| luminous course? What it would be said
are you afraid to treat even as suspected
| those whom you have just subjected to a
trial for conspiracy? Was it to bully
few agents and underlings, while the ring
leaders go unscathed, that you invoked
this tremendous and abnormal engine of
| coercion? Are the fundamental rights of
British subjscts and the regular course of
justice to be suspended while you break
butterfly on a whsel2
Plainly it will be no light task for Mr..
Forster to handle his coercion law without
embittsring and entranging some of the
discordant elements which make up the
Liberal party. The longer, too, he is al
lowed to manipulate this dangerous i'm
plement; the longer the interval between
the passing Of this bill and the realization
o! substantial land reforms, the broader
and more fragrant will become the split in
the Ministerial ranks. It is therefore the |
obvious policy of the Conservatives to
delay as long as possible the subsequent
passage OF land bill, 10 order that the |
conflicting views of Wings aud Radicals, |
touching the scope and rigor with which |
ehoT1tH he nvaro;co1 ba-o
time to breed a violent quarrel. In a |
word, Lord Bsaconsisld will see to il that
rope enough is given to Mr.. Forster.
That large section of the English Lib |
berals will not tolerate a ACKNOWLEDGING |
application OF the extraordinary powers to |
be vested in the Irish Government, has
been demonstrated by the events OF the |
last few days. 1t is true that Mr.. John |
Bright, who formerly opposed MIR. Fores- |
ters proposition, now defends it ID the |
House OF Commons, and that Mr. Cham |
berlain, his Radical colleague in the Cabi- |
nsnt, has also seemingly consented 10 |
waive his objections. Both of these men,
however. have recalved a significant warn |
iug ffou their constituents. In a great
mass meeting. held at Birmingham, and |
10 q similar assemblsge at Newcastle, |
where Mr. Governs newspaper is published. |
the principle of coercion was vehemently |
denounced. There are signs that the |
adverse verdict of tho great industrial I
constituencies on this question will be
overwhelming, and the Consciousness of
this fact wi teud to eubarras Mr.. Forest
er 10 TIM execution of the new law. while
it will confirm the Radical N sm bers of
Parliament in their critical and aggressive
attitude.
On the whole. however, it is probable
that the Influences that caused the intro
duetion OF the coercion bill will avail to
insure its thorough and resolute applica-
ton. The very fact that Dir. Forester,
who went over to Dublin satisfied
hat the existing laws were adequate,
shas now become the most zsaloua
advocate of coercion coupled with the con
version of Mr. Bright from its assalent
into its apologist. indicates that the Wing
element has made good its ascendancy in
the Ministry. and has committed the
whole Cabinet determined course.
Some of iha VIII, Minister'S it is said,
aver that if the u, league is sharply
dealt with. tho whole te.- ant agitation will
die away. They profess to be- !