New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-28
,AIIY TRIBUNE, MONDAY. FEBRUARY o. iSe

than against tho other. Any dog is good enough 70
be heafan with the Irish stick and a. there Is no
member of the Government who does not deserve
GOOD "batine,p there was feeling among the lrisn
of honorable indifference as 10 the particular neau
ON which this shillelah was TO fall.
There was full House. as there always Is wnen
anything like an incident is expected 1t was
known moreover that the answer to be returned TO
Mr. Sullivans interrogatory had been the subject Oh
n Cabinet elaboration. It was perceived with SAT-
isfaoton that the Cabinet ITSELF the whole OF It, was
present, presumably to reinforce Sir William har-
court in case that inexperienced and faint-hearted
champion should go down under the blow OF Mr.. L.
d. Sullivan And yet, with all this splendor and
din of PREPARATION the Irish demonstration came to
nothing. Dir. T. D. Sullivan was not in his place.
DR.. Commns had to take up the cudges for his hon.
orable friend, the Member for Westmeath. Bnt DR..
Commns, whom no friendly flight Of imagination
could convert into q formidable foe instead of
bringing Mr.. T. d. Sullivans cudgel down on
Ministerial head with good sounding whack, con-
tented himself with waving it about in the air in
rather vague and hesitatinR manner. Dir Will
lam Harcourt got so much the better OF
his constitutional timidity as to face this
awful weapon without o shudder. DR.. Com.
minis dropped it before it came near Sir
Williams head; and | will drop my metaphor
also, which is becoming troublesome. To the ques-
ton about opening letters the Home Secretary re-
piled simply but firmly that statute conferred on
him the power of opening and OBTAINING letters;
that the of this power was an acto the graVest
responsibility; to be resorted to only upon urgent
necessity and that the existence known to the Gov
ernment of reasonable plots carried out by secret
societies. like the Fenian conspiracy which pursues
felonious ends by the most atroclOus means, would
Justify and require the use Of that power IN the
present as in past times. But. added Sir William.
the very nature Of the danger Is such as requires the
Minister Entrusted by Parliament with the right
aud duty of putting it in force to ask the support
of the House in declining to make any statement
which light battle and defeat the objects for which
was The power he concluded should either
be taken away from the Secretary of State. or,
if the grave responsibility Of exercising it is imposed
on him. he should be protected in times like the
present in his discretion as TO its exercise. The
cheers of the House showed clearly enough that Sir
William Hartourt had not mistaken the feelings OF
the House. The comments of the press show with
equal clearness the feeling OF the House is shared
by the country Interference with what is called
private correspondence is not q measure to which
any English Government can be supposed to resort
without the greatest reluctance. The fact that they
have been compelled to resort to it il one OF the most
startling proofs of the seriousness OF tue crisis. IL
Is understood that important evidence has thus
come into their hands Whether that be so or not the
men whose proceedings gave rise to the act are the
last men entitled to complain of Its necessity.