New-York tribune., 1881-10-30
SUPPRESSING THE LEAGUE.
EVENTS AFTER PARNELDs ARREST.

-TNFORTUNATE ESCAPE OF OCONNoH
DUBLIN RIOTS NOT so SERIOUS AS REPohihD'
ADMIRABLE CONDUCT OF TIE POLICE : mn,
ronsTrR's FIRMNEss A SHARP REBuKE Io
MEDDLFsOME OFFICIALS ALMOST UNIV -ls4'-
SATISFACTION IN ENGLAND WITH THE 'o'hH'
MENT's COURSE. u,,.,-xr
$50, r, vvcrr an CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
Ioxnov Oct 1s-Mr Parlells arrest has oeeh
eouo,rod bv other acts of rigor, whlch may po
taken 10 indicate the purpose OF the uoVeinn,on'
breoL nm the Land League Ireland helo i'S oi0
-. - hoord that Mr. Forster had seized upon the
-. ..ooretorv "a man who had never made
,,oeob ~ That Mr. Sexton should he arrested tniV
wr milan should be reanested, that Mr.. Okelly
,hould be locked mp. that any loquaclous Lacquer
,hould have the flow of his eloquence stopped sur
prised nobody, though IT angered many. but "na'
.ould the Saxon mean by sequestering silent ON
eer of the LeagueY Many al lrshman mas
turned that question over III his NINA Since
saturday and it has probably occurred to
some of them that what the saxon ne"n'
Is 70 govern Ireland, and that the League shall not
govern it any longer. The League, u may ai'noS'
he said. has been proclaimed. More accurately
snsol,;po certain acts and practices OF the League
bovo bean officially denounced as illegal. INC
oretorv ard other functiOnaries of the League ap-
near IA have been arrested, not because thFy arc
functionaries of the League but because they nave
aiken part in these illegal acts and practices oS
vbich the tyranny of the League was enforced.
For the same reason, Mr. William U OBrlen' edtor VI
the Land League organ, has found his way lhto
Kilmaipbam. These arrests, like the others, point
n the same conclusion. There Is to be- henceIor-
ward in Ireland one Government, ana not I"o
That is the conclusion one is entitled 10 dla"' yo'
.yen during these last few days there have Oeen oo
sns Of indecison in the councils Of the Cas-
,pouob 70 exasperate. II is doubtful whether he
bos NOT fallen inst short of doing enough TO crush
,r 10 crush immediately. don't mention the ex-
,srara,ion as an important element in the problem
II existed before and it really does not much mat
ter whether in such crisis an Irish mob bc niue
nore or a little less angry What matters Is that IL
should be made to feel that its anger is lmpotent'
The hold of the League on Ireland Is not TO oe
shaken off by half measures Unless the Govern
nent shatter the League organization 10 pieces IL
had better have let il alone. Nowhere is good deal
,vidence tending to show that when Mr.. Parnell
was arrested the Government had not quite made up
its mind how far TO go. If the decision had really
been taken to show the League no quarter u was
executed with less energy and promptitude than
were desirable. Mr. Arthur OConnor NJ T., Mr..
Parnelps designated successor, was allowed 10
escane. warrant was out against him. and the
nolice. for which Mr. Forster cannot fairly be held
accountable But if the warrants against OConnor
and the rest of the Leaguers had gone out stimuli
taneously with those against Mr.. Parnel, it seems
nrobabe that the whole organization might have
collapsed in a single day. The Government pro-
ceeded by successive steps, and gave some OF the
most dangerous culprits time to escape. More than
this. They gave the League time to transfer its
beaaouarters to Holyhead. where the Coercion Act
does not run.
One of the news agencies tells us that it is only
n week since all the threads of the League were put
into OConnor's hands, and Arrangements made by
which he could in case of necessity exercise all the
mower Mr. Parnell had exercised. This delegated
power OConnor was IN turn to delegate to others,
who were to be instructed by him, as he had been
instructed by Mr. Parnell. But for this last opera
ton there had not been time. IT, continues this IN
fornant, O'Connor had been arrested on Friday,
there can be no question the Government would
have dealt the League a mortal blow. Now OCOn-
nor and Healy, taking up a permanent position at
Holyhead will thence direct easily enough all the
future movements of the League in Ireland. More
over. all the records and papers of the League
were in Dublin last Thursday, and might have
been seized They were hurried out of the way
when Mr. Parnell was arrested and all were safe al
Holvhead. And we are told, naturally enough, that
there is great rejoicing among the Leaguers over
their success in eluding pursuit was Mr. ParnelPs
knowledge of this winch led him to boast that the
Goyerpment could not now suppress the League
unless by arrestng every member of it.
This boast like many others from the same source,
IL much too confident Too much stress, also, may
be laid on such intelligence as have been quoting
above. 1t is obviously the policy of the League
chiefs to hold on as long as possible, and to give
their followers as much assurance of their courage
rs can he given by a great deal of loud whistling
But making all allowance for mere brag and lying,
WI ch in all Irish matters play great part, it is
prettv clear that Mr.. Forster missed point last
Thursday. OF two things, one. Either he lor rather
the Cabinet had not then resolved definitely to 60
all lengths for the suppression of the League they
struck the first blow before they quite ready
They have, nevertheless, got nearly all the chief Of
ficers of the League custody and are actively oc
cupied in aTesting many of itsmost important local
agents Spite of mistakes aud delays it may, per-
haps, be said that they have convinced the Irish
people that they are in earnest and that they will
do whatever may be necessary in order to resume
that authority over the island with which they
ought never 10 have parted. A few days more will
develop the policy still more decidedly.
The effect of what has been done SO far is two
fold The satisfaction in England has grown deeper
with every fresh act of decision. More general 1t
could not grow. Sans the Irish i'll England, and the
handful of Radicals who rail against every exercise
OF force because it is an exercise of force, there
is no party or faction set OF men this side the
Channel who do not heartily rejoice in this long
deferred vindicatiOn of rightful authority. In Ire
land of course, the acts of the Government are not
popular. They have been received with the usual
hurricane of vitupeTaton, and there has been some
rioting The former need not detan us. As for the
rioting the first accounts Of what occurred in Dublin
were exaggerated, and probably went to you by
cable in a form more exaggerated still. The best
proof that the disturbances not shared in by the
great body of Dublin Irshmen is to be found in the
statements of the Lord MAYOR to the Chief Secretary
Yesterday; which, ON other grounds also. are re-