New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-10

has come to nothing. The conviction IS affirmed, as
every lawyer expected il to be, by the Court Tor
Crown Cases deserved, and Most Will have to I'M
derco whatever sentence Lord Colerdgc, who tried
tIre case may SEQ fit to impose him. Instantly
arises from sundry Radical papers an appeal Tor
mercy Their sympathy with this man, or their
tenderness for him, passes all understanding. |
beleyc it to be quite certain that radicasm of tins
pattern is doing not 4 little to accelerate that Con-
servatve reaction of which now and then sign
comes TO The surface.
The legal argument was listened to by Mr.. Evarts
from the bench, where he sat beside the judges,-a
compliment frequently paid III England to the dis
tiuguished stranger. ] have not heard what MIR.
Evarts's opinion is, either OF the argument or the
arguer, but the judges affirmed the ruling OF the
Court below without hearing counsel in support OF
IT, The point was purely technical Most was con-
Viclcd under statute witch cnacts that whose
ever shall solicit, encourage, persuade or cndcavor
to persuade shall propose to anyperson to murder
any other person. whether he be a subject of Her
Majesty or not. and whether he be within the
Queens dominons or not, shall be guilty OF a mis-
dencanOr and may be punished by penal SEN
tence for from three to ten years, or imprisonment
for not moro than two years with hard labor. The
only point in Mr. Sullivans argument for Most out
Of which one can make anything, is this that any
person" means "any particular person" If Most,
that is, had buttonhoed some particular individual
would have been offence under this statute.
But because he addressed his solicitation to all the
readers of the Icikc the statute did not reach him.
The judges all said that nonsense, and the
most remarkable thing about the discussion is that
Lord COlcridge should have thought it worth while
to reserve the objection. For practical purposes it
is better hc did. We have now got an authoritative
Interpretation of the statute 1t Is the settled law
of England that for man to advocate in print
the killing of another, though that other be
sovereign, is Il criminal offence punishable as
above. If that be infringement OF the liberty of
the press, let The PaU Mall Gazette make the most
OF it.
"JEREY DONOvANs BLUsTER.
Is or is not the same offence criminally punishable
in the United Statcsl Mr.. Gladstone stated last
night in the House, in answer to Mr.. Stanhopes
question: that the British Government had made
representations to the Government of Washington
touching some of the indictments lately published
by one ODonovan Rosa. The cable has lately
been good enough to transmit to us some of the
public declarations of this amiable creature
coupled lately with some other not less amlabc by
Judge" Brennan. Rcssas proposals To murder
BucksLot Forster" and "Hypocrte Gladstone"
do not seem to people here. it must be said, OF
supreme Importance MI Gladstone made joke of
them in the House, so far rs they touched him. Mr..
Gladstone went straight to the mark in saying that
such talk was connected undoubtedly with the col
lection of money. The irish who give TO the Skin
fishing fund will not give freely to mere political
agitation They seem to have n craving for the
more cowardly kinds Of murder, and ODonovan
Rosa is quite ready to satisfy their craving; far
as advice and stimulating other people to do dan
gerous things go. Nobody hero believes he had
anything to do with the blowing up of the Dotcrel,
or knew anything about it. His Dragging on that
point is deemed of equal value with his cluster
the other. The Briton goes to sleep as soundly as
before; only wondering what may be the limits of
the ignorant creduity on which Rosa works
AMERICAN HONOR ABROAD
To Americans abroad the matter has different
SIDE. Some of us do not think it for the credit of
America that murder should be publicly cultivated
one of the fine arts in country, thar
even an Irish Fcnan should be allowed to advocate
with impunity the killing Of members Of friendly
Government The cry of Free Speech and Free
Press" will doubtless be raised among you as it has
been raised here. Tho PdU MAI Gasette, which of
late has made itself the champion Of some very
queer causes and queer people, anticipates that Mr.
Blaine Will send only politely cold and formal
reply to the note of Lord Granville But even this
paper cannot refrain from hint that the Irish vote
viii have something to do with the composition OF
such reply conjecture utterly incredible that
the American politician, who scarcely knows the
meaning of the word cXpcdiency, will dismiss it
with smile OF contempt Perhaps, however Mr..
Blaine, when he TO make his politely cold
reply, will say what the state the law really is
There Is, moreover, such thing as "a District-At-
torney in NcwYor6. If he does not depend on the
Irish vote for reelection, he would to be a good
man to deal with Rosa. | am far from advising
that he should do from presumng to give any
advice whatever These hints arcin reality mere
questions; they due to a thirst for information
to desire to know whether such ornaments t.
society as O'D0novan Rosa are not within
their legal right in proposing murder and sudden
death for those whom they cannot otherwise CON
vert to their views about Ireland
ENGLISH AND FOREIGN PIRACY
Piracy is a word which the English have so long
land alas! so justly Numbered in American ears.
that they rather taken aback at finding it sud
denly land also justly applied to themselves 1t is
no new thing, indeed, to hear French authors com
planning of English appropriations The complaints
OF late years have been less frequent however be-
cause OF certain legal difficulties thrown in the Wav
OF the too enterprlSng English adapter A copy
right treaty has chilled that burning zeal for the
general diffusion of knowledge which once possessed
English playwrghts, it once possessed some
American publishers and still possesses Others The
English, to their credit be it said went about their
ttealng with rather less Haunting hypocrisy than
the latter. Their line impudence Scores of
times one might see the English translation of n
French play advertised as the work of the aDpro
prlator who had made but clumsy paraphrase of
the sparkling original. The latest offender in this
line seems to be Mr. Mortimer They have
been playing for some time at the Criterion Theatre
piece called Butterfly Fever: by James Nor
TIMER say the bills. And now a prcsumptuous
frenchman, by name Nictorien Sardou stems for
ward and says Butterfly Fever" is translation of
La Papllonne," which he himself wrote Mr.
Mortimer, strong in conscious innocorco or :;