The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-05-07
The Shocking Tragedy in Ireland.

There is something appalling in the atrocity
OF the crime which was committed last night
In Dublin, an by whici. the bearers of mes
sage of peace and good will were Infamous
ly done to death. The effect which his
act will have, and perhaps was meant
to have on the policy of Cancellation
will be incidentally harmful, nor should
we be surprised II it entailcd the
downfall of the GLADSTONE Ministr" in
the very hour when it mcritcd the
highest esteem and confidence. But in our
mind such considerations, wide reaching and
pregnant rs they seem, are for the moment
all obscured by poignant sympathy
for Ireland. She it is who will be made TO
suffer for this dastardly assassination. 1t is
ON her innocent and shame-bowed head that
her vindictive enemies will charge the horror
OF the deed, and they will find in the exc
cradle act of sons she would not own a pretcxt
for the ruthless subvcrsion of her liberties
Lord FREDERICK CAvENDIS II, the new Sec
rotary for Ireland, Hho was fatally stabbed
last evening in the Irish capital, had been
chosen for the post bo cause of all the Wings
he was most certain to faithfully execute
Mr.. GLADs ZONES instructions. The place
had been offered to Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN and
refused by him, and 1t is said to have
been subsequently, pres scd on Mr.. SHAW who
also declined 1t, owing, apparently, to a
doubt touching his ability TO secure a re-
election. We think it highly probable that
the Office would have been rendered TO Mr..
PARNELL had he given the slightest intima-
ton Of willingness to accept 1t. But
his acceptance of the Office was out
OF the question. 1t would have led
to the gravest Impeachment of his
motives in arriving a. the informal UNDER
standing he is beleynd to have with Mr..
GLADSTONE. Moreover, it was in his power
to render Ireland much greater services in
Parliament, where remedial legislation OF
exceptional Importance was about TO be set
on foot.
Under these circumstances, when no
member of the Irish party or of the
Radical section of tho Premier's supporters,
who possessed the necessary weight and in
fiuence, was available, it seemed expedient
to fall back on dociie, plant, colorlcss per-
son, such as the brother Of the Marquis Of
HARRINGTON was known to be. Having
no positive opinions OF his own, he
could be trusted to reflect those Of
his party chief more submissivcly than
any other man representing an equally strong
political connection. The fact that he was
the son of the Duke Of DEvoSsHIRB could
scarcely be counted as an objection, because,
although the feelings of the great Wing fam
lilies were sighted by the Prime Minister in
the adoption of his new Irish policy, yet
after all, their votes are for the present indls'
pensablc. The Premier could not afford tc
break with them totally and rudely, and
among the Wings, rs we have said, none have
shown themselves more tractablc under Mr.
GLADsToNE's hand than the Marquis of HAIR.
TINGToN and his brother who has Just beer
murdered.
At the time OF our present writing we know
not whether the assassins may not have
been insane persuasive know, in fact
nothing but the naked fact that Lord
FREDERICK CAvENDIsH and the Under
Secretary, Mr.. BURKE, We're stabbed to
death last evening in Phoenix Park a
Dublin But supposing that no doubt is cas-
on the sanity of the murdercrs. it would bc
absurd to imagine that the Wing afliliatIon,
of the unfortunate Secretary or the unrea
sonable dissatisfaction at his appointment
evinccd by the English Radical press could il
any wise have prompted his iniquitou5 taking
OIL IL Is more plODabIc mat lue CRIME wa
the work Of m.crcants who saw in Mr.. GLAD
STONES concliatory policy the ruin Of thcil
clandestine schemes, and who determined It
paralyze it at the cost Of country The
scoundrcls pretend TO serve, aud by thu
butchcry OF men who came on n blessed
errand Of dclivcrance and paciilcaton.
Never in the whole course Of their history
have the prospects Of the Irish people bcer
brighter than they looked only twcnty-fuu
hours ago That those prospects are yer!
deeply overcast by the dctcstabc crime com
mittcd yesterday cannot be for a mom"n
doubtful to those convcrsant with the diff
culties which already bcsct Mr.. Gladstone
path. The calamitous consequences Of this
ghastly tragedy we cannot as yet begin t.
measure. But when we think Of the hug
power for evil which circumstances hav
given the authors Of this bloody deed, /
seems to us that something like curse Ia
ovcrshadowed Ireland.