The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-28
IRISH INDEPENDENCE.
The Unsuitable Outcome of Mr.. Gladstone's
Policy in Ireland


The English Radicals Beginning in Secret
to View Disnnion as More Than
Possible.
From the resident correspondent of the Worldl
LONDON, May 13.-It will soon become
question, not whether England is being
governed by great statesmen, but whether
her rulers are men gifted with ordinary
common sense. The solitary idea of the
present Administration appears 10 be that
safety can only be found IN swinging back
wards and forwards from one extreme to
another This time last week new and
everlasting alliance had been concluded be-
tween the Cabinet and the Home Rulers.
A few hours later there occurred the
Phoenix Park tragedy, and then in panic
the Government threw over the Parnellites
and decided upon once more resorting to
the strong arm. An attempt has been
made to persuade the public
that the new Coercion bill was
all settled and arranged before the MUIR
!
| Cavendish, but who can be expected to
believe such story as that? Was it not
for the very reason that the policy OF CO
ercion had been definitely abandoned by
| the government that Mr.. Forster resigned?
Did not every radical paper proclaim with
| loud voice that coercion had failed, and
| that Cancellation was now once more to be
tried? Yet we are to be told that even
while these statements were being put for
ward, on official authority, the ministry
had Sill all cut and dried, the provisions
of which do not stop very far short of
martial law. Even the radical journalists
themselves would thus appear to have been
kept in the dark. The Pal lN5tU Gazette
and the Daily Nesos were trying to see
| which could crow the loudest over the
| complete collapse of what they were
pleased to call MIR. Forster's policy
| Mr.. Gladstone and the rest of the cabinet
| having had, as it now seems, nothing
whatever to do with it. While they were
| thus Clisporting themselves the government
was devising a measure infinitely more Sc
we're in its character than any which Mr..
| Forster was called upon to administer.
! No wonder that Mr. Gladstone himself
did not find it convenient to introduce this
new though very much disguised ines
court to lay it before the House. When
| its failure becomes as obvious as the fail
ure of all the other GladstonIan measures,
| the country viii be told that Sir William
Harcourts bill' has not produced the eff
feet hoped for. and the blame of all the
evil it may occasion will rest upon him.
We shall then hear of "Harcourt's policy"
and Mr.. Gladstone viii be assured of the
sympathy" of the public. 1t is only fair,
however, to say that no one will be par
ticularly sorry when this retribution over
| takes Sir "Historicus Jumbo" as the
Home Secretary is now named by his politi-
cal friends.
Personal freedom, the certainty of get
ting fair trial, the security of the house
hold, the liberty of the press-all are struck
by this new bill of a Liberal Government.
No doubt some measure for the restoration
of oyder had become necessary. The
Government had encouraged the party of
Instruction to that degree that it be
came necessary to put it down Better to
try them without jury then to shut them
up in prison for al indefinite
time without trial But
such measure as this of Mr. Gladstone's
no of Sir William Harcourt' s-surelv
that is a little strong, even for the present
condition of affairs, as coming from gov
er nment whose watchword is that force
is no remedy The Radical view is that
you cannot put down insurrectiQn by vic
lent means, and, as they never specify any
other means which are likely To be more
successful, they probably mean the public
to understand that instruction must have
its own way and conquer. Look at Rus
STA" they are always crying out; what
good has force done there?" You must let
people alone and give them all they want,
-S-l, IL re
are not satisfied with what you have yield
ed already, you must concede still more. ="
This is, at any rate. an Ineligible theory,
but how does it square with the reckless
bill just drawn up by the representatives
of the Radical party? Mr. Dillon, who
has scarcely been week at liberty, de-
clares that there will be no public platform
left for moderate men who wish to see the
Irish difficulty settled without bloodshed.
and that all such men viii have to stand
aside, while the two nations pursue a
course of brutal repression on the one side
and of savage retaliation on the other
The Land League has unanimously de-
nounced the recent transformations; it's
founder (Michael Davitt) and its chief
leaders (Mr Parnell and Mr. Dill
lon) have exhorted the people to
try to bring the murderers to jus
tice. If the Liberal party has not
been playing treacherous part during the
last few weeks, it ought now to do what
It's official journals promised only six days
ago-march more resolutely than ever in
the path of Cancellation. Mr.. Dillon has
at any rate frankly told the government
and the country what they will bring up
on themselves by reverting to the system
of repression. "Let them beware of this .
he said, referring to the assassinations of
May 6; IF they sent another man to Ire
land to carry out "a similar measure that
accursed act would again sully the page of
history" This is speaking out pretty
plainly. If another Chief Secretary loses
his life, no one will be able to say that he
fell without voice to warn him of his dan
ger.
What is to be the end of all this Il
must still maintain, as / have done for
long time past in the World, that the inevi
table end must be the separation of Ire
land from England. Mr.. Gladstone aud
his party are-no doubt unintentionally-
making any result but that almost impos
sible. Look back few years and see
what has happened. A prison in which
some Fenians were confined was partly
blown down with gunDowder and Mr. 4