Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-07
The Liberal High Sheriff and the Con.
RArEAlIHe IahfIea.

Gray is one of the most picturesque anc
notable figures in the Irish politics oil to-day
He is, as most Of your readers well know
the son of the late Sir John Gray, a remark.
able politician in his day. There is the
peculiarly in the case Of this political famil '
which is not 81 frequent occurrence in poiiti.
cal families, that Father and son were both
gifted with great political ability, and yet
In physique, in mind, and in disposition,
| were utterly unlike each other. The late
| Sir John Gray was a man Of rather squat
figure, scarcely of the middle hight, and hi.
face, though massive and strong, could by no
| stretch be described as refined. Edmund
Gray, on the other hand, is tall, and although
muscular and strong, Is slight. He has a
face which some would describe as hand
some, but which no one could deny TO be
striking. The face, long, thin, and dark as 4
| Moor's in complexion, is lit up by deep
brown, luLtrous, and not easily read eyes,
while pointed dark beard, head OF thick
| and curling black hair, and an air usually
of melancholy abstraction increase the re-
| semblance TO one of those mobiles of Arrsgon,
with just drop of Arabian blood, that have
| been made familiar to the world by the
| genius of the Spanish artists. In talents there
| is the same difference between the two
men. Sir John was \ hard hitter of very de-
| fective literary taste, and his style, both Of
| speech and of writing, was complicated and
Il VI
other hand, writes and speaks with calmness,
grace and pellucid clearness. His weapon Of
| assault is the rapier, and not the bludgeon-
He is, too, far more adroit than the father (;
has a quicker and actter mind; in short, he
| Is the model OF an acute, self-preserved and
practical parliamentarian. In Irish politics
he has held a somewhat anomalous position,
and this is partly the result of his trsining
and partly of his own disposition. His father
was an intimate friend and associate of
O'Connell, and stood by the old tribune in
the severe struggle between the physical
force party OF 1913 and the upholders Of con-
1 stitational agitation. Sir John often told 10
his son \ story which have often heard the
| son repeat. In the midst of the tumult and
excitement of the apprehended rebellion in
those stormy days, Sir John Gray was asked
by a mysterious stranger TO inspect some
plans of Dublin Castle, knowledge of which
would give that fortress of the English
enemy into bold Irish hands. Gray sns-
pected the man, and in few days was not
very much surprised to find that he was
a spy in the pay OF the government.
This severe warning against violent courses
found fit listener in young Gray; for he is
a man of a clear, undimued eye, who looks
at things exactly az they are, and who is
thus dispored to discount rather than to
magnify the chances of vehement agitation
and the resources of popular power. As the
proprietor of great daily paper his position
has besides imposed upon him restraints
from which other politicians have been free.
A journal with large advertising connection
has, of course, to have regard to the tifaidity
OF many of those engaged In trade. There
was another and quite as strong a reason in
favor of moderation in the Frcesadn's Journal,
that it was the chief organ of the Catholic
Church. AS you we'll know, the sagacious
heads of that church are always inclined to
the more conservative course. The result OF
all these circu instances ia that Edmund Gray
has found himself at variance with popular
movements. He has often been right; he has
sometimes been wrong, and he has been fire.
quently m ade the victim of Unjust suspicion
and undeserSed attack. 1t is necessary 10
state these facts in order to understand the
effect of the sentence that was passed upon
him last Wednesday by Mr.. Justice Lawson.
There are several Irish politicians of the
present hour whose consignment 10 prison
would not greatly surprise anybody-such,
for instance. as John Dillon or Mr.. Healy,
who are accustomed 10 pronounce strong
opinions in strong language; but the attack
upon Gray was an attack upon a VIGOROUSLY
moderate and ssgacious political man. The
fact that he held at the moment the position
of high sheriff lent..an additional gravity to
the outrage. In former days this high Office
was solely in the gift of the lord lieutenant.
Under bill passed by the late Isaac Butt,
the Dublin corporation has the light to select
three names, and the lord-lieutenant must
make his choice of high sheriff out of these
three. The post, then, has the double quail
6cation of high official rank and of popular
election. l never remember to have seen so
deep and 80 visible an effect prodticed upon
men as was evident upon the faces of the
audience collected in the City Hall, a few
hours after the sentence, to hear the speeches
of Parnell and Dillon on receiving the free
dom of the city. The pent-up emotion soon
found an outburst. The town clerk, at the
beginning of the meeting, had to read out |
the names of the members of the corpora
ton, and when he came TO the name OF |
Mr.. Gray all the men and women |
jumped to their feet, waved their hats |
and handkerchiefs, and cheered with a |
fervor and venom I have never heard |
surpassed. ! was asked, in company with |
Mr.. Sexton and others, to go over to Lon
don that night to raise the question In |
and was in time, therefore, to |
read the comments of the London journals |
the morning after the event. With the ex-
ception of the Daily NtTs, all spoke of the |
sentence in terms of the warmest praise, one
Of the many facts that have recently brought
home to my mind the painful conviction that
never, in the present generation at least, was
here feeling of such bitter and relentless
L
pies as at the present moment. In the even.
ng things mended little; for both the Rad
cal Pau-MaH Gazette and the ultra Tory ST.
lanes Gazsttc united in condemning the con-
iuct of Judge Lawson as arbitrary, unjust,
Ind inexpedient. In the House, too, it was
'vident that the effect produced on the
bench Twas far from agreeable.
sor reasons shall presently state, the SEN
euce had produced as much irritation in
hat quarter in Dublin. To understand
Vhy this should be SO, and TO get at the Sc
ret history of this whole business, it is nee
ssary TO tell you something about Judge
lawson. Lawson is Protestant in creed,
nd for the greater part Of his life belonged
o the narrowest and bitterest school of |
Protestant Conservatives. His first at
empt to get into politics was made
n Trinity College. l need scarcely in
orm your readers that a constituency ,
Ihich consists for the most part OF 1rish :
clergymen is strongly conserva- ..
i've, and as q conservative, Lawson, of .
curse, sought election. But when people /.
anne to examine his address remarkable, a
,rrible, fatal omission was discovered-he
ad not said enc word about the Irish I
hurchl The significance of this omission !
ill be understood when it is remembered !
lat at this time the Irish Church was still e
institution, with plenty of bish- 3
prizes of princely income, and pastorships !
large revenue and no parishioners-an 1
asy mode of q comfortable livelihood at the Z
ublic expense for every Protestant young I
rishman who was ready to get ordained and !
ear the white tie. But there were rumors I
! the air that the fate which had SO long a
the venerable institution was at
st about TO come, and that the Irish Church,
it'll the great bishoprics and the far ivings
nd the easy life, was doomed. A cry of f
nger and surprise was therefore raised at C
Ie omission in Lawson's address; he was "
'undly accused of trying to play double 8,
ame, and of being nothing short of discs ii
blishment wolf in the sleeps clothing of 81
! orthodox Protestant. But the acute law p
It was equal to the occasion. He admitted p
nay, he even boasted of the omission. He L
I'd not said = word about the Irish Church a
r the same reason that there was no b
ention of parricide in the Roman code. b.
be crime of son wishing to murder his v
rent was too heinons 10 be contemplated; ~
I'd equally heinous would be the crime of b.
e honest Protestant who would lay violent
Inds on his mother church. Even this, | Ie
,s defeated. This set him thinking, and mr.
Y years after he had become convinced of il
e errors of his ways, had abandoned Con- Az
rvaiism and appeared before the public as AZ
full fedged Liberal. He was wise, too, in q;
) selection of a constituency, going down Ia
= little town named PortarliDgton, with mr.
out 200 voters, every one of whom, OF &c
urse, had his price. Lawson bought up la
thcient majority, was elected, and became mr.
aw officer under q Liberal administration. +,
hen Gladstone undertook to disestablish M
, Irish Church, Lawson held Office under m
N; and the virtuous politician who q few
ars before had compared an attack on the i.
urch TO the crime of parricide, was one of o u
adstone's chief spokesmen in defending sn
, destruction of tine venerable institution. n M
,antime he had been doing splendidly in ~
Office. The Fenian troubles took place VA
lie he was in power; he prosecuted in all Ap
cases; sent some scores of men to penal "
vitude, and all the time was gayly e
ing his purse with gold at the rate of I E
1ethipg like 100000 or S150,000 year. r.,
still his highest ambition was not graft M
!. He wished to become lord-chancellor 10
Ireland; but Gladstone was very hard N.
ssed by the Frcenan's Journal 10 select md
holic, and OHagan got the place instead an An
ZEN the Liberals came into Office again, que
O'Hagan resigned, Lawson again Cal