New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-26
THE IRISH PROBLEM.
THE NEW ACT AGAINST CRIME-COLLAPsE
OF THE COALITION.

Harcourt last night stated 10 the House the sub
stance of the Bill for the Prevention of Crime in
ireland. As you know already, it is bill to abo-
ish, whenever the Lord-Lieutenant shall think it
needful trial by jury for treason, for murder for
attempts TO kill for other crimes of aggravated
violence and attacks dwelling houses Those
offences are 10 be tried by Commission of three
Judges Of the Supreme Court, who will decide
questions of law and fact, and from whose decision,
which must be unanimous if q conviction appeal
Will lie 10 the Court of Criminal Cases
Reserved. That is for the punishment of accom-
pshed crime. and is meant tc meet the of the
acknowledg ed pnwillingness of Irish uries TO
Wet in Of agrarian political offences.
Secondly. in districts proclaimed for the purpose,
the police may search by day or night under the
warrant of the Lord-Lieutenant for the apparatus
of murder'-arms papers, dynamite, masks and such
things They may arrest persons (of course without
warrantsl found proving about and unable to give
an account of themselves and the justices may lock
up such persons for six months Strangers and
aliens OF foreign agents." the clients of Mr. Robin
and Mir. Sunset Cox. for example, may be
similarly dealt with. The Alien Act is TO be
revived for their benefit Under that emisSaries of
Irish-American any other nationality may be ex-
PEELED the country That is the second part of the
bill having for its object the prevention of crime
by seIzing the tools and the agents of crime.
Thirdly, instgatiOn 10 crime is TO be dealt with,
whether public private. Membership OF a secret
society is to constitute offence to be punished
summariy SO will intimidation in its various
forms and assaults on cOnstables and process
servers. Meetings dangerous II the public safety
will lee put down. Newspapers melting to crime
will be suppressed-the particular number, as IN
derstand will be seized. and the proprietors will
have To enter into reccgnizances not to repeat the
offence. That is the third of the specific pro-
visions of the bill in addition 10 which there will
be general provisions enabling justices to inquire
into crime where the criminal has escaped to COM
pei the attendance of witnesses; to enable the
Lord Lieutenant TO appoint additional police at the
expense of the locality where needed; and provi-
sions for levylng compensation for murders and
manning in the district where the outrages
committed
That is bill of great scope and significance.
Compared with this bill the present Coercion Act is
chids play If worked in the spirit In which it is
framed great deal is to be hoped for from 1t. 1t
is no longer TO be wondered at that a
man of SIr. TIeveyan's stamp should be willing 20
assume the Chief Secretaryship. with such
ure as this to work. 1t is moreover. such bill as
Mr. Forster provided for of those things es-
sontial to the governing of Ireland If the Govern
ment could but have made up Its mind last week
Monday to such measure they need not have
been Calicu on 10 dCCepJ MI IOIstCl
TIE fact that he was allowed to resign, and that so
soon afterward his policy is again adopted by the
Cabinet lends fresh cogency to the belief in the I'M
scrnpulousness of the cabal which sought his over
throw.
| But important as the bill is, the de-
bate which followed the motion for leave to
bring il in is more important still. Or rather. not
the debate but the momentous change IN the
situation which the debate disclosed.
| In one word the coalition of last week between
| the Government and Mr. Parnell is utterly shat
tered and broken in pieces. That is the first result
of their bill and it can hardly have any other more
beneficial result or more signal yindication of its JUS
tice and necessity. Nor, | must add, could there
be a more complete demonstration OF the futility
the political stupidity of such an alliance as this
Ministry then entered into. 1t was compact between
the representatives of law and wlessress. loyalty
| and disloyalty between Ministers of the Crown.
| whose first duty was to preserve the authority OF
| the Crown, and the chiefs of a party whose ulti-
mate object was to overthrow that authority.
| Whatever Mr.. Gladstone may have meant, Mr. Par
nell really to have believed that for the fu-
| ture the business of governing Ireland was to be
entrusted to him. At least it was to be conducted
in accordance with his views There was to be as
| much order consistent with the carrying ont
of his policy. The moment Ministers
make known their purpose to gov
ern without him, and to keep the peace
| against all corners, that moment Mr.. Parnel re-
| sumes his independence He met this measure with
denunciation and defiance. He renowned in
terms ali responsibility " for the future word
which must have made the Ministers whose alliance
he rejected vince He predicted the failure of the
bill-failure "ten-fold, hundred-fold dis
astrOus than we before u.s." lie declared his
belief that at the end of another twelvemonth
Ministers would have once more to confess that
England has not yet discovered &" the undiscover
able task of the government of Nation by
| another" Mr. Parnelps historical reading
and his knowledge of the Constitution of
the Empire he is trying to break up limited.
Ireland is but one of the many nations which Eng
land has discovered means Of governing The
whole Parnellite party followed its leader Mr..
Healy uttered much more than his usual number of
snappish vulganties Mr.. ODonnell cynical
and ippant, Mr.. Dillon stern, pathetic. sombre and
wildly illogical. With the help of Mr. Cowen and
a Mr.. Thompson, the irrecOncllables mustered
twenty-five votes against the bill.
All that was to be expected 1t was certain. 1t
was so certain that political observers are
lost IN wonder at the performance of the Govern
ment last week. For what purpose was the
comedy of Cancellation played Why were Messrs
Parnel and Dillon let out of prison Why was
Mr.. Forster allowed to resign Mr.. Gladstone told
the House that he had information" which con-
WINGED him that Mr.. Parnen would promote the
restoration of order. 1t seemed a poor business to
invoke IN aid of law the services Of the chief law
breaker. Does it seem less poor when they are
invoked and withheld when they more
turned 10 the aid of lawessness But what was |
Mr.. Gladstone's view In what hour of incompre-
hensble self-deceptiOn did he persuade hims elf
that Sir. Parnelps support to be had for such
measure this Act for the Prevention Of Crime.