New-York tribune., 1882-04-09
IRELAND.
AMERICAN vENTION-PRIsONERS IN
KILMAlNHAM GOODWIN SMITH ON
HOME RULE.

| This mornings kilograms from New-York inform
us that Mr.. Freinghuysen has directed Mr.. Lowell
TO ask the British Government that American cti-
zens detained under the Coercion Act should be
| given speedy trial. Mr. Lowell answered that he
had obeyed the direction. hope he kept grave
face while he made his request to Lord Granville.
Only last week was published without authority,
TO be surel letter in which Mr. Lowell told some OF
the Kilmainham suspects that the law under which
| they imprisoned did net contemplate their
being speedily tried It is none the less. added Mr..
Lowell, the law of the Land, and Americans who
choose to come TO Ireland and bring themselves
within It's operation no more entitled to relief
| than anybody else l am quoting from memory,
but the quotation is accurate IN substance. Mr.
Lowell in his diplomatic character was not called
upon to discuss or define British statute. In a
letter meant for publication he certainly would not
have used some of the words to be found in this
But his doctrine is undeniably sound doctrine.
Nh Frelnghuysen knows il to be sound. 1t is to
be inferred. therefore. that when the American Sec
| retary OF State addressed such a request to the
British Government, 1t was no. with the expecta-
tion of its being granted If granted. it would be
ms matter of favor, not of right 1t follows that
Mr. Frelinghuysen must have had motive. and
strong one, for exposing himself to n foreseen
bun. will not undertake to guess what it was.
Possibly he thought such a request would do no
great harm and yet please certain portion of the
voting population al homo. That he or the Presi-
dent has any real intention of departing from the
attitude thus far maintained by the United States
Government on the Irish question do not believe
That would be the worst news you could send over
here
There is no danger that the prisoners of Kilman-
| ham will be forgotten. Hardly night passes that
| they are not the subjects of question, and often
debate. in the House Of Commons There was q de-
| bate Monday. Some of the Parnellites profess
| themselves concerned about the manner in which
the discipline cf the Jail is enforced upon their
| friends An attempt to charge the Government
| with cruelty ir ITS treatment of the Kilmainham
| prisoners comes with odd grace from men whose
hold on Ireland is mantaned by savage outrages
But Mr.. SeXon and Mr.. Healy are not the men to
bother about such trGe as consistency. II they
can manufacture little cheap sympathy. the price
| is of consequence. They do succeed to a certain
extent. There are always people who believe gov
ernment be carried and rebellion sup
| pressed by rose-water. There such in America
| from 1861 to 1865. The cruelty of shooting
| Southerners was topic they were never tired of
| dnning INTO the ears of their Northern fellow
citizens The cruelty of SouthernerS shooting
Northerners did not agitate them nearly so much.
| The case in England to-day is analogous. The
| men whose sympatmes and consciences most
deeply stirred by the hardships of prison life
Kilmanbam are by no means the men whose pro-
| tests against the ferocties of Captain Moonlight
are most frequently heard. They indignant
that paid assassin should be prevented from earn
ing his hire. They are shocked beyond measure
that this delicate creature should be locked up in
his cell from in the evening till 10 next morning
Tories who will seize any weapon for the chance
of blow at Mr. Gladstone echo these complaints.
They are just as dolorOus if they had not them
selves clamorcd louder for stringent coercion
than anybody else. They were quite thrilled when
Mr.. Sexton told the House he had TO knock with
his fingers on the iron panel of his door when he
wanted something from warder. Mr. Forster will
probably he sternly interrogated this point, and
called up to say within what period of time he will
undertake to fit M Kimainham with electric bells
Tho best comment all this is perhaps supplied by
two letters published in The 1adm Ne,cs q Land
League paper and republished in to-days Times.
Patrick Gigan writes We have very good times
here plenty of the best to eat and drink, lots of
amusement If / was to tell You the whole of it
every one round there would apply for ticket
to get themselves in." James Coen goes more into
details. He mas just arrived and had dinner fit
for the first gentleman in the an0," and bottle of
stout 10 wash it down. His cell is as comfortable
and warm as | could wish -" nice metal bedstead,
mattress excellent clean bed-clothes n nice table.
chair and looking glass; Then as Tor society,
there is no want of the gayest, most light hearted
and merriestp With much more of the same sort.
One OF these men writes from Monaghan Jail tue
other from Kilkenny. kilmanham is under
stood to be the prison where the discipline is
mildest suppose the truth to be that very large
number of the suspects better lodged and fed
than ever they were before. For men of Mr. Par
I's No ar agreeable homo
nor is there any reason why it should be made
Mr.. Forster and Mr. Gladstone have shown them
selves ready to listen to every complaint and quick
to remove any real grievance. Mr. Blggars
theory-e expressed in the House OF Commons with
his habitual elegance of manner-is that Mr..
Forster takes pleasure in witnessing the sufferings
of his victims. Those who agree with Mr. Biggar
will naturally believe that the Kilmainham pris
oncrs are l-trcated; and believe it Just readily
with or without evidence
Goldw in Smith has bold remark on ireland in |
letter to The Pan Mall Gasete--that is n remark |
which here is thought bold lie says:
Illuminating The thought is, it really seems |
possible that between faction and irresoluton you
may lose lreand. The catastrophe Will be the con-
tons, and of dynasty which has deserted its
DUTY. Some day Ireland will lie recovered by the
Commonwealth.
Rarely does so direct an attack as that on the |
Monarchy appear i'll an Eng4h paper of repute. |
Not only Is the Throne assailed, but the occupant
of the Throne. and the future occupant. 1t Is the
dynasty" which has deserted its duty; and it is
this deserton which is to give rise to Common
wealth; a word which, perhaps for historical
reasons Goodwin Smith prefers to Republic. 1t has
also the advantage of being neither French nor
American.
. The belief in the possibility of losing Ireland,
Il must add which Goodwin Smith holds. seems to
me to leave out of account the spirit which lies
deep down in the English character. | can give it
M haitian nn,nn than thn En- dish snirit II mirht