New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-29
THE KILMAINHAM COMPACT.
WHAT IT sIGNIFIED AND HOW IT CAME OUT.

ing up the memorable DEBATE or tuesday, ana IOry
as he is he has hit the nail the head which even
Tory may be supposed to do at times. word
more will make his sentence more complete. and
still! more appropriate to the situation. Ireland. let
me say requires specially to know that she is gov
erned and by whom she Is governed.
On this latter point she was IN some doubt dur
ing the period between the release Of Mr.. Parnell
and the murder of Lord Frederick Cavendish. The
prevailing appeared to be that she was 10
be governed by Mr.. Parnell. -Four days later sir
William HarcOurt brought in the now Prevention
of Crime bill Mr. Parncl and his colleagues there
upon washed their hands of the business. renowned
the responsibility they had taken upon them
selves, and forctold afresh the failure OF the
Government. The cOuntry-I mean Eng
land and ScOtand-dd not seem much
alarmed by this ill-omened prediction They
preferred, II is clear. that The Government spite of
its too frequent weaknesses rather than Mr.. Par
nell should govern. They rcjoiced in the breakup
Of the coalition between the Government and Mr..
Panell. They welcomed the new Coercion bill.
They are not aversc such fresh measures Of con-
citation a. promised by the Arrears bill. but
what they plainly cared most about the To-
assertion of lawful authority in Ireland. On the
strength of that expectation they disposed TO
renew their rudely-shaken confidence in Govern
ment which the week before had astonnded the
country by rcnouncng its function in favor OF Mr.
Parneil.
And now II must he said that this restored conf
deuce is once more unsettled. The debates Of Nom
day and Tuesday have left people aghast at the
conduct Of their rulers. The word Is 4 strong one.
il does not apply TO everybody but il does, so far
rs can Judge depict the state OF mind Of the ma
iorty with reference TO the declarations and dis
closures of the last two days 1t is not that any
49, an int
ton to abandon or emascuate the new measure
against crime With that, happily, the Government
are still resoue to proceed. But The history of tho
negotiations with Mr.. Paruell has come out. Tho
terms aud conditions of what threatens to pass into
history az the Kilmanham Compact have been made
known. Documents have seen the light. Fresh
speeches have been made. And the result Of the
whole is 70 reveal state of mind in the Govern
ment which discredits thom with the country;
which makes men dOubt, not by any
means the sincerity or good faith OF
their intentions but the prudence and
irmness with which their intentions are likely to
be carried out. II must be added that confidence s
impaired in the straightforward fraukness of tho
Governments Government which its supporters
havo delighted to describe as, whatever its faults
may have been superior at least TO shift and subter-
fuge
How do matters = now OH holuiiy Hikhp,
after repeatc, challenges had failed to induce Mr..
Gladstone to produce the " documentary evidence"
on the faith of which he released Mr. Parnell and
his colleagues, Mr. Parnel rose in the House and
read what nurp0rted TO be a copy of his own letter
You have had that letter in full and formed your
own Judgment on it. Mr.. Gladstone has since re-
ierated IN solemn aud passionate terms his assev-
Grafton that there was no compact,nO arrangement,
no understanding between the Government and
Mr. Parnell. accept Mr. Gladstones statement on
this as any other point, as expressing win per-
feet sincerity his own belief and view. lie is able
10 persaade himself that there was no compact. |
think few impartial persons have been able to agres
with him. Mr.. Balsoar's reference TO Moliere
was i'll received by Mr.. Gladstone, but
it was perhaps as close as most analogies.
The passage Mr.. Balfour had in mind
was presume that in lie Bourgeois Gentll-
hommep where C0yiee undertakes TO convince
Jourdain that Jourdan's father was not mer-
chant, but as the distinction ran in those days,
gentleman. Says Coyielle
He a merchant! It's pure calumny. He never
was Whatever he did he did because he was ex.
tremely obliging and Serviceable and as he was
very good judge of cloths he went about here ana
there to choose them had them brought To his hone
and gave some Of them to his fricnds-for money"
No bargain you perceive. Only meeting of the
Was there or was there not a meeting If the minds
of Mr. Gladstone aud Mr.. Parnell? Mr. Parnell
caused Mr. Gladstone to understand that certain
settlement of the land question wOuli enable him
and his friends 10 make strenuous and successful
exertions TO stop OutTages and to cooperate cordially
for the future with the Liberal party That settle
ment was the designated price TO be paid for those
two services. Mr. Gladstone thercupon releases
Mr. Parncl-the release was no part OF the
bargain, but necessary condition TO tho
completion OF t-and announces that the settlements
of the land question desired by Mr. ParnelI VIII IN
substance be made. Mr. Parne appears IN his place
in the House prepared to support the Government
measures in Parliament aud TO use his authority for
the restoration of order in Ireland. No bargain.
No deed signed sealed and delivered no covenants
in writing. BUT such agreement Of purpose, fol-
lowed by such acts to carry il ont as would prob
ably convince most ures that the two parties to 1t
perfectly understood each other and acted
upon that understanding. In private HE
~ people would hesitate to give 10 such transac-
ton the names which Mr. Gladstone repudiates
with so much energy. From one point of view the
name may not matter very much. From another it
does matter, To people devoid of Mr. Gladstones
capactv for subtle IeinemeDts of language his
use of these refnements is a sal pnzzle. They hnd
il hard to reconcile his denias with the facts, and
hence grows up that suspicion, as said, of subter-
fuge which, unjust as it is is the less damaging
to the Government.
Damaging 10 ike manner was the attempt to sup
press that clause of Mr. Paruelrs letter which
pledged him to cooperate cordially for the future
with the Liberal party. Ii does not clearly appear
who is responsible for the gsrbling. Mr.. Parneh
read from copy supplied to him by Captain
OShea the intermediary between himself ana tho
Cabinet. Mr. Chamberlain admits that Captain
OShea proposed to him the elimination OF TINS
clause, as likely to give rise TO misapprenehsoni
~. ba tbougbt il of so little consequence that ths