Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-05-21
DAILY HERALD.
PARNELL's POSITION.
Davitt Gives a Very Luminous Re-
view of the Irish Situation.

NEW YORK, May ia cable special
to the Herald from Paris of May 18th
says: Late last night L managed to in
terview Michael Davitt, who has been
lying perdu in Paris for the last two
days. He intends to return to London
to-day. He was at first very reserved.
In reply, however, to my question as to
what Parnell could have meant by init
mating that he and his party might pos
sibly cooperate with the Liberal Gov
eminent, he said: 81 believe he meant
if the Government would legislate on the
arrears question, release the suspects
and reverse the coercive policy in Ire
land, he and the Irish Parliamentary
party would cooperate with the Liberal
Government in further remedial legisla-
ton for Ireland. l do not think that he
can have meant that he would be pre-
pared to enter into an alliance, offensive
and defensive, with the Government, or
that he would abandon his Home Rule
policy"
Correspondent-Ha you had any
communication lately on this point with
Parnell? / ask you this, as l have been
led to infer from certain facts that you
might not be quite in accord with him.
Davitt-I have not seen Parnell for
some days, not in fact since the last
paragraph in his letter to Captain O'Shea
was read in the House of Commons. l
take this occasion to ask all friends OF
the Land League in America to suspend
judgment upon Parnell and his supposed
negotiations with the Government until
he has had the chance offully explaining
things in or out of the House of Com
mons. Neither Egan, Dillon nor ], my
self, of course, question the honesty OF
Parnell, or his motives, whatever he
may have done in the matter,
Correspondent-An impression has
got abroad, based ON translated tele-
grams published by the French papers,
that you have expressed fear of being
assassinated.
Davitt-I have never expressed
such fear. have merely said that |
might be sent back to Portland through
the intrigues of the landlord party.
Correspondent-Your recent letter to
the Standard was ambiguous as to your
relations and feelings toward the Ex-
treme Nationalist party. You seemed
to have repented of your former connec-
ton with it?
Davitt-My differences with that par
ty are well known in Ireland and Amer
lea, but l have never regretted having
advocated the independence of Ireland.
My Land League career is the outcome
of my Nationalist career. To regret the
latter would be to condemn the former.
The Nationalist party repudiated me,
and my connection with that party is
now severed. This, however, implies
no condemnation of the Nationalists.
Correspondent do you think
likely to be the result of the new repres-
sive legislation?
Davitt-I believe it will prove meas
ure for the better encouragement of Sc
cret societies. 1t is really aimed at the
Land League movement, and is intended
to prevent free political discussion, polit-
ical meetings and political organizations.
This would leave the Government face
to face with the power it pretends to be
be anxious to grapple with, namely, the
secret societies. In my opinion, no pow
er that can be welded by the English
Government will be able to crush the
secret organizations, which will, after
the suppression of the Land League
movement, be regarded by the victims OF
Irish landlordism as the only power that
can defend or avenge them. l have hope,
nevertheless, that the outrages will not
continue, but am afraid to say what
may happen when the Irish people are
confronted by this horrible additional
coercion policy.