Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-11
RibbOnism in ireland.

hlDOONlSm HI IEclduus
Amid the thrill of indignation that has
gone round the world at the atrocious
murders in Phoenix Park, Dublin, on
Saturday, a great deal of loose thinking
aud still lOoser expression has been in
dulged in by the press. 1t is natural for
the British Tory organs to charge the
responsibility primarily on the Land
League and incidentally on the govern
ment's policy for not beng as thorough
going as they would have had it. This
is all grist to the mill of the ''outs, and
in the tender of support proffered the
government by the Conservatives there
is an 81 told you so" air of self-satisfac-
ton, despite the awful occurrence that
has called forth the proffer of aid.
Among all that has been written upon
the shocking event that has brought
about the latest phase of the Irish. crisis,
the following calm and philosophical
view, taken by the Philadelphia Record,
strikes US as being the most plausible
and satisfactory theory of the crime that
has thus far been presented, in the alb
sence of facts such as would render con-
lecture needless. We subjoin the article
entire, as well from its fairness as the
insight it gives into phase of the Irish
agitation that has in the heat of indigna-
ton been lost sight of:
1t seems evident as the details of the ter
rible butcherg in Phoenix Park, In Dublin,
are made known that Mr.. Burke was the vic.
tim whom the assass. MS sought, and that the
murderers were at the time ignorant of even
the name of his unfortunate companion,
whom they slew by his side. Under the
vicious political system which has long pre-
vailed in Ireland, neither the Lord Lieuten-
ant, nor his Chief Secretary are the real
Governors Of the island, but the permanent
Under Secretary at Dublin Castle aud the
resident magistrates and inspectors and
sub-inspeetors of police throughout the
country. The populace has understood
this, and it is probably owing to this
understanding that Mr.. Forster escaped
molestation and was permitted to visit
the most lawless sections of the island
with immunity. It is impossible that
any special feeling of hostility was enter
tanned toward Lord Cavendish, but toward
the subordinate officials bitter feeling has
been constantly manifested by at least one
of the political factions, and tits stated that
Mr. Burke's official severity had long rem
dered him a marked man. 1t would be
grave injustice to hold the Land League in
| any degree responsible for the crime. Ac
curate information with reference to the
character and objects of political and social
movements in Ireland has been the one
thing most difficult to get; but il we study
| tho fnrpaE nf disturbance In rat nufOrfn-
nate country it will be seen that the acts of
| lawlessness that have made Ireland terror
have had their origin In a faction foreign to
the Land League.
Since the year 1879, when Davitt arrived
il Ireland, and, recognizing the distress of
the peasantrY as paramount to political
| questions, inaugurated a movement to
secure immediate relief for their pressing
necessities and the means of securing their
/ future well being, the organization witt
| which he has been identified as body has
remained within constitutional lines. Al
| though the leaders have pursued a course OF
| open agitation for land reform, they have
| counselled peaceful measures, and have at
all times opposed violence aud lawlessness.
| The objects of Fenianism were forgotten in
| the perils of the hour-of calamity from IA
mine and the misery OF evicted households
and finally the Land League became the
most powerful force of agitation on the
island. An avowedly constit utional move
ment, it has at all times resisted the more
radical tendencies of the Fenians, who have
never been wholly in accord with its object,
and who have tried to use it for their own
| purposes. But side by side with Fenanism
| and the Land League stands another less no.
ted faction, more distinct in its policy than
the other two organizations from each other
| the Ribbon Society. This BODY, stand
ing thoroughly apart from Fenianism
| and the Land League, began to manifest
| itself about the time of DavItt's arrival on
the island, and it finally became formids-
bic body whose violent impulses the leaders
of the land League have beer powerless to
restrain. Its horrid in}ivIdu began to
be felt soon after the rejection the COM
| Observation-Disclosures b. in the au-
tumn of 1880. An English writer, discuss
ing the character OF the forces against
which the Irish executive has been and is
cOntending, asserts that it was then that the
Ribbonmen took the field, as the IN
fortunate fact too clearly appears from the
official returns Of crime 10 Ireland:
sin the first seven months of 1880 the total
number of sgrarian Outrsges, according to
these returns, WAS 6j3; in the last five the
number rose to 2 067. The character of those
Outrages marks them very distinctly as of
Ribbon origin-murder, firing at the person
aud into dwelling houses, manning cattle
| anu ScDUiuG LuTGaleullG ltlJtIS-OQtIdRt6
which those who have taken pains to study
the history of RibbOnism since its founda-
ton will have little difficulty in recognizing
as the stereotyped crimes of this most pow
erful and most deadly organization"
SAYS the same writer:
"It must not be omitted that the Land
League had its own peculiar kind of out
rage-boycotting but for the murders,
manning of cattle, manning of the person
and threatening letters it was not to any
large extent responsible. These were old
Ribbon and Whiteboy offenses, IS any one
acquainted with the history of the Irish
agrarian war knows perfectly well. The
connection between Ribbonism and eviction
during 1881, as well as the events which fol-
lowed the suppression of the League, de-
serve to be emphasized. In the first three
months OF that year the number of evic-
ti0ns were 1882 (personsl; the number of
| agrarian Ribbon Outrages, 769. For the see
ond three months the number Of evictions
(of persons) increased to 5, 1852 the number
OF outrages also increased to LODI In the
third three months the number of evictions
still further increased, reaching the figure of
1896 agrarian outrages rising TO 1,l60.
During the last three mouths came the sup
preston Of the Land League, and for this
period the number of outrages is returned
as 1,629, as against &c In the first quarter. u
Since the beginning of the present year
| RtbbOnlsm has been constantly on the IN
crease. Its outrages have been unparallel-
ed, and the lawless acts committed have, it
must be acknowledged, had a serious ten
dency to temper the enthusiasm of the
American people for the Irish cause. But it
must rot be supposed that either Mr.. Par
nell or Mr.. D4vitt or any of the League
leaders is responsible for these murders and
agrarian atrocities generally. The assassi-
nation of Mr.. Burke probably was the act Of
| al ~, - - hI1N,
Society; but over this unconstitutional and
lawless organ cation, it must be remember
ed, none Of the Land League leaders have
ever been able to exercise the least ipfl1-
ence.
The cardinal difficulty of all Arctic
| ovoI,-o4;o.,,- ,,,,,o,,.. % h., fha4 xrbo,, Al -