Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-09


well died out having largely given place
10 the interest awakened by the march
of events in Egypt The Irish question,
however, in the minds OF thinking peo-
pie overshadows aIlothers that engage the
attention Of the British Government, and
it is not improbable that Mr. Gladstone
will yet have to go before the country
upon it. The dissensiOns that had begun
to appear in the ranks of the Irish party
have been hushed and all yield support
to PANEL. His chief object now is to
hasten the passage of the arrears bill and
secure every modification possible in the
repression bill.
The first measure is sweeping con-
cession to Ireland, and Parnell, as pa
triot, cannot afford to jeopardize it by
fighting the force bill. True, he could,
aud many will hold that he should, Job
struct" the repression bill indefinitely.
Were he to do so, however, the arrears
bill would be likewise delayed, and thou
sands of poor tenants would be turned
out to face the coming winter as best
they might The Land Courts are
crowded with applications for re-
lief, and are unable TO meet
the demand made upon them. Were
the occasions for their interposition rea-
sonably numerous, the act that created
them might be called piece of states
manship But the demand of Ireland is
immediate relief to tenants in arrears, else
multitudes of people must suffer or be
maintained at the public expense. The
arrears bill should have been offered long
ago. 1t was inevitable, but it was not
until Forster's regime of force had
proven a failure that Gladstone took
Pdrnell's hint and agreed to bring in
measure that would fairly grapple with
the land problem.
Gladstone processes that the repres-
sion bill was resolved on prior to the
murders of Cavendish and Burke, and
in no wise hinged upon them. 1t is
singular, if such were the case, that
! Forster, the embodiment of force, should
have quilted Ireland and srraigned the
government for its apparent change of
front. The truth is that the useless
coercion act was passed to silence British
clsmor, and its projected successor is
proposed for the same purpose. The coer-
cion act was failure, and the repres
sion bill will prove q greater one.
l. is prop for the Ministry to support
them in the crisis, but it cannot be eu-
forced. Parnell knows this, and while
principle compels him to strive to shear
it of its worst features, policy dictates
that the bill be allowed to pass. The
failure of the arrears bill would be a
greater blow to Ireland than the passage
OF a dozen measures like the repression
bill. The relief measure would disarm
the force policy by quieting the masses
and diminishing the opportunities for
filling jails.
1t may reasonably be expected that
Gladstone can carry the arrears bill
through the Commons, but upon the
treatment it receives at the hands of the
Lords will depend the welfare of Ireland
and possibly the fate of the Ministry.
The Conservatives threaten to throw
the bill out in the House of Lords and
necessitate an appeal to the country,
trusting in the elections that would fol-
low to regain control of affairs 1t will
thus be seen that not on the repression
bill but the great measure of relief de-
ponds the future of Ireland. From the
Conservatives, who, if they came in,
would come as reactionaries, the Irish
people could expect nothing. Their
welfare, despite coercion, lies in the
ascendancY of the Liberal party. Should
an appeal be taken to the country, thous-
auds of Irishmen, very naturally, would
withhold their votes from the Liberal
candidates, remembering the evil they
have done and losing sight of the good
they are willing to do.
1t is dark hour for Ireland, view the
crisis as we may, and its outcome is i'm
possible to foresee. Could the Tories,
anxious for power, be expected to rise to
the plane of magnanimity and patriotism
the clouds would vanish, and Irelands
future would be bright with promise.
Vain as it may seem to expect it, it must
be hoped that Salisbury and his follow
ers will not offer fatal partisan opro-
sitiOn to a measure so fraught with good
to a hapless people, and which voices
the sentiment of the right feeling and
right thinking masses of humanity.