Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-05-17
POLITICAL SECRET SOCIETIES IN
IRELAND.

The chief point and design OF the he
preston bill for Ireland, just introduced
in Parliament by the Gladstone Ministry,
seems to be directed towards the extlrpa-
ton of what Lord Harcourt calls the Irish
secret societies, meaning thereby, nc
| doubt, the Land-Leaguers principally,
and all other political organizations hav-
| ing similar aim and purpose. But at
this distance it strikes the unprecedented
ob erver that in order to bring about
such result it will be necessary to prac-
| tically extirpate the whole Irish nation,
for. except small minority who have
held aloof from the prevailing agitations,
The larger portion of the people are di-
rectly identified with such societies, and
are evidently looking more to their efforts
| tor ultimate relief from existing opres-
sions than to all other agencies combined.
There is no instinct in human nature
stronger than that which moves people,
| under the power of a common suffering,
TO consort together and devise measures
| FOR common relief. 1t requires DO par
ticular effort nor skill in leadership to Or
ganize secret societies under such circum
stances. In fact,. they organize them
selves, and hence they must be regarded
rs the natural and spontaneous outgrowth
of the political conditions which make
such societies necessary or valuable. . c,s..
In announcing, therefore, the design
If the Government to crush out all these
societies by force of law and penalty, aid
I'd by military power, it is evident that
Gladstone's Cabinet have taken big and
,itficult Job on their hauds-much bigger.
We fear, than they calculate upon. 1t is
also evident that they are little confused
the unexpected suddenness of the
blow which has fallen upon them, and
ire striking out somewhat blindIv under
common but mistaken impression that it
necessary to do something quickly.
They seem to feel the injustice of irving
tn punish the whole nation for the law
less acts Of few hot-headed and misgui1-
Ell partisans and desperadoes, and So i'm
gimme the murderers of Lord Cavendish
to have belonged to the secret-society
portion of the people. they let fv the con-
tents of all their Parliamentary artillery
against that power in the dark which
they know exists, but which they cannot
Nv their hands upon. But unless the
English Government is very wise and
ruent in its dealings with this thorough
ly-aroused and Observation-Disclosures
material III Ireland, it will speedily find
,self in the condition of Russia, with
BODY of secretly and desperate
men on its hands who are better prepar
:. to do mischief than are the irrepressi-
lie Nihiists OF the Muscovite Empire.
1t would be perfectly idle to expect
hat the Illumination of this government
al manifesto will prove effe tive in dim;n
Ishiug, much less extirpating. the evil
against which it is directed Unless the
workings of the ordinary principles of
human nature are entirely different in
this case, from what they have been all
along the ages since the stronger ma.
tons of the earth undertook to subiugate
the weaker ones, it will rather nerve and
strengthen the hands uplifted in defense
of home and country an | the unquestiol-
Cd right to exist, than cause them to
droop and falter. The application of steel
to flint is sure to involve resultant
spark of fire, and so the employment of
more force, with severer and more arbi-
t-ary measures Of legislation, will only
unite the Irish people into a more firm
and compact political unit, and call out
ten lawless desperadoes.. who will be will
ing to engage in further dark and bloody
deeds, where one exists now. We can
not but feel that Gladstone, in introduce
ing this Repression bill, has &C mmitted
grave political blunder.-C Chicago jour
nal.