Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-14
THE DYNAMITE POLICY AND TIE
AMERICAN SENTIMENT.

If the men who are urging on the
dynamite operations in England are actu-
ated by the hope of frightening Great
Britain into terms on the Irish question,
they will soon realize that they are sadly
mistaken. They have excited fears, they
have created alarm and much uneasiness
but no revolution of public sentiment will
be effected by such methods. They are
wholly indefensible, and have already
reacted upon the misguided men who
foster and countenance them, done meal
culable injury to the Irish cause, and Grip.
pied whatever meritorious efforts were be-
ing made to pacify Ireland.
It viii be profitable to briefly glance at
the situation Immediately preceding the
first dynamite attempts, and ire
spective of the question of Irish nation
atty, or the claims for it, or the opposition
to it. England had not changed her policy
because of the Phoenix Park assassinations.
1t was determined that for the acts of
the Tutians who formed the assassination
society, the whole people of Ireland should
not be held responsible, however much of
secret sympathy was extended to the muir.
derers. There had been public content
that the law should take its course with
the apprehended assassins, concerning
whose guilt, basing judgment upon the tes-
timony adduced, there is now no reason
able doubt, and one of whom has already
been sentenced to the gallows. Mr.. Par
nell came into Parliament with a bill to
correct errors in the Land Act of 1881.
But his measure was too sweeping to meet
with the possibility of English approval.
There are defects in the Act as, that it
does not include lease-holders that its
operation by the methods employed is too
slow; that sufficient allowance is not made
for tenants improvements in fixing rent.
Mr.. Gladstone refused, however, to coun-
tenance the Parnell amendments, as this
would. in his opinion, again open up the
land question, and bring on renewed
effort to reverse the action taken in 1881.
To some extent this annoyed the Ulster
tenant farmers, who are loyal to England,
but had desired amendments to the Act.
1t aggravated the Parnell party, but was
not unexpected to them. "They real.
ized," says a witness of the struggle,
that nothing England would do would
80. -. -
point it must be recalled that there was,
and still is, distress among the Irish
peasantry, and a demand was made that
the English Government relieve it by pro.
viding work especially for that end. Lord
Spencer opposed it, holding as one writer
phrases it, that the only way to prevent
ireland from falling into the abyss of per-
ennial pauperism was to adhere to the
application of the work.house test, and
adding that to give "outdoor work
would but aggravate the distress, and
prevent the poor from recovering from
their depressed state" On this point,
declares correspondent, "our political
economists are unit" Spencer was Bit
terly and vehemently denounced, and thus
those OF the English who sympathized with
Ireland most were driven over to his sup.
port.
As to the further treatment of the Irish
question the Liberal party divided in opin-
ion. One wing held that strict admins
tration of the law and firmer hand were
what Ireland needed most, and that to
concede more was to encourage rebellion
and anarchy. The other section held that
so long as Ireland needed reform, Parlia-
ment must legislate for her that sit were
better the Irish govern themselves worse
than that others govern them better.
The Parnell amendments then being
dEss9untenanced by the Premier, the very