The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-12-25
AssAssTNs AND LAND LEAGUE.
a Member of the Land League in Defence
of the Conduct of Erishmen.

PORTLAND, Dec. "a, 1888.
To the Editor Of the Press:
An editorial in your issue Of today is a libel
on the members of the Land League of this
city and I believe of the country. You say,
"The conduct of Irishmen in Ireland and
America aimee the truth about the murderers
in Dublin came to light has been entirely con-
sistent with the theory that in their estima-
ton assassination is honorable but the punish
msnt Of assassins is oppression"
Your reasons for this remarkable statement
are that the members of the Land League in
America did not pay Carey, the murderer and
informer, the reward offered by them for the
conviction Of the assassins Of Cavendish and
Burke, and because they have condemned the
judicial murder OF O'Donnell. Permit me to
say that your reasons like your conclusions are
both inconsistent and false.
Do you mean TO say that in offering reward
for the conviction Of the assassins of Caven.
dish and Burke the League intended to reward
one of their murderers and assassins? The
very statement of your position demonstrates
its absurdity. To say that the League to be
consistent should reward that foul and inhu-
man monster Carey is an artifice which can be
best answered by expressions of establishment
and disgust.
Neither assassination nor any other crime
has any place in the principles of the Irish
Land League; and every person who has even
an ordinary acquaintance with its aims and
purposes knows it.
Sympathy with O'Donpell and desire to
have him tried in fair and impartial manner
do not stamp the members of the League as
men in sympathy with the assassination Have
you forgotten the legal principle that every
man is presumed to be innocent until he IS
proved to be guilty? 1t is true that in England
the opposite of this principle is held, but not IN
this country.
O'Donneil was an American citizen. He
fought for the perpetuity of the Union IN the
rebellion. Both of these facts were probably
in the minds of the Englishmen and Anglo
Americans, good reasons Why he should Do
hung. He was murdered in Newgate prison
by the English government. Inc evidence
against him was weak aud conflicting. NO
Jury nnder heaven except an English Jury
would have convicted him upon such evi-
dence O'Donnell claimed that he shot the
infamous wretch Carey in self defense, and il
was admitted by the prosecution that he had
no premeditated motive. Judge Denman who
presided at the trial was typical English
Judge. He was determined that O'Donnell
should be hung. The jury retiring returned
and asked the judge "if Carey had deadly
weapon in his hand, and O'Donnell shot him
believing that Carey was about to use
that weapon against him would
he be guilty OF murder?' Judge Denman
replied cit would not, but there is no evidence
in this case ,ohicb sholCs that Carey had dead
III aoeapon No wonder Gen. Pryor ex
claimed, "My God My God he has put the
rope around the mans neck"
| The reply of Judge Denman was manlfestli
| illegal He virtually instructed the jury tt
| bring in q verdict of guilty. The trial Of
| O'Donnell was like all English trials, perfect
| farce. 1t would be more proper to say that
| Judge Denman murdered O'Donnell, than tt
| say that O'Donnell murdered Carey.
The position which you assume relative TO
| American citizens abroad is hostile to the
| principles of the Republican party, and dia-
mettrically opposed to the attitude which you
| have taken concerning ths treatment OF the
black man in the South. AS a Republican,
denounce as utterly subversive of the best in
terests of the republic that doctrine which
| holds that there is no such being as United
| States citizen and a United Ststes voter 1t is
| cardinal principle of the Republican party
| that il is the duty of the Federal government
| to protect the humblest and weakest
| citizen in the enjoyment of his civil
| rights, and in the free exercise of the ballot
| the sole defence of the freeman-to protect III
| citizens at home in every state and abroad IL
| every land and on every sea. You insist thai
/
| else of his rights south of Mason and Dixon,
| line. With equal justice should you not insis
| tha. the native or naturalized citizen should
be equally protected in the exercise of hi
rights in foreign land?
| do not mean to be understood as believing
| that an American citizen can commit crime in
| foreign land with impunity,o ,or that the shield
of American citizenship should protect hin
from the just punishment due to crime. l d.
| however mean to assert that it is the duty o
| the United States to insure a fai
| and impartial trial to every one o
its citizens arrested for crime in foreign lan(
and to insist that he shall be tried accord
ing to the established rules of evidence and thu
| acknowledged rules of judicial procedure
| That O'Donnel was not so tried is patent Il
to every intelligent person. The trial was Sc
manifestly unfair, that the President OF thu
| United States backed by a resolution of the
American House of Representatives requested
| delay of the execution. The English Gov
| ernment paid no more attention to this reQues
than il it came from on insignificant Soutl
| American Republic. The request was rea
| sonable one, and the refusal to gran
it was direct insult to the United States.
| W. III. l.