National Republican., 1883-04-03
THE MURDERS IN IRELAND.
Theory that Tory Agents or Infoumers
Killed CavendIsh and Burke.
To he EdnO.

the wrctChed condition of the Irish people,
struggle in the forefront of which we're the
ablest of Irish statesmen of Protestant faith,
distinguished alike for eminent abilities and
q patriotism which deded both dishonor and
death, the Grattaus, Wolf Tones, and Arthur
O'Connors, as we'll as the Catholic O'Connells,
in this long struggle, extending through sew
oral hundred years, the champions of Irish
emancipation succeeded in wrestling from
their British tyrants the civil and political
and the religious liberties of their people
but other grievances remain which render
liberty and life unenjoyable, because, they
cruelty condemn the great body of the irish
to the most degraded poverty. Principal
among these is the monopoly Of tho land in
the hands Of an oligarchal few, many, if not
most of whom are known as absentee
holders" These absentee lords, or propre-
tors of the land, live chiefly in England, and
seldom visit their estates, which they rent
through middlemen" to the actual tillers
of tho soil. In most cases, from n variety Of
causes, the whole product of the land thus let
is exhausted in the liquidation of the rent
which the oligarchal proprietors spend in
England or on the continent, far away from
Ireland, and thus the country, SO rich in
natural resources, is largely drained of its
principal source of wealth.. Thus all in
centive to industry Is crushed among thepeO-
Pile, and tho consequent misery of tho great
body of the Irish is absolutely uncomfortable.
Against the crushing tyranny of those cruel
land laws, and the sanguinary oligarchy
created and supported by them, the Irish peo-
pie, under able and patriotic leaders, have
long coutended with determined resolution.
Against this tyranny, in protest against the
impovershment aud degradation of u whole
people through wholesale robbery, supported
by brutal laws tyranically administered, the
famous Irish land league was formed; and
under Gladstones government it and ireland
had high hopes of obtaining important modi-
fcations of these land laws in favor ofthe Irish
tenant. A majority of the British parliament,
supported by II majority Of the English people,
favored these notifications, and they were
about to pass into law. At this moment oo-
cured the murder of Cavondish and Burke.
Whose was the devilish work2 Was it that
of tho Irish people, of the Irish patriots, of
the land league, or any of its advocates, re-
ioicing in the probable enactment ofthe great
measure for which they had SO long con-
tended? Is such u belief possible? Is IL
probable that, after enduring such tyranny
and consequent misery for centuries, Irish
patriots, at the moment of even partial
realization of the high hopes of their people
or race, should deliberately commit an act so
prejudicial to the patriots cause? Is such n
proposition even decent? Is II not an insult
to common sense? Whose, then, was the
atrOcious deed?
The tenure of Irish lands was originally
based on conquest-on wholesale robbery, con-
summated amid scenes of appalling outrage
amid carnage, rapne, and lust, and for centu-
ries, through similar agencies and scenes, this
tenure has been cruelty maintained by the
British tory. All Irish history is filed with
proofs of this. Even that shameless champion
of British tyranny, James Anthony Froudc,
admits that the dominant tory had always in
his pay IAN army of informers" and spies.
He had always an army of infamous mercen-
aries hired to swear away the lives of good
men through systematic PERJURY. SO declare
all respectable historians Of Ireland. Inform
ers Of rank and family would stipulate that
their names should never be revealed, that they
should never be required to appear in public
on tho witness stand, but UNDER a
cloud of impenetrable secrecy would plot
tho judicial assassination of the purest
and best. Hired subordinate villains, like.
Whately and Carey, would take up the secret
informers' story and swear to the necessary
lying statements to destroy the character and
lives of the victims of tory vengence. Thus
were assassnatcd under all the forms Of f1law
William Orr Shelby, and Sir Edward Crosby J!
Thus were the lives of hundreds of nnOcent
and patriotic men judicially murdered. Thus
VI
supported by every bloody and obscene
outrage, resisted at every step Of their
progress the political and civil enfranchise-
ment of Irshmen as they resisted their
religious emancipation" perfectly aware
that every consummated measure of Irish
freedom and every measure which gave
to the Irish political and civil power or raised
Irshman in the scale of humanity, struck a
blow in its results at their tyranny as monOp-
olists OF the Irish soil. For years they have
read the fearful handwriting on the wall.
They realize that their usurpation and mo-
nopoly of the land are in peril, and in Glad
stones land measure they clearly saw n fatal
blow in its ultimate effects at their tyranny.
Were they to remain inactive, to passively al
low the doom Of their tyranny to be enacted
into law
1t is singular a notable fact, tina I just here
at this critical juncture in their affairs, oc-
cured the murder of Cavendish and Burke.
1t is equally q notable fact that the perpetra-
tors of these murders should so long remain
shrouded in mystery, should so long, appar-
emily, battle all the inquiries or search of tho
efficient constabulary of Dublin, armed with
all the powers Of the imperial government,
and that the reputed authors of the crimes
should finally only be discovered by the i'm
memorial agents and agencies of British tory
tyranny, that of tho hired informer and spy?
What is the natural inference? Is it not
ullnCulu, almost Impossible, III unO llgnU OF
Irish history and current facts to resist tho con-
clusion that these foul murders were the work
of tory ruilians-of the agents of those most
deeply interested in creating in Ireland sit
uation which would render impossible any
mitigation of their obscene tyranny in Gre
ating an attitude or situation in Ireland
which would place the Irish patriots-the
land league and its followers--in n false posi-
tion of ungrateful hostility to the British
government, and defeat the passage of the
Gladstone land bill for the amelioration of
the condition of the Irish tenantry? Is it
not difficult, indeed to recognize in the pro-
ceedings and agencies ut Dublin anything
but characteristic revival of the immemorial
deviltry, supported by the usual machinery,
of the Irish land tyrants, to recognize in
Carey's treason and information other than
the old notorious methods Of attempting to
fix upon the friends of Ireland and land re-
form the tory's murderous sins?
We confess we have much difficulty in the
matter But whether such belief be well
grounded or not We urge all Americans to be
slow in yielding credence to the improbable
stories of hired informers. Americans owe
that to themselves as honest and independent
men-as just men-as friends Of liberty and
genuine reform the world over, as much as
they owe ii to long suffering and much
abused Ireland and Irishmen. -.