Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-03-21
MR.. PARNELL INTERVIEWED.

MR.. PARNELL INTERVIEWED.
The Boston Gobe publishes the following
interview with Mr. Parnel in London. Re-
ferring TO recent events Mr.. Parnell said:
Il have felt compelled to refuse to make
any utterances concerning these matters to
the English press, because no matter how
carefully my expression might be made, nv
Jury would certainly be prcudiced. Eng
land is not in mood to listen to anything
about Irish affairs that is not condemnatory
of the Irish people. 1t is the fashion in
England now to cry down Ireland. The
surest way to British prctermentis the doing
this we'll Christianity has grown for near
| ~ 2,uOO years. In the country which mas
published the most Bibles it has come to pass
that the greatest public favor is the prefer
red and guaranteed reward Of the English
| follower of Christ who can invent the most
excuses Tor suppressing the natural rights
of the Irish followers of Christ. The Irish
Christian takes less Friday fish from the
north side Of the English channel, the En-
| glish Christian less from the south side.
Why should the !rishman be absolutely q
| slave, and the Englishman his master?
Why should the Irishman give up his strug-
giles to be free? After centuries of strife
| the Irish people reached. by wonderful
patience and wonderful tact, that stage
of political success wherein their struo-
giles for liberty were confined to narlia-
mentary efforts. SO good was that cause
that legislation was secured giving the Irish
peasantry some rights on their native
soil. So prudent were these peasants in the
enjoyment of the fruits of their hard toll.
that malice has for the time failed, and since
the period Of the minister's concessions no
unlawful act has been or can be brought
home to the real Irish party IF crimes have
been committed in Ireland so have crimes
been committed elsewhere, but in Ireland
everything done By persons not in Office
must be done by lrishmen, and if the acts
are criminal II seems nearly impossible for
lLngllshmen to assign other than revolution
airy reasons for their commission. [ do not
care to discuss the crimes now under judi-
clal investigation in Ireland so long as the
courts Of ijustce have them in charge, but |
do protest against the uncivilized Injustice
shown by the English press toward the peo-
pie OF ireland since the recent explosions.
The explosions occurred ut Q o'clock at
night, the one at the government building
doing some G4 900 damage, and the one at
the Times building little if any. The police
and military were at once put III possession.
tigation shut oil. If the London press were
conducted as the American press is, scores
Of expert writers would have at once nycsti-
gated the explosions on the spot. and un-
doubtedly fully explained them in 1.-THE pub
lie prints next day; but here secrecy and
mystery were secured, which naturally sur
rounded the affair with great portent. The
next day the London press. without cxcep-
tlon without investigation. without reason.
charged both explosions upon the Irish par.
ty, describing them as diabolical nlots to
punish and intimidatc the government. Fair
reportorial investigation might have shown
that the explosion at the government build
ings was caused by gas, and that the one at
the Times building was caused by any one of
thousand persons who imagined themscl
YES aggricvcd tell you, notwithstanding
all the troubles OF the Irish people, there is
to-day az much bitter woe in England and
Scotland, and as much bitter hostility
among The poor and idle Of both countries
against the lordly power as there ever was
in Ireland The Irish arc struggling for fair
policies. They are accustomed TO being
hungry and ill-housed and clad and they
arc not murmuring on that account, but the
laborers in Scotland and England are idle,
and hungry, and dangerously impatient
You don't see all this in the editorials of the
London newspapers, but you see it in the
columns where the stories Of the pooor are
told, and in the vastly increased number of
crimcsand violence. The manufactures and
trades Of England are in bad condition. The
English people arc not nihilistic, and never
have been and if they were, there are ten
cases in England for nihlism where there is
one in Ireland. The Irish poor arc the
agricultural poor, The poor in England
are the dangerous poor of large towns and
mining districts
Il do not assume 20 even suggest that
either thc acts OF violence in Ireland or
London have been ccncoctcG by the enemies
OF Ireland. MI ! insist upon is that the Irish
party IS honestly cndcavorDg TO secure
remedial Legislation through the regular
courses of Parliament that the Irish party
has no need TO resort TO such acts of public
| violence as have been charged against it.
and that the Irish party has every reason to
refrain from such illegal acts. | further
may say that. whether or not the opponents
of the Irish party have found it convenient
to cngender or invent acts OF violence for
the purpose of in urng the Irish cause in
Parliament and before the English people,
the fact that they invariably, without inves
/! tigation, charge the Irish party with having
perpetrated all these crimes, produces the
same result, and is almost equally criminal.
l charge the London press with the political
crime of having, without reason and with
out inquiry, attempted to convince England
that series of outrages. whichwill un-
doubtedly be proved to be unconnected
with the Irish party, were the representa-
tive acts of Irish revenge. | charge the
London press with the political crime of
having done this at a critical period in the
stage of Irish remedial legislation, and l lay
upon that press all the responsibility for all
the delay which may be consequent on the
doing of that justice whichthe ministry
avowed its intention to give to Ireland, and
for all the spirit of Irish hostility which may
be aroused as result. declare that the
Irish party is absolutely innocent of all