The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-16
% wnsEllNa. ". va. MAY 70. lsta.
murderers and roIiticaI OGendcrs.

Tho Usually well.iniormed and always
careful Washington correspondent Of the
New York Tribune considers 1t "more than
likely" that negotiations are now going on
between Great Britain and the United
States for a new e~1tradition treaty. The
correspondent remarks that "the obstacles
which have prevented q revision oil the
treaty heretofore have been chiefly Of Eng.
lish making. Now 1t il England that
sorely needs q better treaty, and 1t Is
reasonable 10 suppose that she would be
ready to yield some small points to gain
great ones"
1T is true that England has stood in the
way of q treaty perfected in the light Of
modern means Of communication, the
c%leyerness Of modern rosuss, and the
generally changed condition Of modern
society. 1t 10 also true that she 10 now able
10 see her mistake, and that hers Is the
immediate and pressing need. But We do
not know when our need may be as great;
and apart from this selfish consideration is
the higher consideration Of fair play
between nations. Evil doers In this day
find their way from n country to
another at small cost and with
great dispatch, The nations can not
profe. TO be blind to the fact that they
have certain interests in common requir.
ing measures for the common defense; they
cannot afford to protect fugitive criminals.
The United States has insisted upon ruling
out OF ertraditable ,offenses those which
come under the head Of political. An at
tempt TO overthrow the government Of
Great Britain could not be an offense
against the law Of nations or against the
lawstof the United States. This Is q purely
political ofrense.
But II q member Of the Assassination
Society should murder the Queen Of Eng
land or the Prince Of Wales, conscientious
ly believing that by. that act he would
bsneft Ireland, ashrewd lawyer would be
able to make a very strong plea against ex-
tradition under the Ashbtrton treaty.
uader that treaty there is ertradition for
murder, but not for political offenses, and
the plea set up for the Irish a~ssassinations
is that they are political %offenses, not
murders. Guit0au claimed that his was
aipolitical ~offense, melted by Q sense OF
duty. We hanged Guiteau. England is
hanging the Irish assassins. But Guiteau's
crime stood by itself. The Irish assassina-
tons, are, in q sense, incidents Of the dis
turbed state Of Ireland, in which there Is
virtually rebellion against British rule.
There are well meaning persons who see in
the difference in conditions all the differ
ence between murder and a political Of
Tense. We are able TO see clearly that
there is no difference which ought to give
the offender a safe asylum in any land
where men abhor murder. It 10 remarked
that in twenty Of our thirty.one extradition
treaties political offsnses are barred in Z
press terms, "but nj attempt Is made to
define such effenses," because q general
rnl.corld NO. he made to cover every case.
Thsrs Il however, a nearer approach to an
,.taannt IN IN, ,acent treaty. with Belgium.
whsrein II 4 erore,,ly declared that San
a.,sa, !, o,,;nat ibs lila If the head Of n
t"rsi4r ,oysrnment or against that OF n
:, - ~ ri. f.milv when sucb attempt
cornr;ses ths net either Of murder or
o0o,s.;ro,ior ma no;sonine. shall not be