New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-06

law-brcakers and murdereTs is as extiaNagaht
as his own reckless utterance that the N"'lon"'
movement has been conducted with moderation
and an utter absence of crime.
The fatal faint of Irish agitation, as we nave
repeatedly urged, is crime. Nobody knew thls
so well as OConnell, who always declared 'la'
crime govo strength to the enemies OF lrelaho'
Now II il undeniable that Mr.. ParneH mas
neglected TO dcnomce murders and outrages,
and has even affected to ignore them as trlNal
episodes of great movement 1Or WHICH ho
could not be held responsible. Al the SAINT
time he has profted by them III poiltlcal
sense. The No-Rcnt manifesto sent out rom
Kilmainham would have been Ineffective IL IL
had not been enforced for season by Dahus Oh
desperadOes Mr.. Forster charged tho hlah
leader year ago with cOnniying at outrageS'
with indirectly melting them by VlOichC
speeches in Parliament, and with making syS-
tematic use of them for the sake OF promotlh6
his political purposes. This was a tcirlple
Indictment; but it was not direct charge lhaI
he and his associates had openly countenahced
assassination and lawlcssncss and recognized
it as a legitimate means of agitation. Inc
Grown officials have riade free use OF iniormeIs
TESTIMONY, but they have never been able to
connect any member of the Irish delegation at
Westminster with the campaign OF violence
Mr.. Paruell may have neglected to warn
"moonlightcrs" against the consequences Oh
their wanton outragcs but he has neither hlred
nor plotted with them. The Ph@nIN farh
assassins may have acted with that spirit OF
hatred with which his speeches are lmoueu'
but not one sentence which he has ever written
or uttered can be construed as a defence oi their
cowardly crime
Mr. Parncll has been playing with dangerous
forces which he has not been able to control
Sometimes, indeed, he has seemed to be I'M
willing to make deliberate effort to repreSS the
criminal agencies which were bringing MS
political movement into diSrepnte. But Whlie
he cannot shirl his share of responsibility LOT
lawlcssncss in the past, lie ought not 10 DC
represented as the boon companion OF asSaSSihs
and desperadocs, crOwning them with roses ana
taking their despcablc hire. During the last
wear his political ascendcncy i'll the island has
been greater than it WAS during the period OF
intimidation and murder; yet there has been
almost complete cessation of agrarian crime.
Since the Crimes Act has been enforced there
has been marked improvement i'll this re-
whether the change in the method of repression
has not had something to do with the stamping
out of crime. Mr. Treyelyan makes use OF Il
coercion policy, as Mr. Forster did in his time,
but there is radical difference III the two
Parliamentary measures. The present Sec
Rotary discriminatcs between political and
criminal agencies and Furnishes breakers.
The former Secretary merely arrested cross
roads agitators aud dcspcrddoes alike, filling
the prisons without ever bringing any offender
to trial. and converting imprisonment into a
popular form of political persecution. Is 1t not
conceivable that the first Coercion Act had
something to do with the spread Of an infections
lawlessncss, and that there are fewer murders
and outragcs now simply because there is a
common-sense method of furnishing crime
under an improved Coercion Act2 English
legislators must look the facts in the face and
not shiri their own responsibility for Irish
disorder during period Of lawIcsshess which
has happily been brought to q close.