St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-17
BLAINE'S RECORD.
The Republican Presidential Candidate
as all Ally of Great Britain.
Daniel Sweeney's Experience in an English
Dungeon.
[san Francisco Examiner.


to create the impression that Blaine was in
favor of a most aggressive foreign policy,
but when the record is examined it will be
seen that when Mr.. Blaine was secretary of
state and had charge of foreign affairs his
policy with respect to American citizens
abroad was pusillanimous, and that his ag-
yressiveness was reserved for fatherin
some Cosbit- Landau guano scheme.
Take, for instance, the case of Daniel
Sweeney, or, as he is called in the official
records, McSweeny. On the I'd day OF
March, 1881. the British parliament passed
law enacting that any person who was de-
clared by warrant of the lord lieutenant OF
Ireland to be reasonably suspected OF having
at any time since the 30th day of September,
1880, been guilty, as principal or accessory,
of a number Of crimes in Ireland, or melting
violence or intimidation, or intending to in
terfere with or disturb the maintenance OF
law and order, might be arrested and legally
detained until the Both of September, 1882,
In prison without bail or mainprise, and
should not be discharged or tried by any
court without the direction of the lord lieu
lCuduL. MS Ndo pOpulHl41 hhO"h 80
the coercion act, and parties arrested under
it were called Suspects" 1t was not neces-
sary that there should be any oath charging
the person with crime All that was required
was that he should be reasonably suspected
by the lord lieutenant, which suspicious, OF
course, were based entirely upon the infor-
nation of that Infamous class, the Irish in
LY,o h,r
whom he was accused, or the specific acts of
which it was claimed he was guilty. He had
no right to trial, and could not. in fact, be
bailed, tried, or relieved in any way without
the consent Of his lordship. A number Of
arrests were made of persons thus suspic-
Toned. Among them was Daniel Sweeney.
Sweeney was an American citizen, twenty
ycars a resident Of San Francisco, was well
known in this CITY, and was a man of char
acter and standing. While in ill-health, he
was arrested on June 2, 1881, and lodged in
Dundalk Jail. On June he addressed a
letter to Mr.. Lowell, American minister to
the court of st, James, from which we take
the following:
Dundalk Jail, June 7, 18S1.-Sir: / am
an American citizen, having resided twenty
five years in the United States, twenty of
which | spent in San Fran cisco, Cal Dur
ing that time l never was either charged,
accused, or ever suspected Of any crime !;
nor, in fact, never was accused OF any crime
In my life until on the I'd Of the present
month my house was surrounded by an
armed force, and l was forcIbiy dragged
from the bosom of my family and lodged in
Jail. II x Now, sir, want fair trial :,
if / am innocent | want, as an American
citizen, to be released, y I Yours re-
spectifully, DANIEL SWEENEY.
Mr.. Lowell wrote Mr. Simms, vice consul
at Belfast, June 10, 1881, to inquire into the
McSweeney arrest, and directed that if it APP
peared that Sweeney was innocent, to re-
quest his discharge or immediate trial. He
also desired this be done in respectful terms.
Exactly how our minister expected the vice
counsel to try Sweeney and determine as to
his guilt does not appear. Mr.. Simms seems
TO have thought of his difficulty, for he an
Swered Mr.. Lowell, saying that he had no
means of ascertaining the justice of the
charge, hut that he had written to the lord
lieutenant asking that he might be furnished
The grounds OF Sweeney's arrest, and had re-
ceived an answer, which simply stated that
there were reasonable grounds for suspect
Ing Sweeney of melting people to unlawfully
assemble together and to commit riot and as
sault." On July IA Sweeney again wrote
Mr.. Lowell On the 18th he wrote again,
declaring that he had been locked up in a
British dungeon, his health was q complete
wreck, and that he defed anyone to show
that he had been guilty of any crime. On
the 29d of September Mr.. Lowell answered
this last letter. in which lie said that he had
not thought it proper to make any appli-
cation for his (Sweeney's) release from pris-
on; Ia t the coercion act was the law in Ire
Iaud, and that, sit would be manifestlv fu-
Tile to claim that naturalized citizens OF the
United States should be excepted from its
operation Mr.. Lowell further added
'irhe only case in my opinion, in which |
ought to intervene would be where an Amer
lean citizen who is in Ireland attending ex-
clusvely to his private business, and taking
no part whatever in public meetings or 20
ltIeal discussions, should be arrestedn He
also said Il have communicated these
views to the department of state, and have
received SO far no instruction in contrary
spirit.
In word, from Mr.. Lowell's stand
point, which as he says, was that of the de-
pdrtment of state in Washington, If any
naturaliZcd citizen of the United States was
suspected of having discussed, privately or
otherwise, political matters in Ireland after
the Both of September, 1880, he could be ar
rested under a law not passed until the I'd
day of March, 1881, aud held in prison
without bail or trial, or without being in
formed OF the specific acts of which he was
Charged or by whom he was accused, and
that such case did not present one where he
should make an application or request for
the release or trial of the prisoner
ma
OF September. On Sept. 30. Mr.. Lowell
wrote again to him that the British govern
ment could make no distinction between
foreigners and British subjects, and that in
the case of the latter the only information
which could be given concerning the partic-
nlars as TO the unlawful act alleged to have
been committed was that contained in the
warrant, MIR. Lowell also said that Gin the
absence of any information showing that
your (Sweeney's) case was different from
that of the great majority of others, where
parties were arrested under this coercion act,
| did not think it proper to intervene any
further in your behalf.n
Sweeney wrote in reply rather spirited
letter, under date of Oct. 10. Among other
things he called attention to the fact that
all Mr.. Lowell had done was to request the
lord lieutenant through the vice consul TO be
informed as to what Sweeney had doue, and
that the noble lord had refused to give any
attenuation except to show the warrant of
arrest. Mr.. Sweeney then proceeded to ar
gue the matter with Mr.. Lowell, and We
make the following quotations from his let
ter, referring to the refusal of the lord lieu
tenant to give any Information as to the
acts for which he was arrested He said
Under ordinary circumstances an aceredit-
sd minister OF great and free country,
should not have been discouraged at these
iucautious replies, but rather have been
stimulated to renewed exertioas on behalf
OF his fellow countrymep who was in chains