The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-08-07
THE ENGLISH ON THE DxNAm1TERs


1t verges closely on the impudent for the
English papers and authorities to assume that
we are under special obligations to prevent the
manufacture of dynamite and internal ma
chimes here for the use of the Irish terrorists,
and that they have cause for complaint against
Us every time that a building is blown UP in
England or some other outrage" committed.
Even supposing that some action to prevent
these is dictated by our international obliga-
tions the initiatory action is clearly incum-
bent upon the English authorities. It is much
easier for them to catch the men who explode
the dynamite cartridges under the buildings
than it is for us to find out and punish those
who prepare it here for that purpose.
We might as well ask them te catch and
punish the men who make and send to this
country the tools with which the burglars
operate against our banks. There are continu-
ally coming to this country from England both
skilful burglars and the most ingenious and
effective burglars tools, from which our people
suffer losses enormously greater than those in
flicted upon the English by the dynamiters, and
yetwe never think ofasking England for any ac-
ton to prevent this. If we did, she would very
properly tell us that we must look to our own
police for protection; and so we say in regard
TO the dynamiters and their acts. IF she can
point out to US any place where men are manu-
featuring dynamite for use against her people
it will be our duty to stop it, just as it would
be her duty to take similar action if we could
show where burglars tools were being manu-
featured for use against American banks, or
where burglars were being trained to the spe-
/ cialty of cracking our safes and strong boxes.
Nor can she complain that we do not shut up
| the men who are preaching the adoption of
terrorizing measures against her. She herself
has for centuries given an asylum to every
kind of conspirators against foreign govern
ments, kings and potentates, allowed plots to
be Matched on her territory for all manner OF
monarchs and governments with whom she
was at peace, and has permitted-sometimes
almost eneouraged-the public collection of
money to aid those projects. For very many
years the Italian conspirators who were plot
ting the overthrow of the Pope and the King
of Sieily-possibly the assassination of those
potentates- their headquarters in London
as publicly as the chief offices of an insurance
or railroad company, organized their move
ments from there, sent out their agents, and
collected subscriptions all over the Kingdom.
Nothing that the Fenians have done is so bad
as the plot which was Matched by Orsini and
others in London in 1853 to assassinate Napo-
leon III. Yet the French authorities never
pretended to assume the manner toward the
| English that these assume toward u.s.
Another thing: Fhs talk of international
obligations is in quite another tone from that
in 1661565, when the English doek-yards were
running night and day to build rebel pri-
| vateers to destroy our commerce. Then ii
seemed impossible for our Minister to furnish
proof enough to convince the English author
tiles that vessel was being built to prey upon
our merchant ships, and when there was nc
longer any possible pretext for disregardine
the proof presented, the Alabama was allowed
to slip out through very transparent trick
and did US more damage than the dynamiterE
are likely to do the English, if they are allowed
to continue their operation unchecked for the
next century.