The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-08-06
New Bxtraditisn treaty.


The protests from Irish organizations
/ against the new treaty with Great Brit
ain have been largely made without a
proper conception of its character. It
adds to the list Of eXtraditable offenses
under the treaty of 1912 the following :
; (l) manslaughter, (2) burglary, (3) en-
beZZlemeut or larceny Of the value of
fifty dollars or upward, and "a malicious
Injuries to property, whereby the life of
any person shall be endangered, if such
injuries constitute crime according to
the laws of both the high contracting
parties. The last includes the Anarch-
ist, Communist, Nihilist, dynamiter's
hideOus villainy, and is the mOet heinOus
of them all. We have had a recent il
lustratiCn Of this in Chicago. and the
disclosures now going on in that city
have gone far to convince the American
people that the dynamite fend is about
the most dangerous and perfidiOus Grim
inal that has been evolved from what
we call the progress of the age and SCI
entific discovery. It is to the credit of
the Irish people that while almost every
nationality, including Americans. is rep
resented among the Chicago conspirators
and murderers, the name of no Irishman
is on the list.
The objection that under the treaty
persons may be extradited for political
offenses has no foundation whatever
1t is universally admitted principle of
international law aud county that a
purely political crime cannot be reached
by extradition, Nevertheless, it was
deemed proper to TeasseTt that principle
in the terms of the new treaty. It is
reasserted iu the following words
under the provisions of said treaty or of this
convention, If the crime in respect of which
his surrender is demanded be one OF political
character or If he prove to the competent
authority that the said requlsition for his
surrender has in fact been made with the
view TO try or punish him for a crime of
political character.
In this clause of the treaty the political
offender can find an ample shield against
extraditiOn. The Chicago Times illus
tTates it in this way:
Suppose. for example, that Mr.. o.
Donovan Rosa or Mr. John Boyle
O'Reilly shall send an agent to London
to place dynamite bombs where they will
blow up a railway train, and launch a
few score passengers into the next
world and the British authorities, dis
covering the perpetrators OF the horrible
crime, shall send over a requisition for
the extTaditiOn Of the chief criminal. -
OF course, as the crime was done with
dynamite, Mr. John Boyle O'Reilly will
say that il is only political offsnse, for
which the treaty says no criminal shall
be surrendered. He will thus raise an
issue that must be decided by the Judi.
cial power and not the judicial power
OF the country that makes the appIica-
tion for his extradition, but the judicial
power OF the country to which the appli-
cation is made. That is the competent
authority that will give the dynamiter
an opportunity to prove that the said
requlsitiOn for his surrender has IN fact
been made with view TO Try to punish
him for crime of a political character. /
and if be shall prove that, the court will /.
order his discharge -
We don't believe the use Of dynamite. /
OF assaSSinati0ns such as those in Pnn- /
nix PARK. have ever done the Irish cause /
ANYTHING but harm. They dishOnOr it +,
IN the face of the world. I, is The weapon .
Of towards. Bnt this aside, there is an /
American question to be considered. .-
we have now ample evidence that there
are IN this country organized banditti
who propose warfare on society aud civ
ilIZatlOn-killing innocent women and .
children rather than those thew hold /
guilty OF the crime of prCperty-5y the .
treacherous and cOwardly use OF this
death dealing explosive. They operated
IN Chicago a few months ago. Next
month it may be in Pittsburg OF any
other American city, There must be a
way to track these miscreants around (
the globe, if necessary. and bring them
TO punishment. The men who denounce
the proposed treaty must be made face
these facts, and be made, too, to say
whether they propose TO furnish in Can
ada an easy and convenient place Of
refuge for such Infamous scouudrels
and enemies of all society. It is a
question that may be brought home to
us any dav.
The Irish cause has passed to the
DOMAIN OF constitutional agitation. It
needs no such weapons 1t is cham
plOred In Great Britain to-day by the
greatest living EngIishman. Its leader
IS the most skillful and astute politician
)t the age. II is backed by a solid body
1t three hundred members of the British |
carlament, who represent two millions
u voters, IL is no longer simply an
IRISH question. but an imperial one
pittSb1Tq Post.