New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-24
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGES 9 TO IL.
ENGLISH AND IRISH.
PROGRESS OF THE DISCUSSION ON HOME
RULE.

breathing spells and 1T is taxing ono ho"' Inv
newspapers ignoring this popularity OF tfeir
patrons continue TO publish innumerable DISGUISE
tio4s ON Home Rule. Many of them arc from very
competent writer's, some from experts W no nave
real knowledge of the condition OF Ireland. but
they are untimely and therefore to q great extent
unread The Times is tue chosen organ OF these
communications, as it is of most Others for whleh
the widest publicity and influence are wanted
They are scattered all oversthe paper. There are
letters or speeches. leaders on Irish AFFAIRS on
seven different pages ard these again are broken up
on particular and must be sought Tor IN several
columns other matters intervening. This may be
convenient for the casual reader. The Tunes Is
made mp on the theory that each reader reads the
whole paper straight through from end to end, 80
that it does not matter where things come, nor how
widely articles on the same subject separated.
assume for pollteness sake that such theory
exists In actual practice the printers devil is
supreme and it is his convenience which determines
the sequence of subjects in this great Journal. III
you want be of seeing all that is said on any
one morning any one topic, you must go over the
whole sixteen pages one by one. There is nothing
81 abhorrent to the En- glish mind as system.
Much of all this Home Rule discussion is, MS was
saying left unread. You hear no echo of it; there
Is no sign that it has made an impression. People
have perceived that nothing decisive is likely to be
said till Parliament meets, and they watt with
or less coDposure of mind, for the Queens
Speech, and the Address, and the debate on the
Address Somebody will have to show his har d by
that time; the Government or Mr.. Gladstone, or
even Mr.. Parnel, who never plays card that he
can keep to himself he tactics he delights in are
those known mt whist as "holding NJ" his cards.
Ho let's trick after trick go by him. whether be-
cause he could not win them or would not is the
question which his adversaries are perpetually
puzzled to answer.
There have been, however, within the week. three
really important contributions to the literature of
Homo Rule. Mr. Justice Stephen has written two
long letters in his most vigorous manner-
letters of outspoken condemnation upon Home
RaIe and upon tho English politicians who pater
with it, He taxes the view natural to judge who
sits upon the bench. with a criminal at least
accused person, in the dock before HIM. His life is
concerned with the administration of justice and
tie enforcement of law. He would settle the Irish
question by the processes familiar to him on the
bench: by mastering the facts and by applying to
them certain fixed principles. Alas that politics
are so seldom dealt with in that fashion. Logic,
reason, the rigid adjustment of conflicting claims
on the basis of what is fair to both sides-that is
net what the Irish want. They want their own
way, and other peoples land. So evidently thinks
Mr. Justice Stephen, yet he continues TO address
them as if argument were likely TO affect multi
tide of men who have set on foot agitation based
appeals to passion to self-interest to patriotic
sentiment and to many other things with which
ratiocination has little to do. None the less
are Mr. Justice Stephens letters worth the study of
any one who really cares to know how Home Rule
looks to of the farcst and most powerful minds
in England.
1t may lie added that Mr. Justice Stephen knows
Ireland too He has place there; owns or rents
little land and a house. 1t makes, admit all th,
o.,ha ha il In nd ord In hn
one case he is. in the eloquent phraseology of the
agrarIan, a land-thef. In the other, he would only
be trying to become one. Whichever he be. he goes
there spend his summer vacation Have ever
tod you the story of his first VISIT / forget and
30 probably do you. and 80 here it is.
Sir James Stephen had made himself obnoxious to
the Irish by trying and sentencing a number
Of Irish patriots. On his way TO his
Irish estate he stopped in Dublin and visited
The Viceroy who told him il was not safe for him
20 live on his own property, aud that he must have
apolice force for his protection. Sir James said he
d,e not want the police but the Yiceroy insisted on
sending them. 1t happens that this excellent Judge
is of great stature and strength and is fond OF rifle
practice He aud his sons set up target soon after
their arrival and amused themselves in their usual
way. Presently the sergeant of the police eLcamped
on the premises to the judge, and said he
thought he and his mou might 90 back to Dublin.
but" observed Slr James, you toId me IL was
absolutely necessary shoud be guarded" Yes"
Guoth the sergeant. with gravity, " but the boys
have yOa and the young gentlemen shoot and
they are convinced that you triod those men in
Liverpool fairly"
The second of these contributions comes from Mr..
Childers at Edinburgh The late Chancellor Of the
Excheauer lost his seat at Pontefract because he
went too far the Irish question and because lie
did not 20 far enough. He had announced his
readiness hand the police in Ireland 10 local
control; which, to the English mind, means control
OF the police by tho National League. This fright
ened the Moderate Liberal and los. his vote. Mr..
Chllders, however, had been member of the
Government which. rs Mr.. PaInell informed his
countrymeE, han ied over Ireland to chains, i'm
prisonment, and death. and was ready to
do again. So the Irish of Pontefract
voted against him, and between these
two stools the unhappy came to the
ground. lie had the pleasure of knowing, also,
that his declarations aboat ireland had done some
thing to discredit other Liberal candidates. He
was none the less. as defeated ex-Cabinet Minister
first the list of candidates for va
cahcies in Liberal boroughs or divisions
When Sir George Harrson-an aniable and
able man. sincerely regretted in Edinburgh of
which he had been Lord Provost-died, Mr. Childers
was offered tho chance of contestng lis seat and
accepted. And the first thing lac had TO dc to
explain or to explain away If he could. his unlucky
remark about the Irish police.
= This he has done. but be has done ii lamcly The
present Irish police observes Mr. Childcrs is an
armed constabulary of IA 600 men. He does not
and never did mean that this armed
constsbulary should be subject to any control but
that OF the Imperial Government. But he thinks
there ought to be civilian police force in Ireland,
as there is IN Yorkshire This civilian force should
do the ordinary police work and be subject to local
authority The armed constabulaTy should be kept
in reserve to help the civilians when called on