New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-04
AN ATTACK ON COERCION.
TEE IRISH SECRETARY UNDER FIRE


HIS ADMINISTRATION DENOUNCED BY MR. GLAD
sToNE-MR BALrouR REPLIES WITH
SPIRIT TO THE ASSAULTS UPON
HIM
London, Dec 3--The House of Commons went
into committee tonight on the lIish estimates.
An appropriation of l2, 7O7 pounds was asked IN
order 70 complete the sum OF 40. 7O7 pounds Ior
expenses Of the Irish Sccrotarys office. Mr. John
f. Ellis LiberaD moved that the amount asked
be reduced by 425 pounds, his purpose being to
raise general debate Mr.. Ba fcur's admlnistra-
ton. He charged that the Government WAS using
coercion 10 such an extent that 800 persons had
been imprisoned since the Crimes Act went into
operat on. Mr. Balfour. he said was seeking TO
conceal from the people of England the acts of
cruelty perpetratcd in Ireland. He had adopted
system of evasion and of inaccuracy of stat 'ment
within and without Parliament The inaccuracy
might arise from ignorance, for Mr.. Balfour was
generally absent from his post at Dublin. In this
he was unlike any of his predecessors. Seldom or
never had the Chief Secretary for Ireland left his
duties to subordinates. Mr. Balfours entire ad-
mjnistl alton had been charact rizod by petty ma
ignity and calculated brutality. {" Hear hear!")
THE CHIEF SECRETARY DEFENDS HIMSELF
Mr.. Balfour replied that Mr. Ellis had come to a
dark conclusion regarding his tBalfoursJ moral
character. Iaughter) He had accused the lrish
Secretary OF evasion and inaccuracy, and OF ma
Eri and brutality in his conduct
Mr. Ellis interposed with correction what
said was that yonr administration was character
lied by those qualities
Mr. Balfour rcjoined: THAT does not MAKE
much difference Nv statements regarding the
situation in Ireland have invariably been naseo
upon official reports these being largely stal-nc'
H. nad
Mr.. Ellis 60 about England talking of three
thousand and other fictitious numbers ol evlcuoh
notices. which had been served upon t-nants
thereby turning them out of doors and deprlvlng
them of the right of free sale and just com
nensation for their improvements He asserted
also that had suppressed or wantonly prosecuted
tho newsnar arers and that / had imprisoned nttle
how for selling these journals with other similar
nonsense The Government most earnestly desires
"a enable the people TO know the whole Iuth
about Ireland If the country once underslooo
the criminal methods by which political ooJec's
were advocated in Ireland, if the character OF the
alliance binding the Opposition were revealed the
verdict would not be with Mr. Gladstone (CneelS'l
rpRusrs FROM THE GRAND OLD MAN
Mr. Gladstone who had come from Hawardeh
in order to assist in the attack upon the Govern
menti twitted Mr. Bilfour and other Conser\a-
,ives with having sought similar alliance on the
o,.o ~ the last election The ex-Premier denied
that the Liberals had sought party advantage III
an alliance which arose from concurrence VI
opinion with the Natonalists upon the great I'm
of their policy toward Ireland Cheers ME-
Balfour made him an object 81 comment IN saYy
thai was without parallel. lie d not person"iS
resent MIR. Baliours lnveclVe, ana WOuIu eI-
deavor to keep at the remotest distance POssdDd7
from comPeung W. wtF R1oMr sGSn WITH mi rep esentng
Earl Spencer's treatment OF prisoners VI u Ia'i IN
SDencer was Viceroy OF Ire land. lie declared lhdV
Wr Balrour when shown his error, ought 10 nave
apologized to Earl Spencer ReieIrLg 20 tnv cis,
of kinsela, Mr.. Gla0st one quoted from panpirieV
written by priest namea Oi,don oon every man
of candor and OF humane feelings the stIohg con
yjctIop that to those who admin Stored the law IN
Ireland the life of Nationalist was not OF the
same value as that of a L0ya lst 'Nhe'Is
Coming to the murders at Mitchelstown Mr.
Gladston assured the Cons rvatves that n0thng
but repentance would silence the reproach arising
from that mistake. 1t would be heard again ana
again until the Government would be Obliged 70
cond nm what il had heretofore pra sed or untIl
the time came when the solemn verde OF the WhoIe
country was given. Cheers and counter cheers.
The wanton Slaughter Of innocent men remained
unpunshed. The murders were never even ln.
ouired into as they ought to have been But what
could be expected of an Administration u'lng as
its instruments resident magistrates whr Wre
totally incompetent for performing the'r duuleS'
or sometimes convicting men upon the loosest evl-
denoe? How could such an Adm'ristrat on cam
the character of honorable, Or pu'e or Just? How
could a Government defending it call itself the
champion OF law and order? lCheers)
MR.. BALFOUR ACKNOWLEDGES AN ERROR
Mr. Balfour said that Mr. Gladstone while pro-
testing against strong language INDUCED in critI-
cisms the cl.lof feature of which was strength OF
cplthet He (Balfcur admitted that he had fallen
into an error regarding Earl Sp ncer's treatment
of a member for Dublin l1arbor but this mistake
arose from defective information suppned MN.
Regarding the case of Kinsella, how was the Gov,
errnent to blame? The man who was supposed
10 have shot Kinsella was arrested, but the " ana
Jury failed to ndict him and the Judge declared
that there was no evidence on which 20 hold nm.
Mr. Gladstone had ref aimed from repeating the
Old story about Mr.. Vaudeville being tortured TO
death in prison and he had done so because the
facts in the case proved tina, MIR. MandeviHes I'M
prisonment had nothing to DO with his death'
Similarly Mr.. Gladstone. in his account ol the
events at MitcEolstown, omitted to refer To the
MODS attack upon the p lice, thereby dstorillng
the truth about the affair. In ccnciudlng' Mr
Balfour asked whether there could be better PROOF
that the law was well and properly administered
IN Ireland than the evidence afforded by the 1act
that the Opposition compelled to rely upon
three Or four cases, instanced time after time, as
grievances.
EMPEROR WILLIAMS EAR COMPLAINT