New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-24
THE PARNELL COMMISSION.
DULL PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST TWO
DAYS

rHr PEOPLE IN counT-sIR JAMES HANNhN 1hS
nox,N.Nr FIGURE ON THE BENCH-THE
CHARGES AGAINST MR.. PARNELh AMI
HIS Observation-Disclosures oF
OPINION REGARDING THE LET
rERs-ATTITUDE OF THE
HOME RULE PARTY.
tpr CABLE TO rnE TRibuSLl
csprxcAt; 1888: By The Ne'0' York 1T'0'"e
rondor Oct 23-The first and second Gays
~ the Parnell Commission were chieny remarRaoio
for the extreme dulness of the proceedings. incre
has b.en. thus far, very little to reward pu"ho
curiosity: nor was there either to-oay VI s.0
tsrdav much visible evidence Of pubic CURIOSITY
;n or about the Law Courts, except the preseno0
of journalists The few hundred ioaiers ou'e'u1
were kept at bay by half dozen policemen AL
.nt,ances to the building were held by the PONCE
who require to see the ticket Oh every unNAo"
visitor The hall inside was thus kept empty ana
A.. .or-,dor. leading to Probate Court No. One,
An which the Commission sits. were equally empty.
Th. hodv NJ the court was filed, partly by sohcl-
ar. counsel and parties concerned in the cause
ard rartlv bv journalists. The gallery reserved
tor members of Parliament and other emihcA0
strangers was only half-hlled A.
81, lanes Hannen, Mr.. Justice Day ana MI
Justice Smith came in at five minutes pase -
There was no scene no ceremony, ana hoonihs UuV
m. usual formalities when Judge taxes n,S III,
.eat in court II this be. as some peopie "'i'
Say. !, .reat state trial, nothing could be more
rmple and less stately. Sir Charies huSSeN' "n0
ssds for Mr. Parnell. was on his feet at once
.sLiro for Mr.. Redmond's release. This was
oo,bans tie only incident which had been re
s..rsed IT, WAS known that the court wouio
,n.,,, on the terms offered to Mr. Dillon mon.hs
AGO including a promise TO abstain iroii 'aNine
mart IN any public meetings. ana IL was NAo"H
that Mr. Redmond would refuse 10 give ,.i' ~
p,edee So the application came 10 ho'nihs vi,
parnell who sat in what here ls caneo ono W.
~ tho court next to Mr. George LEWIS '"i
,,rnd and watched this bit OF fenclns OUTING V"0
,,,o minutes il lasted. We all watchea MN .ne',
time. and agreed that he appeared eNoe.us'
yrell "Ile looks as II he hau oeen ia
...a,,,ed one journalist He certainly is tmn anu
,ein"' - from wearing his dark-brown ha!r
,sno enough 10 cover the collar OF ms hsn'-
80, o,ercoat Counsel excepted, hardy any
.ho- cslsbrities were in court. unless MI Oaii'n,
A. Mccarthy and Mr.. Biggar on one s'ue' anu
A. puckle and Mr. Mcdonald on the otner' NC
called celebrities. ,,o, ,bo
Sone unimportant slJirmishing followed 'ne
Redmond business but it was all over /" ''"'
IN allow the Attorney General to rise ao 9u"'-
CO. mast H. Inimportant as 1t wdS, two
things came out clearly. Sir James f'ahhch ""'
unouestioned supremacy over his colleagues. io'
az nresident of the tribunal naturally spoke 1or
the tribunal, but 1" instead o. we was ci'eh
on bis Gps Not less clear is the disposition OF
the tribunal to have its own way even "her
all counsel on both sides are agreed on some
other way The Attorney General and Sir Charles
Russell vainly spent their softest tones in coaXng
the court to sit but three or four days week.
We shall for the present sit every day but oatur
day,s replied the president IN tones not less SOFT
1t is serious business for men burdened with other
important work. as all the leading counsel in this
case are, but Sir James Hannen is Judge who
considers the case he is trying. and has idea
of letting it drag on till Xmas of next year.
Under some depression from this unexpected
decision the Acknowledgement begins his opening
speech for " The Times" 1t supposed that
be might make some attempt to modify the posi-
ton of plaintiffs in which his clients were left
by the decisions on procedure at the hearing in
September. He made none, knowing probably that
any such attempt would be futile. lie did, how
ever refer csreess1y the wish of the propretors
10 assist the vestigations Of the court by all the
means in their power. He spoke of Z" The Times
as if it kind of partner with the Judges
engaged in historical inquiry into certain facts
Neither court nor counsel took notice Of this, and
neither is likely in the least to relax the strin-
gency of the ruling under which " The Times is
now held to prove its case if it can like any
other plaintiff against any other defendant.
But from the outset the Attorney General in
dcated the line he meant to follow. He takes
his stand on the general charges and allegations
of completely in crime. Not Mr.. Parnell only,
but sixty-four of his colleagues in Parliament,
besides other persons, are accused. They have
incited to crime; they have been accessories 10
crime before or after the fact; they have had a
guilty knowledge of the commission Of crimes
perpetrated by the League. which is itself a
conspiracy: they have been privy to the payment
Of money knowing it TO be used or intended
for outrages, including arson and murder; they
have made speeches the effect of which was to
encourage crime: they have seldom never con-
demned crimes committed in the interest of the
League, of which they were members; they have
profited by these crimes and have built up a
great political agitation by help Of them, an agita-
tjon which could not have been carried on with
out them.
Such are some OF the charges, and ID is upon such
charges as these that the Attorney General means
70 rest his case. As for the Parnel and Egan
letters they are to be produced as part of the
evidence in support of this appalling Indictment.
They are not the indictments: they are only evil
dence; and if you believe the Attorney-General,
by no means the most important evidence of the
charges embodied in the indictment. If they are
genuine we'll and good if not, the case against
Mr.. Parnell can on this theory be proved by other
means
Thus early, therefore, it is apparent that the
two parties to this great cause are by no means
agreed as to the issue they have to try. Mr..
Parnell and his friends. including the whole
English Home Rule party, will do their best to
narrow the contest to single point. They have
not vet been heard in court; their hour is not
come But in private and in the press, and
occasionally the platform. they have shown
4heir hand Tho letters and nothing but the