St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-24
Opponents of the Government
Persist in Asking Lead
ing Questions.
The Proposed Commission to
Investigate the Times
Charges.
Gladstone Arraigns the Min
istry for the Stand Taken
by Them.

Special Cable to the Globe
LONDON, July 23.-In the commons
tonight Mr.. Stanhope, member for
Wednesday,, alluded to the menacing
language OF the crown counsel before
the coroner at Mitchellstown, charging
the court with perverting the inquiry,
and asked whether the language used
was IN accordance with instructions
from Dublin castle.
Mr.. Balfour said that he had no in
formation on that point. He supposed.
however, that the counsel for the crown
needed no Instructions either from him
self or Mr.. Stanhope.
Replying to question by Mr.. Clancy,
Mr.. Balfour said he had applied to the
home department for an experienced
officer to be sent to Ireland to inspect
the condition and management of the
prisons, and that DR.. Barr had been
sent as tine result of his application.
MIR. Healy asked Mr.. Balfour if 10
were true that Mr.. Dillon had been
brought before DR.. Barr, in Dundalk
jail, to submit to examination, but had.
refused to be examined unless he knew
whose agent Barr was.
Mr.. Balfour promised to inquire into
the matter and furnish the information
requested.
Mr.. Smith moved the second reading
of the Parnell commission bill to inves-
tigate certain members of parliament,
the charges and the allegations against
them. The government, he asserted,
offered the appointment of the commits
sion upon precedents, and he consid-
cred that less authority than was pro-
posed to confer upon the commission
would fail to do justice to all concerned.
The house, he declared. should say now.
how complete the powers of the COM
commission ought to be. Sir James
Hannen, Mr.. Smith stated, would be
the president of the commission, and
Justices Day and Smith would be the
other members.
Mr.. Parnell said he was glad that Mr..
Smith had admitted that it rested with
the house to decide what power the
commission should have. The gentle-
mrn, he thought, must have had a
friendly hint flom the counsel of the
Times, in consequence of which the in
quiry was extended not alone to his
Parnel's) personal conduct, but to the
acts of the league IN America, Ireland
and Great Britain. 1t was evident, he
said, that the case, as regarded the
forged letters, would break down.
Mr.. Parnell demanded that the scope
of the commission be limited to Mr..
Smiths original proposition, namely;
The charges against himself and other
Irish members of the house. and de-
cIared that he could demonstrate to the
conviction of everybody within a week
that the letters were forgeries. III said
he did not know Patrick Ford. He had
had communications with John Devoy,
but they were coufined solely to politf>
cal affairs. He admitted that he had
favored boycOtting in his Ennis speech,
but said that he had ceased to advocate
boycotting after the passage of the ar
rears bill in 1882. The governments
ought to specify the charges and allow
scrutiny of the documents on which they
were based before the commission sits.
After Mr.. Parnell took his seat there
was long pause, no member of the
government rising. MIR. Gladstone eX-
pressed aStOniShment that the govern
ment did not answer MI. Parnell, and
declared that he must have an answer.
He (GladStOne) would vote for second
reading of the bill, but the issues raised
must be considered before the commits
sion was approved. He was not ready
to give that unqualified confidence to
the commission which Mr.. Smith
seemed to entertain. The government
ought not to skulk, but should make
definite charges against definite persons.
The letters were the only new charges.
MI. Parnell must have the right to
examine them in order to face the &C,
cusation, and unless his conditions were
acceded to the country would believe
that the government proposals had been
made in the expectation of their being
refused.
The home secretary said the govern.
ment was in no sense party to the
charges. The commission could be
trusted to deal with perfect impair
tiality.