New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-23
TALK WITH WILLIAM O'BRIEN
HOW IRISH AFFAIRS LOOK TO THE
PRISONER OF TULLAMORE.
Am n.,rorR's PRESENT DESPERATION DUE TO
HIS UTTER FAILURE AS DIhECIoh-
GENERAL or THE CoEPCIoN ACT
lBY CABLE To THE TRIBUNE'l
vc~i. y,yfh.ffl<

u,s urrrR FAILURE AS DIRECTOR
GENERAL or THE COEFCIoN ACT.
IBY CABLE To THE TRIBUNEl
cor,r,oht, 1883. BY the Neo York Trsea"
Drp,1v. jan 22-I have just spent a lew hour'
nth William OBrien and found him wonderluly
rou considering all that the brave-hcarted e"'or
~ Tnit4d Ireland has gone through for the p"SC
tbrae or four months and the perfect torIcn. "
,or,lar enthusiasm of which he was the coH.
e1,ra on Friday There is no douOU Ci'"V ~
UiBren is badly shattered. lhaV niuo"' IA onr
,vents. must be conceded TO MI baiiou'' ""' 49,.
Chief Secretary is welcome 10 "n"Co ta,roo,n at
Is worth | found Mr. o O'Bren III HIS W. n,1,I
tbe bo1se OF DR.. Kenny, NJ H. IL -
Snuare. He hid gone there TO aNoio w" IT,
less flow of visitors that baNo peSiesou W, 10,
ncr;al Hotel He is Iale and looks tercolS mas
- 1 tho Ettle voice he had when he lett
Tullamore is pretty nearly gone lie n"' 'O'.
n,rsder,blv in weight since his Imprisonment
hooon. and he acknowledges himself that such
.norber smell Of prison life would finally ana lor-
ever do Tor him.
DECLINING TO LEAVE IRrLAND'
! veutnr-d TO suggest that he should leave ohe
country at once, but this he declneo 10 uo
them," he said. arrest me IL they IKE o"u
will 90 al all haza ds to the banquet wh'cn hH
dear old town of MallOw has pro osed iOf mt on
,,lnrs1av night next" lie will also supcrlh-
fond the n,oduc.ion Of United Ireland uils
week. -, ,:.o
When told him that rHr TRIBUNE would li>e
to have his views o.. :he situation as hc louhu IL
- -, liberation he readily assented and had
,,ord % say of the services TO the Nthonal c'uSc
,:, yo, bave rendered. lie rose from hls hed
ond seating himself beside the fire spoke as iohs
A. ur. Kenny thought advisable III MS pies'"'
frail state.
Mp BAIFOUR's FAILURE.
WELL he continued, Il have come ou, "
find evcrN tling ir the state oi p'nl'" "'i'i
,o delight me- Mr. Balfour's failure Is almost
rrot saue. The landlords are sorer WIN MN ul'""
iho Nationaists. In lace of fulfilling Loru nan
dcIph Churchil's pro- hecy that the coercion
nohcv would have the League ehaced before Tue
meeting OF Parliament Mr. Baltour has TO lace
Parliament with the avOwal that he has faled 10
snn,.ress enectually any one of the proclaimed
branches and has shiiked altogether the 'acNllnS
Of 1900 out of the l.oOO pi"hchcs Vi "iO s
zation even nominally."
What do you Think asked Vi 'iV'o '
hnued I'M rsonmentsY"
Ills inprisOnments under the COERCION ac''
detest ,ble as they are in their meahhesS' h"Ne
a. ouscd among all sections of the people per-
fcctly unparalleled contem for the t'rrors OF the
Coercion act. Not only young men. but priests
high dignitaries, merchants and professional men
in scores, huudreds, ave, and IL necessary III
q on. ands are ger for his invitation TO try iaIl
with him.
THE PEO"LF BrArING Up WELL
"IIow do you think the people are bearing up
"WelI7 answered Mr.. O Br en-. instead of the
srit OF the country having declined since my last
o. er,ence Of the outer world | found that what
WAS a comrarativey small fire has spread into an
incxunguishable blaze
Have YOU heard of the feeling in England
~rom all that / can learn, Mr. BalIourS iaIi- |
uro across the Channel is still more ahJ'ct IN
st,ai Of succeeding IN his Olicy of disgraclng
li,h rcpre entatives in Encl sh eyes by satuTathg
them with the contamination Of criminals. ne h'S
aroused Widespread Engl sh disgust ana lndigha-
ton Even those who hesitated TO believe that
his statement to Mr.. Blunt me mt deliberate
murder are perfectly Convinced that he adopted hhs
sy,t m of tris,n torture with the deliberate inten-
ten of smashing the physical constitution OF his
op oncnts as we'll as blaClcning them as Criminals
in English eyes
Mr. RALfoCR UELPlNG THE IRISH CAUSE,
You don't think. then. that this attack upon
National League has materially crippled the Or
ga zation?7
~"eli." said Mr.. O-Bricn, laughing. IF Mr.
Balfour Were an emiSsary OF the Nat ional League
it ems To- me hc could rot have forwarded the
IFlsn cause more cHctlNdllN IMAM Hc - u"iH5'
Does it strike you at all that the policy oI Co.
ercion is one Of eXas eratiOn?'
"Ile best proof OF MIR Balfours state of dcS-
Ioration is tie increasing sav gerry with which he
is out ing tie Peoples eel ngs by utterly wanton
pee : of brutality, such as the arrest Of Father
M.cF -dden on The enc of cmn religious cele-
hfauon and the refusal TO admit him to bail
pending his trial. lie probably cngs 20 some
wild no that a few weeks OF thorough-going eX-
ASPIRATION now may TENT the people into deeds
IT would make show before the sitting of Par
lament and 10 extent cOuntorbaance the
vanton and laundering savagery Of his own
record. In that. in all else, he will of course
Ic defeated The cope are undoubtedly under
going an almost incredible system of petty local
persecution. but the omcns of victory are gather
ing far too fast around them TO lay them open to
tle temptation of de arting from the lines in which
they are at TINS moment sturdily facing the con-
quering cOercOn.'
LESS CoNCEHNED THAN Mr.. BAIFOUR
AS 10 the rearrest?"
Well" repl ed Mr.. O Brien checriy. "as to the
iumor Of my rearrcst | don't know Mr.. Baliour's
mind, but know my own and think the matter |
gives him much more concern than it gives me-" |
by this time Mr. OBrien showed manifest signs
Of increasing physical wcarness and felt it due !
q him 10 leave him for the n ght While / was !
with hm an e. ormous number of congr,tuatory |
teesrams were handed into tie house and were
opened by DIR. Kenny. One of these was from
Mr. llcrtert Gladstone who telcgraphcd from
liawarden his hear lest congratuation and best
wishes to Mr. o lIyicn.
MR. OBHFN's TALK WITH FREEMAN" REPORTER
The widespread enthusiasm created by Mr..
O'Brien's release gives to everything he says some
thing of interest may, therefore, follow up the
foregoing interview with the following which a
Freeman" reporter had with the Editor Of
United Ireland this evening and which will an
pear in The Freeman" in the morning. In.reply