The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-03-22
THE DAILY
THE HUMILIATION OF THE TIMES

lhE HUMILIATION Ut IHE ~ HINES.
Never did great public journal
sustain a more crushing and humili-
ating defeat than has just been suf-
fered by the London Times. Never
was a prominent public man called
upon to vindicate himself from baser
charges, and never was a vindica-
ton more complete, or achieved
under more impressive and dram
attic conditions, than in the case of
Mr.. Parnell The field on which
the battle was fought was broad and
public, the combatants were promi-
nent and important in themselves,
and still more so in view of what
they represented, and the Interested
spectators embraced the English
speaking people of the whole world.
Every resource of intellectual
ability, and legal learning and expe-
rience, stimulated by a knowledge
of the important and far reaching
consequences to accrue from the re
suit of the trial, and backed by
practically unlimited pecuniary re-
sources, was brought to bear on both
sides. Day after day and week
after week the investigation dragged
its slow length along, until sud
denly, and almost without note of
warning, the bottom dropped com
pletely out, and the case of the
Times against Parnell collapsed as
utterly as a soap bubble that had
been stepped on by an elephant.
For the benefit of those of our
readers who do not keep the run of
foreign affairs, we will briefly recall
the circumstances leading up to the
trial. Some months ago the Lon
don Times commenced the pu5lIca-
ton of series of articles under the
heading of "Parnellism and Crime"
These articles were ably written,
very bitter, and calculated, if they
could be justified by facts, to fatally
damage Mr.. Parnell as we'll as his
political associates and allies and in
definitely postpone the granting Of
any concessions to Ireland 1t was
charged, in substance, that Mr.. Par
nell had a guilty knowledge of, and
was accessory to crimes and out
RACES of various kinds, including the
Phenix Park murders, that while
publicly denouncing these crimes
and protesting his horror thereat, he
was secretly in league with their
perpetrators and ready to profit by
their misdeeds.
The Times being called upon to
justify its charges, replied by pub
fishing what purported to be fac
SMILES of letters signed by Parnell,
Davitt, Egan and other Irish leaders,
which, if genuine, seemed to fully
sustain the charges. How these
documents came into its possession,
the Times refused to say.
Mr.. ParnelI and his friends
and Indignantly denounced
these documents as forgeries, and
demanded an investigation. The
in whose interest
these pretended revelations were
made, and who were profting by the
effect they had produced, made com
mon cause with the Times. took that
journal under its wing, and did all
in its power to prevent any inquiry
which would be thorough and search /
ing. Meanwhile the Times and its
allies kept up the warfare on Mr..
Parnell, and the changes on the
text of Parnellism and
Crime" were rung with undimin
ished venom and vigor. At last the |.
insistance of the accused parties and I.
their friends, and the pressure of /
public opinion induced the |.
to weaken somewhat. /
and the investigation was ordered, I
with whose results we are already
acquainted. That result was reached /
in this way:
1t came out on the trial, that the
Times had purchased its documents
from one Pigott, who had been a Z
Fenian, an editor of a Dublin paper.
IN the supposed confidence of the .
Irish leaders, and who seems to have .