Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-28
Of TIE EVENING star

a
MURDERER IN IRELAND.
Correspondence Of TIE EVENING srAR
LoSDoS, Sept Isl have Just had the honor
Of meeting the best hated man In the three
Kingdoms Of England, Ireland and ssstland.
He is not an Impressive man to lock ct, but
inst now he is attracting more interest aud at
tention than any other man in England except
MIR. Gladstone, and good judges say that, sssi-
dents barred, he will be prime minister Of
England yet. This man is none other than the
hight Hon. Arthur James Balfour, chief seers-
tary for Ireland. more Familiarity known as
Bloody Balfour," the title gwen him by the
home rulers.
There is no disputing Balfour's prominence
over here just now, no matter what you may
think Of his methods He is the one active
central figure in the conservative party.
Even Lord Salisbury makes less noise, or at
least seems to, while the saturnine Goschen
and the cumbersome party leader smith are
simply nowhere when compared with the
bette noir of the Irish party.
There is no other politician over here who
can be said to resemble the rather remarkable
man. He is not built upon the same plan as
Gladstone; he Is not even so attractive Sails
bury. He Is act az conscientious as Harting
ton, as nimblc q political change artist as
dOlph Churchill But in his own way he is
succeeding. He is making for himself place
In the hearts Of the conservative squires such
rs ne other man now holds. 1t is somewhat
peculiar that this man Is now pursuing some
what the same course that was held by Glad
stone half a century ago. when that now great
liberal was young and had much to learn, but
when be was looked upon as the rising hope
OF the stern and unbending tories"
That Is what Balfour Is today. He il the
man to whom the old line tories are pinniug
their every hope. Just at present they are
especially pleased with him. for just as parlia-
nsnt was going quietly out with honors easy
between the parties Balfsur by his strategy
with regard TO the endowment Of Catholic
university ia Ireland has split the liberal party
and tbs Irish party too, has set Parneil and
Davitt guar ling again, and has filled the
breasts o. " 80 generally with glee. 1t 10 not
certain thai II the credit for the move belongs
70 Balfour. However he will get il. and he
need not care for the jealous wrath that he
has stirred up in the breasts of those other en-
terprislng statesmen, Joseph Chamberlain and
Lord Randolph Churchill The conservative
party is net ovsrburdsned with coming men,
consequently they appreciate Balfour, who
seems full OF promise.
TIE RISE OF sALrouR
has been rather queer one, and it has been
one that it is hard to understand when one cou-
siders the apparent qualities of the man. 1t is
true that Balfour happens to be the nephew OF
the prime minister OF England which happens
70 account for good deal over here. But this
does not wholly account for the fact that be
has succeeded. at least in the eyes OF large
number OF Englishmsn, In a position where
pretty much every one before him failed. II
Is true that he has not been hampered az other
seere iarles for Ireland have been. Lord Sails
bury has seen to 1t that his nephew should have
his own way. and sweet way it has been. His
reign has been a reign Of terror In Ireland. and
la M MAJ in
detested as that Of Balfo1r. Young children
are taught TO shake their little fists at the men
ton OF IT, aud 1t would be i'm possible to compute
the number OF curses that have been shewered
upon II. But Balfour has not been at all
moved by this. He has gone steadily ahead
With his policy. such as it il. He has i'm
Prlsoned members of parliament, priests men
and women Of high and low degree. Nothing
has been too big or too little for his drag net
de has been assailed as no man has been be-
fore. bus ne has never budged majority OF
the tory party look upon this Inhibition OF
strength They hks q strong policy. When
they read that regiment of soldiers. with the
Assistance of ''Balfour's msidens" have sue
eeeoed after fierce struggle in evicting a dozen
families somewhere in ireland. or when they
receive intelligence that William O'Brien has
been arrested again, or that same unfortupa u
home ruler has died in prison, or something
else OF that KIND. they rub their hands and con-
graduate themselves that if this sort of thing
Is kept up the rebellion must soon be crushed
and 50 they support Balfour's policy and swear
by Balfour.
STANDING BIZ HIS POLICY.
So il Is that Balfour is held as a hero in
England and as a murderer in Ireland In
ireland he is held directly responsible for all
the deaths of the home rulers whom he has
sent 10 prison. just now they are combining
for one great cry of MURDER should William
U Brlen die IN prison, as il now seems he NAV
William oBrisn's death in prison might mean
q pohtleal revolution or worse, and Balfour
knows 1t. 1t might. too, put his life In greater
danger than that Of any other man in Europe
and It is probable that he knows this, tee. II
does not move him. He stands by his policy
even to the extsat of refusing to allow
U Brien's physician, who is familiar with the
constitutional disease from which O'Brisp has
al bis life suffered, to attend him, and has
allowed him to be attended by the prison
doctor and none other.
Strange tsiags might grow out Of O'Brien's
death IN prison. The chances are about even
that ne VIII die there, and il is my impression
that he would rather have it so. He is said to
believe that his death under such cireum-
stanses would lead even Englishmsn to join in
the movem mt for the reform Of Irish prissns
and incidentally to help upset the ether system
which allows the Irish secretary to railroad
Obnoxious Irish national leaders to prison at
Will That his death would raise storm 10
CERTAIN thsre Is no man, not even Michael
Dayitt, who Is loved BY the Irish people as u
y Brlen. They would 60 wild over his dsath.
STRONG AND SERvY.
Balfoar does not look like a man who could
80 firmly press psiisy such as his is. He Is
nota strong man physically. and doss not look
ike an over strong man mentally. But strong
IN both senses he must be, while in the matter
OF nerve he rivals Parneu himsslf. In the
house Of eommsns he has held his swn with
bis oppoaests for the reason that right or
wrong, he knew the power behind him and re-
fused to bulge. Kew he would have done in
the old DAYS wnen the Lishmsn were uphsm-
pered by the present house rules and when they
could worry the queens ministers at will can
not be known The Irish members used 10
drive the Late Dir. Foster to the borders of in
sanity. but they are restrained now
However, they worry Balfour sufficiently "a
upset less seif-sontainsd. self-confdent man.
he IL no match for SaAton, OConnor or Will.
lam y Hrien IN oratory. nor for Riggar, Healy
Harrington or half dozen others in debate
However, he evens thugs by never seeming 70
know when he IS beaten Statements made by
HIM once made are made. He never retracts
Ii may be shown that the statements are all
wrong. be calmly stands By them and fails to
see any error. And what can you do? 1 do
not believe that he will acknowledge that apy
member Of the home rule party can tell the
truth or that they can take any position on any
question save the wrong one. The most accu-
rate reports OF his subordInates in Ireland are
held BY him to be as gospel truths, even after
they have been publicly shown to be inaccu.
rate. When he once takes position he holds