The Irish standard., 1889-05-25
HIS POWER FAST WANING.
Eyictions Hated in gland, and Bal
four, Once Popular, Regarded
as a Failure.
so SAYS T. P, 0'C0NN0R, M. P
The Trouble Between Chamberlain and
Churchill Gives Great Delight to
Home Rulers

Churchill Gives Great Delight to
Home Rulers.
T.. Z. O'ConnOr. M. P, writes as fol.
lows to the New York World: To state
the position Of Ireland is to state the
position OF the ministry. It is one CT
the peeuliarities Of Balfour to make
things good for his enemies when there
is a chance Of their being bad. You
will gather from what I have written
that the Tories have reached that
period OF ti1nid but certain recovery
from the terrible depression OF the Pig
oft period, which was inevitable. But
just as they We're getting into smooth
water, here comes Ba'four once more
to put them out to sea. EvictlOns are
going on III Donegal which are Of a Pc
cullarly exciting and painful character.
In the district III which the evictlons ara
taking place the people are admittedly
suffering from great distress. Indeed,
the Irish Nationalist is for once agreed
in the opinion Of the Tory that the peo~
pie could not live OH the land even If it
were rent free. The potato crop-that
thin partition that stands between them
and actual fanline-has been very bad
for the last year, with the result that,
while usually they haye a crop that
lasts them till midsummer, they are al
ready without any potatoes, and they
have not even the seed potatoes for the
next year's crop. lhe people who are
turned ouCare in yery low state. Some
OF them after eviction were found to be
without one particle of food in the
leyelled houses, and many of the people
epicted were old men and Old women on
the verge of the grave, or children just
born into the world. 10 this work Of
the landlord Baifour has almost gone
out of his way to lend the assistance of
all his police and soldiery and other
weapons. THE police and the soldiers
have helped the bailiffs in the work OF
turning the people out, and it Is re-
ported that the police have gone even a
step further and have helped to burn
the houses after the people had been
driven forth. But even thls is not ali.
1t is
"A TRlTE REMARK
that an incident, small and even unim-
portant in itself, often attracts more
public attention and eXcites more popu-
lar passion than events of the greatest
moment and gravity. Such is what
happened with regard to these eyic-
lions. The incident which has played
this part in the Donegal evlctions is the
discovery that fully equipped batter
ing ram has been consigned to the pc
lice and is to be employed IN tho evic-
tiOns. The supply Of this instrument
Of war to the police is such a grotesque
commentary on the meaning OF English
rule in Ireland that it has excited uni
versal attention. Harcourt, who has d
great turn for humor, and who always
catches the point that catches the pub
lie, chrlstened the batterlng ram BAL
four7s Maiden;" aud we have opened a
subscription in the Star for the purpose
Of obtaining facsimile Of this new re-
source OF coercion, and when we have
collected the necessary amount, 1T is our
intention to parade the battering ram
in professions throughout England and
Scotland. It all comes then to this,
chat Balfcur is always doing something
which provokes the resentment and
ro2lses the deeply emotional nature Of
the English people, and that in this way
he is constantly playing into the hands
of his enemies. Evictions are hated in
England, and as long as they continue
the policy Of Balfour will be regarded
as failure, and public sentiment will
run against him. He ought to have
been taught some useful lessons by this
time, for on the question Of the prison
treatment he has been
BROUGHT COMPLETELY TO HIS KNEES
by william O'Brien. There is not a
point for which O'Brien contended that
has not now been conceded, and though
he still endures many hardships the lot
of the political prisoner is very differ
elt from what it was year ago. No
body tries to force prison clothes upon
him, nor forces association with COM
mon criminals; and there is no attempt
to insist on the performance of the
mental and loathsome duties which are
among the worst parts Of the prisoners
suferings. Balfour is no longer the
man he was; the cheers that greet him
have no longer the heartiness they once
had; his policy has lost its consistency
and It's firmness. Tarry little longer
and he will either be out Of the Office al
together, or be introdu ducing measures Of
reform which will be the stepping