Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-02
PARNELL ON THE STAND.

l PARNELL ON THE STAND.
 That is very interesting and sugges- tive scene that is now being enacted
 before the Parnell commission where the
 great Irish leader has himself taken the
 stand to speak in his own vindication.
 It is safe to say that the eyes of the world are upon the man and lovers of human
 liberty everywhere are waiting on his
 words to catch the doom of the villainous
 and hated London Times.
 | It is many days now since the world
 was electrified by the events, coming Tn
 startling succession, that proved the
 innocence of Parnell and the infamy of those who had plotted his ruin. No need, so far as satisfying public senti-
 ment is concerned, was there for the
 great liberator to hurl back the charges
 of the London Times, backed as they
 were by the foul lies and poisoned
 perjury of Le Caron and Pigott. But
 that no shred offalsehood should remain.
 that no part of the crumbling edifice of perjury and deceit should be left stand
 ing, Mir Parnell has himself undertaken
 to deny the charges against him, to clear
 his character of the faintest taint of sus-
 picion even in the minds of those who
 are unfriendly to himself and to his
 country. And he has done it we'll He declared-and this, too, under
 oath-that he had not said
 that only force would redeem Ireland.
 On the contrary, he did not doubt that
 her redemption would come by consti-
 tutional parliamentary action. Holding
 this belief he had never suggested rev
 olution or discussed the means by which
 it could be effected. Though he had ad
 vocated boycotting, he had not coun-
 tenanced intimidation and he had never
 sanctioned outrage. As for the Phoenix park murders, he had always regarded
 that crime as the greatest possible cal . amity to Ireland. Those who have ] known the sentiments of Parnell, who have been acquainted with his policy
 as maintained publicly and privately,
 have been aware that he always bitterly ; regretted the murder of Burke and ss Cavendish, and that he always wept
 when his countrymen were tempted into } violence. Not that he could not sympa- t thize with the intolerable cruelties and bitter wrongs that provoked them to bloodshed, but because he knew the
 means for misrepresentation that were
 in the hands of an interruptions British government. Parnell is a man of ex- pediency, a man of resources, and hay 9 ing studied the history of his country conclusion that not by arms was Ireland to secure her rights he set about building up a policy and party that ; would cleave to constitutional methods in working out the problem. It is for this reason that he has never been : looked upon with favor by those aggres- sive and turbulent spirits who could not
 brook peaceful and patient forbearance
 while their countrymen writhed under the lash of British oppression. His re- liance on peaceful methods seemed to
 them timidity, even though events have proved it most etficacious in gaining for
 Ireland the sympathies and hopes of the
 civilized world. A man who has braved
 the hostility of leaders among his ! countrymen, who has overcome theil prejudices against his policy by the ' sheer force of his own indOmitable will and the creation of favorable pub lie sentiment stronger and more fal reaching than has ever turned to any '. national movement, is not the man tC soil his skirts by contact with crime
 such as has been charged by the infamous
 London Times. The denials of such 6 f man made under oath and reiterated Y under the most searching cross-eXami /, nation of skilled barristers must carry < with them a weight to bury in damning . and everlasting oblivion the perjury o1 :, Pigott and LeCaron and their conscience
 less employers.
 7, It is we'll that MT Parnell has gone
 upon the stand to give this new proof tt
 the world that he has not departed from = his original purpose of working out the
 problem of Irish liberty on peaceful
 lines. It will maka new friends every ,, where for him and his cause, and vii .. turn a brighter page in the history of ; P persecuted and long suffering people wht have never lost the spirit of freedom 7 through all the dark ages that they hay, been in the merciless grasp of their crue oppressor.
 e WATCHES, Diamonds, Clocks, Silver STPnPE1