Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-12

/ slasticaily supplying 10. In less than two
weeks nearly 100000 wac subscribed in
response TO our appeal. II was certain
| that sufficient sum would be subscribed
| 20 put an end TO the last hope Of the CO.
crcfonists and enable tho Irish people TO
await the general election with unbroken
ranks and with confident hearts.
BOOMING rnE IRISH CAUSE.
What is il that has dashed the hopes OF
six weeks ago? That is the question we
| would ask every Irishman 20 answer calm
" to his own conscience IN this solemn
| hour. What has occurred in the interval
90 make every Irish hearc trcmble with
! forebodings now at the prospect OF that
general election which ak weeks ago they
| longcd for az the assured hour of victory (?
/ Parnell asks us % believe that the change
is due % the trcachery Of Gladstone. and
20 the corruption of that Irish
party 20 whose fidelity he. at the
last banquet in his honor, only
few months ago attributed the successes
Of bis life, the party who stuck 20 his lead
crship To tho last minute Of the last hour
when u was possible 70 retain him without
dOOming the Irish cause 20 certain ruin.
VII any thinking man ask himself whether
either OF these is the true explanation Of
the sudden and woful eclipse Of our
causeI IL 1t creditable that the Hawarden
conversations Of twelve months ago ~ 70
the possible details Of future Home-Rule
bill were the real moving causesf
BAsELFss AND UNREAL.
Our deep conviction is That Parnell's de-
plorable imputetiOn Of mutiny on the part
Of his colleagues. and treacherY on Glad
stones part, hre absolutely hascless and
unreal side issues, raised up for the pur-
pose Of diverting the judgment Of i'm
pulsiye lTishmen from the real issue,
which every man OF Irish blood will
have o duty Of pronouncng upon within
next few weeks under the most solemn
obligations, 60 his conscience and TO his
country. That issue ~ whether II ls
humanity possible 10 win the general elec-
tiOu under Parnells leadership, and If the
loss Of the general election Is certain and
the lndlsputable price of retaining him,
can Parnell himself or any rational human
being honestly face the future and point
20 any ray of definite hope 20 sustain our
unhappy people in face Of n triumphant
Tory majority. and helpless and divided
Ireland, with Gladstone gone, his party
IrrevOcably estranged from the Irish leader.
and the whole British people augered by
the deplOrable insults TO their leaders and
rendered suspicious by the still more de-
plorable hints Of the insincerity of ali
our professions Of friendship and forgive
ncssy Certainly Of the disasters 20 the
r
ed u statesman for moment TO dispute.
The horrible consequences that must ensue
IN Ireland no can only pretend 20 disguise
by vague spcculatiOns rs to future parlla-
mentsry strategy. All such speculations
lose sight Of the fact that the intrigues
Of tho English party politicians IN the
HOuseof Commons are hencefOrth replaced
by the supreme vote Of the British
democracy. who We're sciZing the full
truth of the Irish question whose hearts
and intellects were beyond oil doubt won
20 the principle of Irish national self-goy-
ernment, and whom persistence III Par
nell's present methods would drive out in
sullen distrust Of the use 10 which we
would put national self-gOvcrnment, and
the rooted belief that the Irish people
were incapable of exercising It.
DISASTER AT TIE GENERAL ELECTION.
If this be true statement of the pros
pect before rs, IN the ease of Mr. ParnclPs
continuance IN his course. disaster at the
general election and blank helplcssness af-
ter IL is necessary 90 Justify hy another
word the action which the majority Of the
Irieh repree entativcs have felt themselves
coerced 10 take, at the sacrifice of Their
own manifest desire, and in this instance
20 thor own passions TO personal prompt
ings.
MAKE Up THEIR MINDS.
Having now DISCHARGED 10 the best Of
Our power the uuCnviabe duty of placing
the issue before our cOuntrymon IN It's sim
plicty and IN all itsmagnltude, II IRISH peO-
ole deliberately make up their minds 10
sacrifice the general election. dismiss Glad
stone from public life, repel the British
people from our side, and face another
quarter of a century of parliamentary
pnralysis and decry attempts 40 lnsurrec-
tion. and to do all this on II question Of
punctillo as the terms Of retirement, the
desirability of which PGrnell himself half
confesses, then wewill bow 10 the sentence
which VIII release as from political IiveS
of ceasCless auXicties and tolls. III, on
the other hand, as We earnestly pray for
the sake of our long-su1eung people, the
overwhelming, mass of the thinking IRISH
men throughout the world resolve that
they shall not be pushed over the brink OF
the abys5 which X so fearfully close 10
them, the present ordeal, horrible though
II is. Will have been the means OF giving
incalculable aid 10 the home rule cause a.
well as of saving the reputation OF our
leader from fatal STAN.
o'BRIES on PARNELL AS A DIRECTOR.
NKw YORK, December 1l.-lD an interview
with an Associated Press reporter to-day
William O'Brien referred TO the statement
that Parnell acted in virtue OF his author
ltV as "a director OF tne company WHO
owned Inifed Ireland and that he owns q
Great maioritvof the shares Both of these
statements. O'Brien says. are unfOunded.
The shares which stand uomlnallv IN his
nHne are less than half share of the COM
pany.
RE GAVE IT UP.
Parnell is not a director of the company.
He ceased 10 be so at his own desire about
five wears ago, for the express purpose of