The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-11
THE IRISH POLICY.
Gladstone and His Colleagues
Hold a Meeting.
THE POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE
OF the Suit of O'Shea Against Parnell is
Very Little-it Falls Flat
The Times Case.

Especial to THE HERALD-ExaminerCa Cable
LONDON, Feb 9.-Mr. Gladstone and his
colleagues held meeting Saturday to dis
cuss the policy of the Liberals and Irish
members at the opening of parliament next
Tuesday, especially in regard to the action
to be taken against the government and
Times about the Parnell commission. They
would prefer to proceed by motion for
brach OF privilege but the Tory majority
would scarcely assent to a penal measure
against their confederates. Personally,
Parnell says his object is not so much to
send Walter to RosewaJer and duress in
the Clock tower as to secure full inquiry
into the forgery conspiracy and the
methods of procuring evidence.
The O'Shea suit as political move has
fallen fat because ParnelI has grappled
with it like a man. His health is COM
pletely restored. In talking with his lead
ing colleagues Saturday he assured them
that if the case should ever be investigated
they need have no fear that his honor
would be furnished or that the Irish cause
would be compromised. Their loyalty to
him would not have been materially af-
fected, whichever way they went. They
were greatly pleased at the assurance,
which they implicitly accepted. Only
to-day leading Irish member, who has
been put In possession of the main facts of
the case, said that it would be great vic
tory for Parnell; that, from what he had
heard, Piggott's infamy was small and
trivial compared with O'Shea's history.
''Of O'Shea's suit against Mr.. Parnell it
is sufficient to stamp it as fraud
1t has its source partly in political intrigue
and partly in pecuniary motives O'Shea
has no money and never had any; his wife
always supported him out of her fortune.
Recently Mrs. O'Shea's mother died, leav-
ing her ali her property valued at about
seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
but bequeathed nothing to any of her other
sons and daughters. The relatives have
instituted suit to set aside the will. The
O'Shea divorce proceedings were calcu
lated to prejudice Mrs. O'Shea in uphold
ing her title to the money. Besides, a con-
siderable part of this money was held by
Mrs. O'Shea in trust for her children by
her husband. If O'Shea can set aside the
will he may get a life interest in this sum
by securing the custody of the children
OShea made affidavit the other day in
the proceedings for contempt of court
against the Dublin Freemdns Journal for
comments in the case in which he swore he
had always been on terms of intimacy with
his wife's family; that they sympathized
with him in his divorce suit. The second
part of that statement is plainly true,
while the first part is plainly untrue. Sir
Evelyn Wood and O'Shea's other marriage
connections always kept him at safe DIS
lance until they had common interest for
attacking Mrs. O'Shea. O'Shea has changed
his tactics. The original petition charged
adultery against Parnell at various places
since 1886. Now he intends to ask the
court to allow him to amend his petition SO
as to extend the charges back to 1880. In
1856 O'Shea went over to Chamberlain on
the home rule question and he has yir-
tually been imported since by that party as
weapon against Parnell. To begin the
petition from 1856 has, therefore, lent ad-
ditiopal suspicion to very shady business
Since 1886, until the last few months,
Parnel has beer in bad health The
charges are now to date from 1880. O'Shea
is to pretend that this intrigue was going
on under his nose for the next year with
out his knowledge; that he only discovered
it when he separated himself from Parnell.
The whole case is at once rotten one and
when tried will probably turn out to be
another painful surprise to the politicians
who having failed to ruin Parnell's public
reputation now seek it from through ex-
pesure of his domestic life
Parnell himself is full of activity. He
has been preparing for some time past for
his attack on the government. The session
Will be one OF violent storm and strife. in
which the Irish party will play prominent
part. New facts proving the connection
between the government and the Times
will be disclosed Immediately on the open
ing of parliament. Parnell suspects
strongly that when Sir Henry James made
proposal to the Times for settlement of
his libel action his principals were aware
of the nature of the reference of the report
of the Parnell commission on the forgeries
question. The dates of the respective
events reveal strange coincidence.
On Thursday the judges finished their
report and forwarded it instantly to the
home secretary; Friday noon Henry James
visited Charles Russell to suggest settle
ment Up to this time both sides were
prepared to fight. Parnell was utterly
amazed when Russell sent word OF James
proposal. 1t is expected that the report
strongly condemns the Times on the forger.
les and does not treat the matter as OF sec
ondary Importance as the Tories hoped.
If so, the Irish party viii demand rigid
inquiry into the history of the report from
the time it left the judges hands and the
names of every one who saw it. If the re-
port had come out while ParnelPa action
was proceeding and was strong On the for
geries, he would have got much larger dam
ages than he has.