The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-12-01
THE SAODEST DUTY OF THEIR LIVES.
Irish Envoys Express Judgment
Against ParneIl's Leadership.
They Declare Their Belief In tho
Grand Old Man unshaken.
Mr. Morley Has Also Written a Let
ter on the SubJect.

Irish ENJOYS In America, excepting Timothy
Harrington, were cabled tonight to London
To Justin McCnihy, NJ r., Vice ChOirman
Irish Parliamentary Party:
Our sense of the matehless genius Of Par
nell as leader, OF the tmperishable ser
vices he has rendered the Irish cause, Of the
courage. integrity and splendid success with
which he has led oar people for ten years,
the tie of comradeshiD, personal respect and
affection which for years have bound us to
MIN, have made US suspend to the latest pos
si0le moment our judgment against bis fur
Their leadership. The obligation to express
this judgment is to all Of us the most painful
duty OF our lives. No earthly consideration
could have moved us to our determination
except the solemn conviction that we are
driven TO choose between Parnell and tue
destruction OF our cOuDtry's cause. So pain
fully alive were We to all that might be IN
vOlved In the loss OF such leader, that we
eagerly co-operated with our colleagues 10
every effort TO retain bis influence In our
councils. The manifesto which Mr.. Par
nell has just issued cuts US off from the last
hopes to which we clung. Anxious to avoid
word that might embitter this controversy,
we shall not dwell upon the cruel injustice
with which he treats members OF the party
that followed him with loyalty and affection
such as no leader ever experienced before
His recollection of their fealty to him 10
many an hour of trial might well have saved
them from the imputation that any section
OIL them could have allowed the integrity
to be saDped by Liberal wire-pull 8. s
Ignoring the origin Of the present ca
lamltous situation, Mr.. Parnell endeavored
70 fasten the responsibility for II upon Mr..
Gladstone and Mr.. Morley, cOmpels us to
dis-assOciate ourselves in the strongest man.
ner from an imputation which we believe
reckless and unjust.
We view with adherence the attacks
made on Mr.. Parnell by his public and pri-
vate enemies under cover of his present diff
ficulties. To attacks If this kind addressed
tribute the many terrible dangers with
which Ireland Is now threatened We fear
they may divert the minds of many people
from grave national to purely personal
issues in the natural resentment of the un-
generous attack on the great leader In his
hour Of distress and disaster. While making
every possible allowance for Mr.. ParnelPs
feeling on this score, we consider it unjust
to the English people and lamentable from
the point OF Wow Of international good feel
Ing, to describe as English wolves bowling
Tor his destruction those who are not able to
bring themselves to the same view to which
gratitude and the necessity for union impell-
trymen.
The plea Of Mr Parnell that Mr.. Glad
stone involves the claim to dictate to
the Irish party and thereby strike at the In
dependence OF that party as strictly Irish
national body, would be one calculated to in
spfre every Irish nationalist with alarm,
were it not an obvious fallacy. The Irish
party was formed for the purpose of winning
home rule for Ireland. Any attempt to d.
vert the Irish party from that object In the
interest Of English parties would be an in
vasion of the independence Of the Irish par
iy and would, we believe, be repelled by no
One more sternly than our colleagues and
ourselves now in opposition to Mr.. Parnell.
The very basis Of our independent alliance
with the Liberal party Is the adoption by
them OF the programme TOR which the Irish
party was formed, and the recognition that
1t must be the first business of the Liberal
cabinet to realize that programme. 1t was
obviously not his hostility to home rule, but
his earnest desire to save 1t from disaster,
that prompted Mr.. Gladstone TO
write his letter. We deplOre that the
difficulties Of Mr.. Gladstone's position
are not frankly recognized by Mr.. Parnell
and that. o. the contrary, friendly and pri..
vate communications. communications OBJ
ViOusly made with view to smoothing the
passage Of the home rule bill, have been
made the basis OF inslnuations Of treschery
to the Irish cause. By his conviction that
home rule. to be effective, must be such a
measure as will satisfy the Irish people, Mr..
Gladstone Is bound to full and ample mea-
sure OF selissovernment to Ireland. To offer
any other scheme would be not only an act
Of incredible baseness, but Incredible folly.
any such charge against Mr.. Gladstone.
What Mr.. Parnell asks US to do. stripped
of all side issues, Is to sacrifice ali hopes Of
early settlement of the Irish struggle to his
resolve to maintain his personal position.
We are driven tn choose between our leader
and our cause. In that sad choice we can
not hesitate. We lay these views respect
fully before all our colleagues Of the Irish
parliamentary party in the earnest belief
that decisive vote on their part will de-
liver ireland from the fearful anxiety which
now hangs over her people. We are con-
vinced that a calm but res0lute course OF ac-
tion on our part In this cruel emergency will
rebound to the advantage OF our
cause by furnishing conclusive testi
m0ny of the capacity of our party and
our people for self government We cannot
rellnquish the hope that in the face Of such
decisive action by the elective representatives
of the Irish people, Mr.. ParnelPs sense of
patriotism will withhold him from plunging
ireland into those horrors of dissension
which have so often already In her tragic and
unhappy history robbed her Of liberty at the
moment 1t was within her grasp and will
save him from undergoing in one passionate
hour the results Of all his Incompatible SER
vices to his country.
[Slgned JOHN DILLON,
WM. OBRIEN,
THos. p. O'CoNNER,
T., ID. SULLIVAN,
THOMAS p. GILL.
From an indirect source information Is OBJ
tanned that harrington declined TO sign the
manifesto on personal grounds. He was
said 10 have stated: "My Judgment is
against Parnell: my heart Is with him."