New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-30
Mr.. PARNELL.
HIS POSITION AND NOTES ON SOME PECULI-
ARITIES OF 1T BEFORE THE O'SHEA
VERDICT

London, November TO-
There is nothing to rejoice at in the scandals
and disclosures about Mr.. Parnell. Whether the
result OF the verdict in the O'Shea case be 10
drive him from the leadership Of the Irish party
and from public life, or merely to discredit hni'
should still say the same thing 1t Is to De re-
gretted from every point Of view. i need hardy
remark that am not partisan OF Mr. Parnen s,
nor a friend, nor q believer In his pohucai
panaoca for Ireland. 1t is not necessary to be
any of these things in order to deplore the
calamity which has come upon him.
For Mr. Parnef, be the merits or dement's OF his
Home Rule policy what they may. has been. at any
rate. great figure in public life. He has led, not
q great party. but party large enough to hold
the balance of power in English politics, with
extraordinary ability and power. He has had,
probably, a majority Of the Irish people behind
him: a majority in mere numbers. though never
at any moment q majority, If intelligence or
culture or industrial energy or wealth. or most OF
those factors on which nations prosperity de-
ponds, were to be reckoned. He has known how
. to use this numerical preponderance In such way
as to persuade many, especially at distance,
that ell Ireland was at his back. He has lacked
no art Of the agitator. He has made himself the
trusted chief Of a people to whom he was on
alien in race and religion
What he has done in Parliament Is more re-
markable still. When he entered the House OF
Commons. the cause of Home Rule was the cause
of despised and powerless minority To-Day
Mr.. Parnell's watchword is written on the banners
of all that is left-and the greater part In num-
bers is leftof the Liberal patty of Great Britain
He accomplished this amazing result by methods
not less amazing. He defied the House. trampieo
on its traditions, broke its rules Of deliberate
purpose, organized a conspiracy against the very
life Of Parliamentary government, set himself 10
degrade and dishonor the Oldest parliamentary
assemblage in the world, the Mother OF farna-
ments; the prototype and pattern OF every Leg
isature State or Federal, in the United States OF
America. He endured censure and SUSPENSION
he courted both. He allied himself first WIN
one party, then with the other; used pouh' ue-
spised both, hated both. and was oy turns the
master of both.
He studied the rules and orders OF the house
till there was, save the Speaker, none who knew
them so well as he. 1t is a kind OF knoweoge
more formidable in the House itself than any
other, or perhaps all Others. He mastered them IN
order to misuse them; to pervert them; over
throw them; to destroy them and the legislative
efficiency of the House together lie invented
ard perfected the art Of obstruction lie com-
mitted every conceivable crime against the
dignity and authority Of Parliament. lie was
not, and is not good speaker, nor even IN une
ordinary sense, a good debater. Yet. In the emu
he subdued this proud assembly tc his Will he
conquered his place. He was heard, and almost
obeyed The House, which used to apply TO MN
all kinds of discipline, sometimes rather child
ishly found itself, in the end compelled TO tress
him. and TO treat with him, an equal.
The Old Parliamentary Hand himself was
not his superior as tactician either in the House
or before the country, and. finally, as we all
know. Mr.. Gladstone, like the House, had 70
eaptulate. capitulation is not an uncondi-
tional surrender and there were condltlons IN
hoth coses But in both cases il was surrender
Mr.. Parnen is entitled to the glory OF having
brought both his chief enemies to terms; ana 10
very hard terms Mr.. Gladstone's surrender was
pprhaps the more humiliating OF the two anu
certainly the more complete and ON the naroer
terms. Within five years from the day on "nl le,
Mr.. Gladstone locked up Mr. Parnel In MI
mamham Gaol, Mr.. Parnell had forced MI uiao-
stone to abandon his Irish policy, to renounce hs
Irish prin epes and to march the remnant Oh
his shattered legions, with arms reversed ano
drnr,s muffled. into the Parnellite camp.
The man who has done all that-and much
mara on which don't now touch-ls, whatever else
NAV be said of HIM, great pohucal leaaer
md a great historical parsonage III ever
man had in him the genius OF politics, ME-. far-
me-, is that man. His has been when all allow
apce is made and all the violence ana CRIME
which have logged his footsteps ana supporter
his power duly put to his account, great career
He has great qualities and he has used them 1or
great ends; great beyond dispute, Whatever DE
thought of their wisdom or loyalty ana 30
AGAIN I say that an event which threatens to
hrinc sucb career to an untimely close and
10 Danish Mr.. Parnen from the guidance OF the
Liberal party which ne, and not Mr. Gladstone, has
lately led. is an event to he deplored.
Il Is too soon to say what the full erect OF
the O'Shea verdict will be. The evidence Is not
Sill in. Perhaps the public mind is not made up.
and when it is it's decision must be announced
by spcedier methods than the post. But some
things are already clear, and there are certain
facts which tell heavily against Mr.. Parneli one
or two of which require to be rather fully en-
planned To-day, however, l will refer only TO
one or two matters which are Illustrative rather
than decisive.
Mr.. Parnell has always been the mystery man
Of politics. and people now think the mystery Is
cleared up. The mystery was Mrs. O'Shea. When
Mr.. Parnell was not in the House Of Commons he
was at Ethan in her society, or at some one of
the MANY other places in which this long intrigue
WAS at different times carried on. His absences
were often commented on never publicly eX-
plained The discretion Of the English press IN
such matters even in these days Of the New
Journalism, is often admirable. There have been
many people who knew what was going on. There
has been plenty Of surmise and, as Mr.. ParnePs
friends believed, scandal Once or twice, as we
saw at the trial, some hint or veiled statement
has found it's way into print generally into rather
obscure print. But Of that publicity which In
America would have thrown an electric light on
the dongs at Worersh Lodge there has been none.
Never, suppose, did any man carry secrecy
and mystery SO far. 1t was supposed at one
time that Mr.. Parnel cloaked his movements be-
cause he dreaded assassination That was more
particularly after the Phoenix Park murders, when
the relations between the Irish leader and tho
Invincibles as with the dynamite and other rather
extreme wings OF the party, were strained. II is