Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-29
The meeting Of the Irish members Of Parlia.

The meeting Of the Irish members OF Parlia-
nent on Monday will be fraught with great in
terest. II win have to determine whom and
what il will follow The Irish members are
now divided in sentiment between blind allegi-
ance to a leader of extraordinary ability and
valuable public service. but who has suffered
moral eclipse, and allegiance to the Home Rule
cause. On the one side stand Mr.. Gladstone,
the liberal party Of England, Wales and Scot
land and the religious and moral sentiment Of
the two islands; on the other a morally furnished
but still intellectually brilliant leader with his
group of personal aiherents. The friends Of
Ireland in this country, 1t is believed, favor a
policy which shall save the cause and leave the
leader where he has placed himself. The ones
ton IL delicate one, but the line Of wisdom il
the line of duty. To the Irish. rs to all who
strive for patriotic principle, the cause is
greater than any one man. Mr.. Parnelrs
manifesto ignores the suggestion that some
other member Of the Irish party, not subject
to moral censure. can, for "a time, lead more
effectively the organization to which he belongs
He assumes that he is the Irish party, that with
out his open leadership there can be no indie
pendent Irish party; that under any other
leader the organizat ton will be absorbed by the
liberals and he recites the confidential confer
ences among the Home Rule liberal leaders
over the difficulties in the way OF wringing COM
ple.e home rule from English prejudices in
order to prove to the Irish people that they will
not lose much BY breaking on his account
with the liberal party. To one looking at the
matter from this side of the water ii would ap-
pear that whatever an independent Irish party
NAV accomplish in the way of embarrassment
and obstruction il can never gain home rule.
except bv converting the English people, that
to this end the active cooperation of one of
the English parties is necessary. that the liberal
party is the only one from which this co-epera-
ton can be hoped. that Gladstone and his fol-
lowers have already accomplished wonders in
converting the English people into advocates
of fair dealing with Irelan:. and that if the
English and Irish home rulers should
continue to work harmoniously together
until the next general election much
would be gained for ireland. The
Parnell manifesto practically calls upon the
people Of Ireland in view Of past services which
no one will underestimate to condone his moral
offence to ignore the English protest against it,
and to cast aside in order to retain his leader
ship their English allies, whose services he con-
temptuousiy dep-eciates. 1t is only on the as
sumption that Psrnell is the entire Irish party
and all Ireland besides, and that the home rule
cause lives and will die with him, that his
declaration of war against the liberals can be
justified with Americans who sympathize with
and who assist in every way they can the Irish
home rule movement. The American opinion |
viii doubtless be that Parnen ought a. . patriot
to have accepted as q punishment for his |
offence temporary retirement from the leader |
ship and ought not to have presented to the |
Irish people the distressing alternative Of sac
rifcing either one who has served them well, or |
all immediate hope of success for the Home !
Rule cause.