The Irish standard., 1890-12-06

.'5'. Z.
might embitter this controversy. we
shall not dwell upon the cruel injustice
with which he treats the members of
the party that has followed him with 9
loyalty and affection such as no leader
ever experienced before. His recollec-
ton of their fealty to him in many an
hour of trial might we'll have saved them
from the imputatjon that any section Of
them could have allowed their integrity
to be Slapped by liberal wirepnllers, nor
would we do more than enter q protest
against this violation of all constitutional
principle in fouing by anticipation the
decision of the elected representatives of
the people from whose votes the chair
man of the parliamentary party receives
his authority, and resorting to a vague
general appeal over their heads. Con-
siderations like these we should readily
have waived in the. interest of national
soljdar1ty-but the method in which,
ignoring the origin of the present cal
amitous situation, Mr.. Parnell endeavor-
ed to tasten the responsibility for 1t upon
Messrs. Gladstone and Morley. compels
us to dissociate ourselves in the strong
est manner from imputations which we
believe to be reckless and uni ust." They
again say: "Whatever differences of
opinion may exist as to the haste with
which Mr.. Gladstone's letter was COM
municated to the public. it was obviously
not his hostility to home rule, but his
earnest desire to save it from disaster,
that prompted Mr.. Gladstone to write
his letter. We deplore that the difficult
ties of Mr.. Gladstone's position were not
frankly recognized by Mr.. Parnell, and
that on the contrary friendly private
communications 49, communications OBJ
vlously made with view of smoothing
the passage of the home rule bill-have
been made the basis Of insinuations of
treachery to the Irish cause. By his
conviction again and again expressed,
that home rule, to be effective, must be
such measure as will satisfy the Irish
people, Mr.. Gladstone is bound to q
full and ample measure of self-govern-
ment to Ireland. To offer any other
scheme would be an act not only of H.
credible baseness, but of incredible
folly; and we emphatlcallly separate our
selves from any such charge against Mr..
Gladstone After declaring that Mr..
Parnell's leadership opens an impossible
gn1f between the representatives of Ire
land and the Liberal party, they con-
tinue: "In deliberately bringing things
to this position. Mr.. Parnell has entered
upon rash and fatal path upon which
every consideration of Ireland's safety as
we'll as of personal honor forbid us alb
solutely to follow him. In the future OF
a party thus isolated and discredited,
we cannot imagine how any Irishman
can see anything but destruction of the
hopes of self-government, happiness and
peace, which but few weeks ago, were
on the point of being realized for our
people so tried by many years Of sacrifice
and suffering. We are driven to choose
between our leader and our cause. In
that sad choice we cannot hesitate
They concluded in these words: eve
cannot relinquish the hope that, in the
face of such decisive action by the cleo
tive representatives of the Irish people,
Mr.. Parnell's sense of patriotism will
withhold him from plunging Ireland into
those horrors Of dissension which have
so often already in her tragic and un-
happy history robbed her of liberty at
the moment it was within her grasp. and
will save him from undoing, in one pas
sionate hour, the results of all his in
comparable services to his country"
The manifesto was signed by John
Dillon, William O'Brien. Thomas P.
O'Connor, T. D. Sullivan and Thomas P.
Gill. Mr.. Harrington. though agreeing
with the sentiments expressed by his
colleagues, did not sign his name out of
fealty to Parnell. Mr.. O'Brien wept
while attaching his signature.
THE PARNELL MANIFESTO.
Last week we gave oar readers Glad
stones letter to John Morley in refer
enoe to Parnell. Gladstone in that letter
stated that after using all means of OBJ
servation aud ref cotton in his power he
had arrived at the conclusion that not