New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-12
MR.. JOHN MORLEY.
WITH SOME SPECIMENS OF MORALS AND
POLITICS AT TIPPERARY AND CORK.

WITH SOME SPECIMENS OF MORALS AND
POLITICS AT TIPPERARY AND CORK.
London, March 81.
Mr. John Morley hos letter in to-day's Times
Even he the most austere Of political enthusiasts,
cannot refrain from writing to the journal which,
between two letters, he denounces as infamous.
The denunciation does not prevent the editor
from printing these COMMUNICATIONS, nor from
denouncing Mr. Morley with nearly equal severity.
This journal more than ever perhaps. since the
catastrophe of the forged Parnell letters, seems
kind of constitutional safety-valve for the eX-
plosive population of these islands In the opinion
of GOOD GladstOnians and of course of the Parnel-
ties that catastrophe was to wreck the paper, and
they dug it's grave and danced on its grave for
some time before they became aware that the
grave was without tenant. Among all the Home
Rule leaders, English and Irish. Mr.. Parnell was,
| think the only one who never forgot his attitude
of reserve and never wrote letter to the journal
which had taken his name in vain. People who
are not concerned with politics might find 1T
little difficult to understand how public man
can revile great paper and then seek what IS
called in NewYork the hospitality Of its columns.
But he does even when the man Is Mr.. John
Morley. The truth is he wants to reach certain
audience, and he knows it cannot be reached other
wise than through "The Times
The great journal shows itself in these circur-
stances magnanimous, it docs when it reports
verbatim the very speeches in which it is accused
of the basest conduct. 1t can well afford to be-
1t carries magnanimity to the point of printing
Mr. Morley in its largest type. He is writing
to-day about the Cork trials, and his letter is
cry of exultation; naturally enough He was
party to those trials; not technically, but in
fact Technically. he was only witness. Will
assume that the history Of these Tipperary riots
and trials is familiar TO you in New-York.
American readers of Irish dispatches know, 1t
seems to me, all that we know on this side, and
sometimes o good deal more At any rate, need
not retell so old story as this. What | wish is
to touch on certain points which are interesting
which throw light ON the cause Of such events,
and on character.
Mr. Morley as I was saying, was only witness
at last weeks trials. He had been spectator oil
the proceedings on which they were based; and
TO some extent an actor in them. He had gone 70
Tipperary to see for himself how they managed
matters under the Crimes Act; as he had right
to do. Messrs Dillon and O'Brien and others
were to be tried for conspiracy 1t does not seem
to have occurred to Mr.. Morley that his presence
might lend encouragement to those who were de-
fying the law Still less did it occur to him that
the Irish genius for politics has its dramatic SIDE
and that spectacle might be arranged for his
benefit. He had been Chief Secretary for Ireland ;
RESPONSIBLE for law and order in that country
responsible for it before Sir George Treveyan, in
words of which he must have repented bitterly
since though secretly. announced that the game Of
law and order in Ireland was up He had been
Cabinet Minister. lie was and is Privy Coun-
cillor. He is Member for great constituency
that of Newcastle. He has name in literature
as we'll as in politics,-a higher name, must take
leave TO think. And he has, above all, spotleSs
character.
II such man could but be put in position to
testify as an eyewitness to the horrors of coercion
and the brutality of the Irish police, what card
that would be for the Irish agtator to play. No
body would ever suspect Mr. John Morley of
faisehood his truthfulness and clear honesty of
nature were as we'll known as his passionate
sympathies with Parnellism-it was Parnelism In
! those days, whatever it may be now. But sympa-
thies may carry man a long way. Mr. Morley,
ex-Chief Secretary and eX-Cabinet Minister and
actual Privy Councillor, saw no harm in journey
ing TO the scene of this trial in company with two
| of the men who we've to he tried with Messrs.
| Dillon and Sheehy, in fact.
| The inside history of such proceedings is seldom
fully disclosed, by half of the courts of law
and it is impossible to say what was arranged De-
| forehand. What has to be said is that in the
interests of the Parnellite cause it very de-
| sirable that there should be disturbance; that
| the police should act that Mr. Morley should see
with his own eyes O head or two broken and
| blood flow; and this thing, in itself so desirable
| did occur. The spectacle was likely to he the
| more impressive to Mr.. Morley because his life
| has been passed away from such scenes lie Is
indeed familiar with blOodshed, but only in books
| His stories Of the French Revolution had brought
his mind 10 q state in which with reference 70 the
| crimes of Danton and Of Robespierre he could
pronounce the words "sombre acquiescence
Never was the difference between a knowledge OF
books and knowledge Of life more sharply in.
| dicated.
II the political asSassnations OF the Place
| de la Revolution were accepted with sonibrt
acauiescencc. the broken head of Mr. Harrison
seemed to Mr.. Morley a CHASTITY spectacle, and a
blow from q cOnstables club on Mr.. Keatinr's
mouth was murderous blow.
The ex-Chief Secretary has himself explained
what took him 10 Tpperary. lie was asked AT
the trial. and he answered that he went because
he wanted 10 see a case under the Crimes Act and
because the prosecution of Messrs. O'Brien and
Dillon seemed to him so mp,udent that it would
be landmark in the history of that Act, and he
desired 10 be present on historic occasion This