The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-06
BALFOUR CROWS A BIT.
ERIN'S QUIET CREDITED TO THE
COERCION BILL.

His Proposed Modification of the
Measure-The Liberals Put to Their
Wits Ends by the Present State of
Affairs-What Gladstone Has to Say.
Copyright, 1891, bg the NJ Y. associated Press }
LONDON, June 5.-Secretary Balfour's
proposals to relax the coercion measures
will not be explicitly announced in the
House of Commons until next week, but
enough is now known as to what the govern
ment intend to propose to justify
the conservatives in feeling some
little pride over the results
Of Secretary Bslfour's policy. All the
provisions of the crimes act directed against
criminal conspiracy should be withdrawn,
whilst other provisions, notably the secret
inquiry section, will be retained. Mr..
Balfour's first statement that, while there
are 3,0l9 prisoners in Ireland who
were sentenced under the ordinary
law there are only twenty-one who were
sentenced under the crimes act, hes been
the occasion in the unionist press Of telling
contrasts with the coercion policy under
Mr.. Gladstone, when the prisons were chock
full. In the face OF the prison statistics,
dAAA Az bAAC AnSC ca4oO Va tLo l6Cb "a dDSQlut6
peace in every district in ireland and
the cessation in the press and on 1.-THE
platform of expressions of discomfort, the
Gladstonians will find il difficultto respond
to the unionist plans. The accepted liberal
explanation is that the pacification of Ire
land is due as much TO the Gladstone policy
Of conciliation as TO Secretary Balfour's
coercion, and further, that the Dublin
executive has long been playing with coer-
oil Axrha kha1 e
hand crime hes run up, and when the screw
Ia loosened crime has run down. These ex-
plantations ignore the Gladstonian predic-
tions, when the crimes bill was under dis
cussian in in parliament, that such an awful
piece of brutal despotism, from which the
cZar OF the sultan might well shrink, would
produce q crop of dynamite and other out
RACES that would appal the civilized world
A FEATHER IN HIS CAP.
Doubtless q number of causes operated to
associate the Balfour regime with the steady
cessation of disorder, but the blindest parti-
sanship cannot refuse Secretary Balfour the
credit of attaining the results which his
persistent policy aimed at. His admistra-
tion has seen the national league broken to
pieces, the plan of campaign collapsed, and
coercion suspended after four years Of ope-
ration.
MIR. Gladstone's latest utteranoe on home
rule is his writing to the Women's Liberal
Federation that the Irish crisis Is as acute
as ever, and that home rule as fixed plank
of the liberal platform is as certain as ever,
but that the Irish questions are asleep for a
time, as the electoral interest goes with
the question. The Irish land bill is
still likely 60 occupy the House for a week
Secretary Belfour has sent message Of
peace aud good will to the evicted tenants
in accepting the clause enabling the land
lords to sell holdings over the head of a
man in possession to an evictsd tenant of
his predecessor. Evicted tenants can claim
preemption right, and will only be able to
benefit by the clause within six months
after the act passes. but the provision saves
from ruin many victim OF the plan Of
campaign.
NOT TO REMIT SENTENCES.
In the House of Commons to-day Score
tary Belfour, replying to a question ad-
dressed to the government by MIR. Nolan,
said that though he considered that the
time had come when certain portion of
the coercion act ought to be suspended, and
especially the clause dealing with summary
jurisdiction, he never meant that the action
OF the government should be retroactive
80 far as remitting the sentences of Nessrs.
Dillon and O'Brien was concerned.