New-York tribune., 1891-12-20
MIR. MICHAEL DAvITT.
e,cNrrIcANCE OF HIS CANDIDACY AT
WATERFORD.

rroN OF HOME RULE-PREpICUONS AS
TO THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION
SCENES OF VIOLENCE
lpr oAsx TO TIE TRIBUNAL
copyricm; 1881: By The Tribune As'ocsaen
Iondon, Dec. 19.-The contest at Waterford for
,be late Mr.. Richard Powers seat in Parliament
;s likely enough to prove damaging TO Home
pull and awkward for the Gladstonian party.
-h;cbeyer way it ends. Mr.. Redmond was ex-
,scted to win, till Mr.. Davitt, who went there
"a sneak for Mr.. Keane, was hit over the head
,i,h stick and thereupon announced that he
xould be a candidate himself, and poor Mr..
K.ane was left out in the cold. II Mr.. Redmond
;s elected Parnellism gets new lease Of political
p,e in Ireland. Mr.. Dillon declared at Waterford
an Thursday that if Waterford returned a Par
,eite and a fair number of other constituencies
Aid likewise, he should feel bound to tell his
,ountrymen that there was NO longer hope in
constitutional agitation, and he should himself re-
tire to private life. That might not be an
unmixed calamity. either.
But let us suppose Mr.. Davits to be elected.
,hen what2 There are few men in public life
whose past and present could be more COM
promising to any political party There seems
"a be some doubt whether o convict who has
not served out MS sentence 10 lc8ally cllsioic
TO Parliament; but that may be left to the
lawyers. Mr.. Davitt has heretofore refused to
stand for Parliament, from a dislike to take the
oath of allegiance. The blow on the head which
converted him into a candidate seems to have
,ured that scruple, but has not blotted out the
memory of his previous refusals; is there any
thing to show that Mr.. Davitt is more loyal now
than when, in 1866, he Joined the Irish rebels
under Stephens, or when, In 1870, he was tried
and convicted of treason.
The Gladstonian organ now makes light OF
rebellion and treason, saying Mr.. Davltt may
have been mistaken" in his course. II was
mistake which Judge thought worthy of ff-
teen wears penal servitude. But that was before
Mr. Gladstone became a convert to Home Rule.
Everybody now allows" adds the organ, that
MIR. Davitt was actuated by the noblest motives. "
So was he no doubt when he circulated In Ireland
. certain newspaper, published in New-York by one
Mr. Patrick Ford, whose noble motives led him to
advocate assassination by dynamite. SO was he,
I assume when he was in full communion with
the Fenian Brotherhood. So was he when, be-
fore the Special Commission, he renewed his
vows for the complete separation Of Ireland from
England, and declared under oath, 4" wish could
ret il tomorrow" So is he when, this week at
Waterford, he once more repeats his wish. So
as not easily to be distinguished from anarchy.
So is he when he advocates land naturalization,
another name for confscation, and a scheme which
Mr. Gladstone himself denounces as either robbery
or insanity So is he, no docbt, when he surrenders
10 the priests whose nomination he has hereto
fore resisted and marshals his forces at Waterford
under the black robe. By all means, let him
have the credit of the best motives
lie will nevertheless be judged by his acts, and
the acts, Of which have mentioned only few.
are such as to give rise to reflections among the
English when they see the doer OF them a
standard bearer in what Sir William Harcourt
calls the Gladstonian army. The Gladstonlan
organs and the Ga6stonian rank apd file seem
ready to accept anything, tolerate anybody, ap-
plaud anybody, no matter what his past. II he
now takes the Gladstonian shilling and marches
to the music of the big bass drum which the
good Gladstonian delights TO beat. But there are
still in England some thousands OF voters who
are independent of party, and who judge. or try
TO Judge, men and things on their merits or de-
merits. 1hey are supposed to hold the balance
of political power and the Interesting question
is what they will think of Mr.. Davitt and of
the policy of which Mr.. Davitt is now an author
lied exponent
The Waterford canvass, if it proceeds as it
has begun, may throw light on the question, not
perhaps, what Mr.. Gladstone means, but what the
Irish mean, by Home Rule. Mr.. Davitt declares
in one breath that the honor and character Of
Ireland are pledged through their leaders to ac-
cept Mr. GIadstone's Home Rule measure of 1868.
If that be 80, how comes it that in another breath
he says: The British democracy and the Liberal
party are pledged to give Ireland more demo-
cratic and fuller measure of Home Rule than the
-l..N. NJ l.la1
stone enlarge the former bill? Who extorteo
from him fresh concessions? The answer Is, hrst'
Mr.. Parnel, then Mr.. Parnel's Irish opponents
each striving to outbid the other Mr. Gladstone
will not disclose the full extent of the addltohaI
concessions he is prepared to make. lie allows
it to be known that he will make some. lhe de-
uands of ueland have increased since that Dill
Of 1886 which her leaders bound her TO accept as
final. What then does Mr.. Davitt mean by say
ing that he regards honor and character as more
than ANYTHING else? That honor and character
were he tells US pledged in 1856, and that piedge
has been repudiated. imagine that this Is meant
As a bacs-banded blow at Mr.. Parneu IN Ills
grave.
lam not going" added Mr.. Davitt, to leave
tbe English democracy TO believe that the lrish
people aud their leaders can say one thihg TO-DAY
and another tomorrow" But that is preclseiy
what, on his own showing, they have done, and
what be supports them in doing
Mr. Dillon has spoken twice or thrice curing
the last few weeks with still greater plainness'
He said at Waterford Wednesday Will ac-
eept DO Home Rule which will not sansiy the
aspirations of Ireland" We all know what The
aspirations of Ireland are. Mr.. Davitt expressed
them when he avowed that he "yearned Tor
independence" 1t is a game of cross purposes
or of cross questions and crooked answers No
English Home Ruler dares to own that he Is
ready to grant independence TO Ireland. No lrish
Home Ruler dares TO avow his willingness 10 ac-
eept less The comment on this double-faeed policy
sbaT como from Mr.. Davitt himself who said on