New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-04
AN ERA OF REACTIONS.
d" GENERAIr BOOTH, STANLEY, PARNELL AND ;
OSHEA ARE ALL AFFECTED THEREBY.

u Sl1EA AhE ALL AT ~ III |li@i'%p''
London. December 9.
The close Of the year 1890 seems destined TO
remain memorable for the number and strength
of its reactions. There are reactions all along the
line which surpass in force and intensity the fcvor
of eNtravagant enthusiasm which preceded ana
originated them There is a reaction against the
Salvation Army scheme for rescuinG the sub
merged tenth of the population, and "Geaeral'
Booth" Pope" Booth they call him nOw-haS he
come an object Of obloquy and opprobrum 10
those who were the foremost in sounding his
praise Then there is n reaction, and orc which
is widespread against Mr.. Henry VI. Stanley, who
comes in for an unlimited amount OF abuse from
the press of every shade as well MS from Tie pub
lie Indeed it is difficult to find Al the present
moment a name the mention of which cNci'cS
more expression of universal unpopuArlty than
that of the author OF Darkest Africa les de'
these there is reaction among Liberal ranks
against Home Rule, reaction in favor Of NJ.
Parnell Of such power that it has evoked public
protest against the cant of cynicsm,' and a re-
action against Captain OShca
Indeed the Captain is left in a mos unenviahle
position by the divorce which is far from proving
the stroke Of good luck into which he expected II
would develop His social standing, such as II
was he owed entirely to his wifes family, while
HIS pOuNICdl status hds bb>tI uPOu tlr lHH"'H''
which he was generally known to exercise on Mr..
Parnell, and through him upon the Irish party.
1t was solely upon the strength of his relations
with Mr.. Parncll--pcople voluntarily closed their
eyes to the characte. thcreof-that he obtained
access to the houses and even dinncrtabes Of the
prominent statesmen o. the day. Since his divorce
from his wife, and his quarrel with Alr Parcel.
eliminating in the shipwreck Of the Home Ruiz
party. his sphere of social and political Importance
has completely disappeared. He has ceased % he
a factor, even of the most humble kind. in the
game of politics, and if he ventures to remind the
Government of the services which he has rendered
TO the Tories by breaking up the Nationalist parts
il is probable that he will find deaf cac TUNED
10 his requests for a reward. For not even the
most cynical member of the Administration you'd
venture 10 present any Office in the glt Of the
Crown 10 a man in the peculiar position Of Cap
tain OShea at the present moment. And Ie tie
Captain must be sorely in need OF some lucrative
post. For having long since squandered the
money inherited from his father. he has for many
years past been more or less dependant for his
livelihood upon the bounty of the connections Of
his wife.
Strangely enough, the most unpleasant blow re-
ceivcd by the Captain since the trial has been de-
livered by his counsel during the divorce case.
Sir Edward Clarke, the Solicitor General Of the
Realm, and one Of the great law officers
Of the Crown. Young Gerard O'Shea. the ci-h-
teen-year-Old son Of the Captain, who had
distinguished himself by testfling against his
mother, wrote a few days after the conclusion
Of the trial to Sir Edward, asking him distinctly
10 eXOnerate, in writing, his father fioia the
charges Of connivancc and collision which have
all oloig seen current in London. The Times,
in abiding 10 The request Of the young man,
stated H. pnc Of its recent issues that the
Solicitor General has sent Mr.. Gerard o Shea the
following message through Mr. Lewis Coward.
Captain SLc&s junior counsel III the recent
divorce case: in the enormous mass OF CORE
spOndcnce and documents examined by counsel
in the case, your fathers life for many years
has been laid bare to rs. Few men would have
emerged with such honor from SO searching an
ordeal
This paragraph was maniiesty however, re-
garded by the SOlicitor-Geuerai as a mislatcmcnt
Of his views upon the subject OF the Captains
honor. For he at once addressed letter -
The Times for The purpose Of rectfying The
statement attributed TO HIM. The letter appeared
a couple Of days later, and contained the follow
ing somewhat pointed remark
The paragraph published IN The Times is
not quite accurate. What | authorized Nh
Lewis Coward to say to Mr. OSbea was that
had carefully examined the correspondence. and
that there was not a sentence or word in any OF
the letters which gave the slightest support 10
the charge OF cnnniVancc made against ms father,
and that | intended to state that in opening tne
case.
Is il TO be inferred from this that il was merely
in the letters that there was no support dis
covered to sustain the charge Of cOnnivancc, and
that the Captain did not emerge with honor from
the case ? II Sir Edward does not mean tins, why
did he think it necessary to go to the trouble
of publicly contradcting, or at any rate seriously
modifying the laudatOry statements which had
been imputed 20 him concerning the Captain