The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-06
The CRIMES ACT.
Proposed Suspension Of Several
Sections.
BalfOuf'S Irish Policy Fully Explained to
Parliament.
Decrease Of Crime Greater Under BaIfouP
Decrease Of Crime Greater Under BaIi0uP
Than Under Gladstone The Lat
terlS Opinion Of the Law.
Copyrighted. 1891, by the New York Associated
Press

LONDON, June 5-Balfour's proposal to
relax the Coercion Act will not be explicitly
announced in the Commons until next week,
but enough is known as to what the Gov
ernment intends to propose to justify the
COnser Yatives in feeling some little pride
over the results of BalfOur's policy. All
the provisions of the Crimes Act directed
against criminal conspiracy will be with
drawn. while the other provis ions, notably
he secret inquiry ecti0D, will be retained.
BalfOur'S first statement, that there are 3019
prisoners in Ireland who we're sentenced
under the Crimes Act, has been the occasion
in the UniOnist press of telling contrasts
with the coercion policy of Gladstone.
when the prisons were full. In the face
of prison statistics and IN the face also
of the fact of absolute peace in every dis
trict in Ireland, and the cessation in the
press and on the platform of expressions Of
discomfort, the GladstOnians will find it diff
fcult to respond to the UniOnists' plans. L.
is accepted that the Liberal explanation is
that the pacification of Ireland is due as
much to the Gladstone policy Of cOncihatiOa
as to Balfour's coercion. These explanS-
tions ignore the G!adstonian predictions
when the Crimes Bill was under discussion
in Parliament. Doubtless a number OF
causes operated to associate the BalfOur
regime with the steady cessation Of disorder,
but his administration has seen the Ma
tional League broken to pieces, the plan Of
campaign collapsed and coercion suspended
after four years of operation.
Gladstone's latest utterance on home
rule is his writing to the Women's Liberal
Federation that the Irish crisis is as acute as
ever, and home fue as fixed plank Of
the Liberal platform as ever, but that the
Irish questions are asleep as far as the
electoral interest goes with quiescent Ire
land.
The Land Bill Is still largely to occupy
the House for a week. BafOur has sent
message of peace and goodwill to the
evlcted tenants in accepting the clause
enabling landlord 10 sell holding over
the head of man in possession to an
evicted tenant or his predecessor. Eylcted
tenants can claim pTe-emptCn right, and
will only be able to benefit by a clause
within six months after the act passes. but
the provision saves from ruin many victims
of the plan of campaign.
The baccarat revelations have stirred to
the deepest depths the whole religious
world. The news that the Prince is an
habitual gambler, taking supplies OF cards
and counters wherever he goes, has blasted
every chance of the nations granting him
relief for his debts. The leading Baptist
organ compares tile Princes taste for the
Tace-course and gambling with the noble
example of his father, who, if living, would
share the intense grief of thousands of
EDglishmen.
The Newfoundland delegates have ar
rived at a satisfactory agreement with the
Government for permanent act to replace
the three years measure passed by the local
Legislature.
Balfour. in an interview to-day, said that
though he considered the time had come
when certain portions of the Coercion Act
might be suspended, especially the clauses
dealing with the summary jurisdiction, he
never meant that the action of the Govern
ment would be retroactive, so far as re-
mitting the sentences of Dillon and OBrien
were concerned.