New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-12


THE UGANDA oUEsTIoN-TilE
SENTENCES OF THE
PANAMA CRIMINALS.
(pY CABLE TO TRBUSE)
,ony,,cht 1898: BB The Tribune dissertation.
,dop Feb 1.-The man of the hour Is MI
,;,h II need not be said that he woke Fri
s". morninr and found himself famous, for he
w VS. f.mous before as the young outsider whom
A., Gladstone, a great stickler for custom ana
,,sdual promotion, had taken from the ranks an"
ado Home Secretary. He had already Justified
Ns choice by his administrative ability In the
nos. difficult of all the Secretarysilips OF state
ia had bccn the spokesman of his party during
,bs long parliamentary vacation. 1t remained
for him 10 vindcate his place among the small
o,oup Of really fret-ratc dcbaters in the House
~ Commons and this he did on thursday.
Seldom has any speech by young Minister
hen 40 much praised. Seldom has any speech
h.on made in circumstances which to the aver
oos nolitican would have seemed more pcrpleNing.
Rn, Mr. Aseuith has something more than ability
II. has courage and he has character. If ever
,b.rs were a situation which would have tempted
weak man to equivocate or to compromise.
this was one. 1t is the eve of tho Introduction
of the Home Rule bill, the bill by which this
Ministry must ultimately stand or fall. I'VE will
rot have Home Rule" said Mr. Redmond. unless
we have amnesty with it, And TO give cnect
70 his words, he moved amendment to the
Address in TRUTH though not in terms, demanding
the release of the dynamters. Mr.. Rdmonds
sp.-,ch as Mr. Asquth did not fail to remind him.
dealt with the case of DAILY only, and he urged
his release and by inference that of the other
thirteen dynamtcrs on two grounds First, that
bo is innocent: second, that, whether innocent
or guilty he j. political prisoner.
Mr. As0uith's reply 10 both was crushing.
With all the precision Of the lawyer and all the
art of the debatcr he stated the case against DAILY,
tba unanswered and unanswcrabe facts. Most
Of them came ont in the trial As to the rest, said
Mr. Asauith with dignity. Il am stating to the
House on my authority and responsibility as Min
ister of the Crown having cast upon me most
responsible and painful duty, that have satisfied
myself of the truth of these facts from lniorma-
tion at my disposal which | shall not impart or
communicate to any one" There is, said the
Home Secretary, not the smallest doubt oil Daiy
pult. If there werc lie should have the benefit
- il M more is there of Galagher's and the
others: they are all guilty, all justly sentenced;
all richtfully in prison, and there they will re-
main
Then followed statement of the doctrine touch-
ing so-caled political crime and criminals: iuci"'
wholesome, temperate and firm. You nave 10
look, said Mr.. Asquith, mot to the motive put
to the method by which the crime is carried out,
Assassination and dynamite are as mucn ouISiuc
the pale of political offences as poisoning wells III
time Of war. They who use either deserve an"
will receive said the Home Secretary, 10 con-
sidcration or indulgence from any bitiei' "o'-
ennent
There was not from the beginning to the
end of this admirable speech oh'
ambiguous phrase There no hedging thcre
were no loopholes. No dynamiter will be reless1'
while Mr.. Asquith remains Home SecietarS' !.
Is possible 10 imagine that Mr.. Gladstone lstene"
10 these uncompromising and stralghtlor"aru ''eo-
laratlons with some dismaya or, if not with dis-
1nay with the reflection that they procccdcd from
a very young parliamentary hand. ihey 90 anu
,bev have done more TO give confidence to the
public and TO strengthen the party oil which '''
Old Parliamentary Hand is the leader, than any
1Iorsa If Commons speech that has been made
this session, including several of Mr. GLADSTONE
own.
M doubt the Irish are irritated. Mr.. McCar'
.bv. who was forced, though with obvious re-
luctance. TO follow MIR. Redmonds rad' saiu
plaintively and with some rhetorical erect 'ha'
Mr.. Asuuith had closed the prison doors win a
olanc. All the Irish speeches which followed
were resentful some of them menacing Inc
effect on Nationalist opinion in Ireland Is iiReiy
to be unfavorabc. But to all those considera
tons there is one final answer NO other line was
possible A Ministry which had lct loose tho
dynamiters would have gone pieces in the
effort, and the remnant of it would have pecl
swept away by whirwind of English wrath
Courage is always safest. Nobody has more OF
1t than Mr. Gladstone himself and nobody is bet
ter able to see that his young colleague has done
him an immense service, for the Irish have no"
10 make up their minds once for all on one point
They cannot have amnesty; they can, perhaps
have Home Rule without amnesty. They nr'
pledged not TO have without the other ant
they have therefore to determine whether they
viii swallow their pledges go without Home
Rule
The debate on the Address is expected TO clos
to-day. and Mr. Gladstone will in that case intro
duce his Home-Rule bill Monday afternoon
There is Of course great cagcrncss TO hear him
and strong hope that he may not think /
needful to confine himself to mere exposition
OF principles and details, as he did IN 1886. Ill
own eagerncss 70 tell his secict is not less KceI
than that of others TO hear it, and his coniidcnc
is superb. Secret it still is, so far as Engiah'
is Concerned The summaries published IN Amer
lea are not here regarded as authentic. Ihe'
have not been reprinted OF noticed.
II Mr. Gladstone has shown any sign OF fail
ing power it is in his irritaGilty in the Hous'
He used 70 be impelious he has OF late Dce
suerulous. A harmless allnsion by Mr. Daliou
70 his early disappearance from the late si'.in
Thursday provoked an outburst OF anger wn'c
Mr Ralfour appeascd by an apology. Mr. "'au
nene has complained repeatedly OF the ieheu
the debate Oh the Address lie calls IL o'
aruction. and in this complaint he has the SUP
pert of Mr.. Healy. Mr.. Rlfonr contentcd mn
sslf with proving that the length Is not un"'""
that A. .,b;o.,s liscussed have been OF gI't