Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-18
IMPRISONED FRESHMEN Their Pardon Asked for by the
 Parnellites. THEY MUST WAIT TWO YEARS Mir, 1. A. Jones' Amendment Caused MT.
 Balfour to Squeal. HE ASKED THE OPPOSITION TO HUSH A Discussion of the Venezuelan Question Would Not Make an Honorable So-
 lution Any Easier, Said the Government Leader.
THEY MUST WAIT TWO YEARS
HE ASKED THE OPPOSITION TO HUSH

London Feb. 17-In the house Of com mons today MT. James Francis Hogan, member for Middle Tipperary, asked the government when the commission to con slider the matter of laying a Pacific sub marine cable would assemble.
 Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain said that the time of the meeting of the commis- sion would not be decided until the names of the members of that body had been received by the government.
 MT. George N. Cursor, parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, stated that the government had no knowledge that Russia had been invited to occupy and police the Turkish territory of Asia Minor. Such an act on the part of Rus sia without the assent of the powers, he said, would be violation of the existing treaties.
 The house took up the debate on the amendments to the address in reply to the queens speech moved on Friday by MT. Timothy Harrington, Parnellite, member for the harbor division of Dub lin, favoring the release of the Irish political prisoners.
 MT. John E. Redmond, Parnellite, made an impassoned speech, in which he said that the feeling throughout Ireland was fin favor of amnesty for the Irish political prisoners. The use of dynamite, he said, had originated with Irish-Amercans, who were regarded by Irishmen general ly as being mad and reckless. All Irish men, he declared, now concurred in the belief that the time had arrived for the exercise of clemency toward the Irish political prisoners.
 The Irish, Mir Redmond said, were blamed for their lack of sympathy with England in her foreign complications. They would be hypocrites If they were to pretend that they were in sympathy with England Were these hatreds, he asked, to exist forever. He hoped rather to see the day when England and Ire land would face the world hand in hand. Hesappealed to the government to hasten the day of the release of an old and dead movement of passion and madness. Qrisia cheers.F
 MT. Balfour said that the government must follow the regular practice. The quinquennial revision of sentences would occur in year or two. when the revision would be applied to the Irish prisoners with absolute impartiality.
 Professor Lecky. the historian, was loudly cheered as he rose to make his first speech in the house, urging elem ency for the Irish prisoners
 MT. Balfour moved closure, which was carried by vote of 270 to 107, and MT Harrington's amendment was rejected 279 to IF.
 MT. L. Atherly Jones, radical member from Northwest Durham, moved an amendment to the address in reply to the queens speech, deploring the ab- sence from the speech from the throne of an assurance that the whole boundary dispute with Venezuela will be referred to arbitration in accordance with the sug- geston of the United States.
 In speaking to his motion MT. Atherly Jones declared that Great Britain had at a no ha dor l,o- tween British Guiana and Venezuela and asked how 1t could be claimed that the territory in dispute could be outside the pale of arbitration. He reviewed the question in all it's aspects since 1874.
 Before the motion could be seconded A. J. Balfour first lord of the treasury and government leader in the house, in terposed and appealed to the house on his responsibility as a minister of the crown not to continue the debate. He declared that he was of the opinion that the con tinuation of the debate would not serve the purpose MT. Atherly Jones had in view and would not make an honorablo solution of the difficulty easier. He therefore hoped that the house, realizing the gravity of the issues that were at stake, would not further discuss on this occasion the policy that had been pur- sued or that would be pursued
 MT. William Allan, advanced radical
 
 amendment The matter, he declared was a tempest in a teacup. Gold, as usual. was at the bottom of the trouble The whole country In dispute was a nest of yellow fever and was not worth fight ing for.
 MT. Henry B. Labouchere, the radical leader, said that if the statement made by Mr. Balfour was true 1t was impossi- ble to continue the debate. (Cries of Hear! Hearty He hoped he might take it that the dispute would be speedily settled to the satisfaction of both coun- tries.
 John Dillon, anti-Parnellite, followed Labouchere. He said he trusted that no appeal from the government would in- duce the mover of the amendment to withdraw his motion. The American people, he added, ought to have some in- dication of the intensity of the feeling existing. The action of the American government had been patient and for bearing and it ought to be made known to the Americans that Lord Salisbury's dis patches did not represent the feelings of the people of this country. He was glad to note the recent improved tone of public opinion. Even Lord Salisbury had turned his attention to insulting a somewhat smaller nation than the United States.
 In the view of nine-tentbs of the people of Ireland, the whole question ought to be submitted to unlimited arbitration.
 Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the lib- eral leader in the house, said he was glad that the amendment had been moved in the interest of arbitration. but he did not think he could insist that the amendment was the best way to attain the end in view. Of course such an amendment could not be accepted by this government and must, if pressed to division. be lost by a majority. If that happened 1t would go,forth to America that the house had pronounced against arbitration, al- though he was convinced that that was the end that all wished to be attained. dGr3es of linear. hear.") ! What the house had fc do was to show that there was no difference of opinion on the subject. He was perfectly certain that both inside and outside of the house