The Irish standard., 1896-08-01
Fighting FOR AMNESTY.
Confined From First Page,


the thousands-in some instances fire be-
ing set to their houses by kerosene torches
in the hands Of sheriffs' posses-a state Of
war and terror virtually prevailed in Ire
land, as the country was occupied by for
midable English army and by an armed
constabulary equally formidable. Many
lives were lost on the side of the people in
an effort to preserve their homes, but it is
not recorded that the force of the British
government suffered any loss throughout
the troubles specified. Under such circum-
stances, it is hardly wonderful that what
are called outrages and attempts at out
rage occurred in London and elsewhere IN
England. Nobody was killed or seriously
injured in these attempts, at least on. the
English side. England was thrown into
fury OF terror and every man who was re-
garded as a suspect, for any cause what
ever, was set upon by the police, arrested,
tried before prejudiced juries materially
aided by partisan Judges, convicted and
consigned, in most cases for life to British
penal institutions. Although accused of
causing explosions by use of dynamite, they
we're tried under the treason felony act,
passed specially for the conviction OF John
Mitchell in 1S48,; and intended to serve as
drag in all cases where Irishmen threat
ened the existence of British rule in Ire
land The Americans among the
prisoners were not granted the privilege
Of a mixed jury and they were obliged to
accept the British verdict, denied of their
alien privileges.
Considering all the circumstances, we
believe that all the men SO convicted have
suffered sufficiently, whether they were
guilty of the offenses charged or otherwise,
and, in the words of our fellow countrymen
resident in the Transvaal, South Africa,
who passed resolutions ON the subject at
a meeting held in johannesburg last month,
1--WE hold that all right-minded men will
admit that the said political prisoners if
guilty were goaded to the acts for which
they were arrested nearly fifteen years ago
by the oppressive measures meted out for
many years toward the land of our birth.
That justice and fair dealing alike demand
that the clemency and magnanimity shown
by his honor, the president and executive
council of this republic (the South African)
in liberating most of, If not all, the poltt-
ical prisoners arrested in connection with
the Jameson raid ON the Transvaal, be ex-
tended to the Irish political prisoners"
In addition, we, citizens of Chicago, and
of the United States, in mass meeting as
sembled,
Resolve, That common decency, not to
mention common humanity, demands that
the British government should at once set
free the Irish political prisoners, who were
not engaged, at least, in an underhand in
vasion of all Independent and peaceful
state which had inflicted upon them and
theirs no injury.
That if the colonial secretary of England
did not consider it beneath his dignity to
abjectly appeal for mercy to the johannes
burg raiders &c President Kruger, of the
South African Republic, after their defeat,
conviction and death sentence, we do not
consider it beneath ours to demand from
his government the release of men whose
hands are bloodless, and WHO did not make
war on their peaceful neighbors.
That we call upon the president OF the
United States to use his good offices for the
immediate liberation of ish-Americans,
citizens of this country, still confined in
British penitentiaries.