The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-10-10


of others at the time-and I set foot In
England with very saddened feelings, and
almost the certainty that the cause of Ire
land was doomed for my time. j can never
forget the Signs / saw at once of the SO
briefly with which, amid allsthe horror OF
the time, the people Of this country re-
ceived the news of the tragedy. I should
willingly have remained unknown during
the journey from Ho!yhead to- London, but
/. was almost Immediately recognized, and
some of the railway offcials--tne. engine
DRYER among others--came to speak to me
Instead of reproaches they. offered con
dolences. They, went out of their way to
say kind things of the Irish people, and
even of the Irish party, and they showed
real concern and sympathy with the blow
watch had fallen upon the hopes Of Ireland
| have seen the people of this country often
show what considered unreasonable pre-
judice and sometimes even brutal rage
to Ireland, but am bound to lay emphasis
on the fact that in this terrible moment
Of crisis for! the two countries nothing
could have been finer than the spirit which
I found in England after an absence o.
seven months, and that the incidents of this
railway jaorney Will always remain in my
| mind as one of the pleasantest expert
ences Of my political life.
T. During the, coercion fight there was, Of
course no personal association between
Mr.. Gladstone and the members Of the
IRISH party. Nay, more some ties OF
friendly acquaintance which had existed be-
fore that fight were broken under the
strain of the fierce passions aroused on both
sides. tits not generally known that among
the many things Justin Mccarthy has been
offered and refused in the course of mis- life
of unse.fshness is an under-secretaryshi ship.
Mr.. McCarty, when he entered Parliament,
was known to Englishmen only as writer
of fine literature, and as a steady friend of
all Liberal causes The thoroughly Ma.
| ti0nalist character of his mind was not
| understood, and most people would have
been incredulous il they had been told
that this gentle, shy literateur had been in
| his bOyhood one Of rebel band that were
to free Ireland by some bold stroke that
might land most of them on the ga.loWs
or in penal servitude. It was probably un-
der this misapprehension of his character
and antecedents that Mr.. Gladstone spoke
when he had a Long conversation with Mr..
Mccarthy, just as the general election of
1880 was about to be- fought, and when it
was already pretty clear that Mr.. Gladstone
would once more be returned to the. house
Of commons with a big majority. Mr..
Gladstone declared his frieniliness to Ire
land, and his desire to do everything he
could sforsher; statement which was made
in the.most perfect good faith ard which
to d large extent fpltnd fuiAlment in the
great land act Of 188l--the first measure of
| land emancipation which was passed for
Ireland. And in the same spirit MIR. Glad
some suggested that Mr.. Mccarthy might
| ho oet oJ,, ,;ctr@ +o,,
ard in that way help the government to do
justice. to Ireland. OF course the thing was
out of the question, but NJ Gladstone did
not know this; and it is to his credit that
even at that period--which now seems so
remote--he was ready to stretch out a
friendly hand to Ireland and to lrishmen.
/ By-and- bye, as / have said, the stress
and strain Of the struggle between the Glad
stone government and the Irish members
rendered it Impossible that even so gentle
combatant as Mr.. Mccarthy could remain
on terms Of intimacy, with Mr.. Gladstone;
and the two were estranged for some years.
Looking back on the struggle with the
calmness Of a retrospect, I am able to un-
derstand, and even to sympathize to some
extent. with the attitude OF the Liberal
| leaders towards us at tlat period-though,
Of course, / think that their policy was in
many respects disastrollsly wrong headed.
still like to.dwe.r on those days ofstruggie
-ferce and %tryingSas they were. There
were in5.theln many hours OF terrible bit
terness and anxiety. sIreme1nber still the
morning Of Mr.. Speaker Brands coup d.
etat, asst Is called. It will be remem-
bered that this famous sitting lasted for for
| ty-one hours, In those days there was no
means; whatever. in. the house Of commons
! for bringing debate to q close. It seems
| incredible nowadays that any assembly
should have allowed itself to remain for
50 many, centuries soS:impo otent in enforcing
its oWnsrules. Il t.,.s;; #::ss. s5 4
| II opposed closure stronglys when twas
proposed BY the government. Of Mr.. Glad.
stone in those years.. But in those days it
was hot my business tosllelp any govern
II entt;- nd especially enc with which my
party was in fierce conf ict:- Ito do business
more rapi dly. But; ], ana bound now to- say
that thi nks the house Of. commons has lost
nothing, and has gained a great deal in
effectiveness, by the change in the rules
which our fierce conflicts imposed upon it,
and. thata further and even more drastic
changes are required If the legislative ma
chine is:to be made equal to the calls which
our complex society makes upon it. ST sa M ss5
The scenes inside the house OF: commons
in those days, and especially at that famous
sitting, were fierce enough. But they.
formed only a small portion Of the battle
field over which the struggle spread. The
passions. Of both the peoples were danger
onslY3 excited; and the It.:sh members were
constantly hearing whispers of subterrane-
an moYeme ii lot only independent of
them but hostile to them which threat,
ened to take thess control osHevents out aof
their hands, and produce one of those mad
outbursts Of passion betWeen the two ma
tiens, the end OF which no man can tell:
It. was proved afterwards that those wliis-
pers had a very so..ih foundation Of fact
for. undoubtedly i the movement began then.
which found it's climax and its horforIini
the Plnenix park assassin ions. These.
then, were tthe periis by Wlhich the Irish.
party. was surr led. On the one hand say
governmen powerful and Eesolut te7ss
which they: had to try, to dsSseatt a policy
which they knew Wnilssd lead to some ofsthes
viol lent sout tbreaks which aftefwaIds came <
| and 1.-THE same time menace OF danger:
more dread ard potent II ON certain tele-.
,ments on the al S. dc, which might de-.
stroy al our best !. ,aidI ans and defeat:
all Our pph u rslnemb bert TO this day a,
walk took Nit th q colleague across the
flags 5of Nv e3t1ni ter, Abbey to the West
1ifnster Palace hnsel " here ParneI., was
STAYING at the nome It was wi ME one
81 ~ nf a ~ ,,,a ~