The Irish standard., 1901-06-01

The following aggressive speech on
jury-packing in Ireland was recently
delivered by Il. p. O'Connor in the
British parliament:
Jury -pucking is not new incident
of Irish life, as some people seem to
think. Jury-packing is practically Il
perennial and constant element of
criminal administration in Ireland,
and shall be able to show in the
course Of my observations that it Is
one Of the Qualifications shall have
to give Of the language used that
jury-packing is an evil us ancient,
deep-rooted, and so frequently ar
raigned in this House and elsewhere
in Irish life, that really the Irish peo-
pie have come to state of despair MS
to whether 1t can ever be remedied or
removed at all Qrlsh cheers). 1 say,
however, that jury packing, though a
very formidable and great instrument
Of maladministration in Ireland is only
one, and on that point wish to say
that the case I shall try to prove is
that the entire administration Of the
law in Ireland is calculated and does
produce reign not Of law, but the
abrogation Of law; not the malntcn-
ance or prevention Of injustice, not
the protection of individual and ma
tional liberty, but the abrogation and
destruction Of individual liberty Qrlsh
chcers). And now, my difficulty in
dealing with this case, as in dealing
with many other cases in connection
with Irish affairs, is thls-that l do
not regard the illtrcatment and mis-
government Of Ireland as, in this coun
try Mt least or in this House, entirely
the result of the wicked, malignant,
ill-fcelng, and oppression towards Ire
land. 1 put it down wholly to ignor-
ancc as regards Irish life; and as to
that ignorance. l put it's main source
to this, that you call different things
by the same names; or, in other words,
that what you call by the same name
in England and Ireland means one
thing in England, and means quite the
opposite in Ireland (cheers; and that
observation I specially apply to this
question Of the administration Of the
law. When one argues with a Union
list on the question of the Irish de-
mand he Is frequently met with the
statement: II am very friendly to
Ireland; l have no desire except to
advance the interests of Ireland, and
to remove the evils from which she
undoubtedly suffers, but really can
not understand what Irishmeh are aft
er. You want to change the law;
you complain Of being an oppressed
country and Of suffering injustice; but
the fact is, you have exactly the same
laws in Ireland as we have in Eng
land, and as they have in Scotland,
and yet you still consider you have
grievance, and you want fundamental
and overwhelming change in the rela-
tions between the two countries"
Well, now, it is quite true that in
Ireland, as in England, man who
is to be tried Is first brought before a
magistrate, is then committed for trial
and brought before grand jury, is
then brought before judge; and fin
ally, it is true he has that element Of
protection and Of liberty Of every free
man, namely, the jury and the jury
box. It is also true that in Ireland,
as in England, that besides the magls-
trate, the grand jury, and the judge,
and the petty jury, there is also
free press; and it is stated, and rightly
stated, that one Of the most solemn
functions and duties of the press is a
vigilant and watchful criticism of the
administration Of justice in order to
protect every man in the country, no