The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-12
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Comment on the Suppression of the
'Irish People,"

Comment on the Suppression of the
Irish People"
! LONDON. May 1.-THE King will hard
| ly thank the Government for their extra
| ordinary action in suppressing the Irish
| People" for though the suggestion is
without particle Of foundation, no Irish
man will believe that the King himself is
| not the prime mover in the high-handed
proceedings which provoked such storm
in the House of Commons last night Irish
political life is still so divorced from Eng
fish political life that Irishmen have no
means to appreciate. as Englishmen do.
the essentially liberal character of the
Kings personal views, and how striking a
contrast he presents in this respect to his
late mother Mr. Gladstone. not Disraeli.
was always his political exemplar, ana
| even his superabundant discretion could
not always hide the fact.
In the matter of the suppression of the
Irish People. the King was not, of
course, consulted. telegram from Dub
lin Castle informed the Chief Secretary
of the purport of the leading article, at
tHcking the Kings accession oath because
of its branding of Catholicism as idoia-
trous and superstitious, and also attack
ing the person of the sovereign in the
customary heated language of Irish
oratory. The Chief Secretary. after a
hasty conference with Mr. Balfour. who
is his close political friend. and who in
the absence of Lord Salisbury is his chief.
peremptorily ordered the seizure and sup
preston of tht Issue. No one defends
this personal attack on the King II was
wanton, baseIess-even stupid-but there
is widespread feeling that Roman Cath
oiics have good reason to resent the hest
fancy in the removal of these provoking
and screaming epithets from the royal
declaration. and. whether rightly or
wrongly, they attribute this hesitancy to
the influence of the aggressive Protes-
tants here in England and the still more
aggressive anti-Catholics of Ulster
Thus politics have been allowed to in
trude, At this moment the worst religious
passions are being aroused by gigantic
wall-posters, issued by the Church Asso-
citation, and placarded over London, call
ing Protestants to arms. and threatening
Ergland's downfall at the hands of Rome
unless these medieval epithets are thrust
into the sovereign's mouth Sympathy
with the King is quickened by the knowl
edge that he himself realizes the unnec-
essarily provocative character of the
phrasing of the royal declaration, and has
,sed bis infuarca With the AJinistrv In
favor of its excision Rut while the Ian
e,,sea of tba Irish paonla., is inexcus-
aLIa The o-ra,,as, do,b,s ara axnrassad
= -. r,..S.i.,
VI the IeSailly OIL the Government ac-
tion. The House supported the Govern
ment last night, because 1t felt, as Mr..
Aso,,itb cold .ha ax.ro,,,a ,,n,,;saor, Of
- -
hiahins Ia'la'hentdry Pro'esl asaiis'
81 RI which pap hs nd ought n he leg
ally enuuired into on the action by the
Journal i,so,. &, ,ho count, Tor danoayas
800. &c. r. =. ~
against the Government.
how Mr.. Kruger suppressed the Johannes
- ..c.r-,, -. 49, 1,,,,,,,or;,,s,
-, -
MIN, ana now even the desplsed Irahs-
yaal courts Quashed the Presidents edict.
The British Ministry NAV now learn that
-, a.; r..,,, -. a, ,.,,.,o,
-. 80" 10 'up'
Next Mohoay the great tussle begins
over the Government army scheme, and
so unsettling have recent events been
,,non Nfinistarial Io,,.t,y Tho, ANYTHING, "a
- 60.
possipie' even the oeieat OF the hiliiis'ry,
before the bill is sent to the House or
Lords. Military members. seyenty-eight
stro,o ,nos,t,, Ntiptst.rtalists have nro-
, 800 -, -,
hoihceu against ,he scheIhe' Whiie MI
winston Churchill. playing into the
hands of the enemies alike CT all reform
ard of +hf, ,a,+to,,r,r rofo,,, ,,,o,,as e..
-, - - ,,,S,-. -,
PoS'p'"eIHeiie' ihe hh'Stry WIN meet
these attacks by declaration that the
bill must be accepted in substance as 1t
stauds.that Is to say. the Ministry. If they
mean what they say, VIII resign rather
than abandon or materially alter the
scheme. such threat generally brings
open political revolt to an end in English
political life. but 1t leaves a spirit of dis