The Irish standard., 1902-11-15
LEFT PARLIAMENT in A BODY.

For the first time in q hundred
years the Irish members in the Brit
ish parliament withdrew in body OH
Oct. 2S and returned to Ireland. Dur
ing the discussion of the Education
Bill they will remain at home and let
the Tories and Liberals attend to a
matter which does not concern Ire
land.
BY their action the Irish members
have given a convincing proof of their
independence Of English parties. In
n recent debate Premier Balfour re-
ferred to them as 70 section of the
Liberal party" but this they en-
phatically denied, saying they formed
a separate and distinct party and rep
resented nation.
The retirement of the Irish members
is fully justified, and many will say
that if they never go back, Ireland
will not suffer anv worse at the hand,,
of the predominant partner" No
representatives have ever been SUBJ
iectcd to such insults and indignities
in legislative body as the Irish
members Of the British parliament.
There is but little difference between
the Liberals and Tories in their treat
ment Of them. Not more than six
Liberals had the decency of demand
ing fair play for the Irish members in
the hostile assembly. On purely
English. question, therefore, why
should the Irish members remain in
London?
The proper place for them is at
home in Ireland where they can ell
courage the people to resist British
oppression and to defy the occupants
of Dublin Castle and their judicial in
struments of tyranny. In London they
were denied the right of advocating
the cause Of their country on the
floor Of parliament; ut home they will
be imprisoned without trial by jury
for speaking publicly to their constit-
uents. In our opinion, they can ac-
complish more good at home than ut
Westminster.
The case of John O'Donnell, the
member for Mayo, illustrates the ill.,
Justice and cruelty with which the
duly elected representatives of the
Irish people are treated by the Tory
government. The parliamentary cor
respondent of the London Daily News,
who witnessed the expulsion of Mr..
O'Donnell from the House, writes as
follows of the young patriot:
"What is the story of this man who
last night used pretty rough means
for forcing his speech on the prime
minister? In the first place, Mr.. O'Don-
nell has spent eighteen months of
the last few years of his life in Jail.
He has been singled out for prosecu-
toni should say persecution-again
and again. And ncw, by The mal.. =.
Of the petty executive agents who are
sitting upon him to judge him, he is
under sentence to spend six weeks o.
a plank bed and nine days on bread
and water. Even that is not the worst
Of it. For two years this member of
parliament has not been able to open
his mouth on the public platform in
his own constituency. When he has
spoken outside the limits Of his dis
trict he has been charged and SEN
fenced; but among his own people he
has been silenced not by form of
law, but by the mere violence of the
police. No sooner does he appear at
any meeting than he is rushed Mt by
the constabulary and torn off the plat
form. For two years this silence has
been enforced upon him. This ST.
fenced member gets up in the House
of Commons, and he is instantly clos
ured. In Il word, he might just as
well have been fitted with patent
muzzle for I'LL the chance he has had
of communicating either with his own
people or with the Imperial parlia-