The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-07-09


downward, together with several
clergymen who Joined the popular
forces in the contest waged against
the administrative system compendi-
ously known in Ireland as dublin
CASTLE"
II.
On pages 359-361 will be found Mr..
Davitt's comments Oh the assassina-
ton of Lord Frederick Cavendish,
chief secretary to the lord lieutenant
of Ireland. and Mr.. Burke, the perman-
ent under-secrctary for Ireland, and
recognized head of ''the Castle" which
occurred, it may be remembered, i'll
Phoenix Park, Dublin, on May 9th,
1882. We are reminded of what no
body now disputes-that the murder
of Lord Frederick Cavendish was ell
tirely unprecedented, being due sole
ly to his attempted defence of his COM
panion. 1t is also now universally adj
mittcd that the motive of the attack
upon Mr.. Burke, who alone had been
singled out for vengeance, was eNclu
sivcly political. lie personfied the
castle system of rule. being an Irish
man and Il Catholic; and on both those
grounds he was. in view of those who
conspired to kill him. the worst type
of anti-national official and the strong
est prop of alien power He was cred
ited with being the arch-coercionist of
the administration, the suborner of in
formers and the implacable antagonist
of all revolutionary movements. MI
Davitt insists that those who had re-
solved to make an example of the per-
mancnt under-secretary were mot
animated by any purpose friendly to
the Land league i'll their deadly de-
sign. 1t transpired that the chief in
StigatorS of the deed of vengeance
were inimical to the league movement.
But Mr.. Burke typilied to them Eng
lish dominance and oppression. He
had. they believed. been Mr. Forster's
evil adviser. and he had imprisoned
men and women of his own race and
creed in Il dcspotic manner, his coer-
zionist policy and measures being APP
piled against many men suspected of
being Fcnans as we'll us against Land
1eaglers and others. He alone was the
object of attack on that fatal Satur-
day evening""
Our author bears witness that the
British press acted on the whole adj
mirably under the provocation of Il
crime calculated to appeal to English
passion. There was no savage cutlery
such as was dreaded against the Irish
people in England. Racial prejudice
was not appealed to, nor WAS there
any vindictivc feeling exhibited
against any prominent Land Lacquer,
except. singularly enough, in Mr..
Davitt's own case. The London
Standard. ordinarily Il judicially
minded organ of conservative opinion.
made a direct appeal to Mr.. Davitt to
hand over to justice the men who had
assassinatcd the two secretaries in
Phoenix Park. "Notling," our author
says, could be more eXquisitely Eng
lish in the way of judging an Irish
political opponent. I had been seized
arbitrarily. fifteen months before, hul-
ried away from Dublin to London, re-
mittcd to penal Servitudc without any
charge of any kind being made against
in the closest confinement until the
morning of May 9th, reaching Lon
don directly from Portland prison
about I o'clock that evening, half an
hour after the crime had been COM
mitted in Dublin. In face of such
facts, who was there in all the wide
world" ironically asks our author,
s'more likely than the person thus kid
mapped on April 4th, 1881, and Gagged
securely in an English prison until
the very morning of the murder, to
know all about the crime and it's per-
petrators?"
Mr.. Davitt relates that on the morn
ing following the assassination, Mr.
Parnell entered his Davitt's) room in
the Westminster Palace hotel, whittier
the latter had come from Portland
prison. Parnell's face was deadly
pale, and there was look of alarm
in his eyes never witnessed in any ex-
preston Of his eyes before or after.
He sat down on a sofa and said, slow
ly and deliberately: II am going to
retire at once, and for good, out of
Irish public life. I shall have no more
to do with Irish movements. What
is the use Of men striving as we have
done and calling on the country to
make such sacrifices as those the PEG.
pie of Ireland have made during the
last three years, if we are to be struck
at in this way by unknown men who
can commit atrocious deeds of this
kind? I shall send in my resignation
to Cork tonight and retire into private
life" Mr.. Davitt protested at once
and earnestly against a step which. il
his opinion, would look like running
away from danger. Other things, he
said, had to be thought Of before per
s0nal wishes could be considered. Par
nell, we are told, listened to every