The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-04-16
The Trial Itself, He Stoutly Asserts, Was
Wanton Violation of the
Terms of Peace.
He May Hereafter Make His Home in
America, Devoting Himself to
Scientific Pursuits.

the second line of attack. The attitude
of the judges was most undignified
the lord chief justice himself especial.
~, treating with contempt the argu.
ments of my counsel, showed more
than the prejudice and want of reserve
OF the prosecuting barrister.
l do not think there would have
been any trial at all if 1 had consent
ed to resign my seat in Parliament
But, although I knew that the conse-
quence of the trial would entail the
loss of my seat, I felt myself bound
by the same sense Of duty which had
induced me to come over to England
to do nothing of my own accord that
would place me in a position of in
feriority or exhibit any symptom of
recantation
During my imprisonment, certain
overtures were made to me-though
cannot say whether OF not they were
absolutely authorized-the object of
which was to know if 1 would agree
to the conditions upon being released.
refused even to think of conditions
such as these. I was released at last
absolutely without conditions, and i
did not even hear of the existence of y
license until after my release was ac
complished.
The effect Of this license is said to
De simply and solely to deprive me of
the opportunity of re-entering Parlia-
ment. If that is the case, this also
is on a par with the stupidity and
trickery of the government in other
things.
AS to re-entering Parliament, my
position is this: Politics as politics
has less attraction for me now than
at any time. have never had great
personal ambitions in politics. Now
l have absolutely none.
My main desire now would be to de-
vote the rest of my days to scientific
work, which has really occupied a
great part of my life during the past
twenty years.
But have been drawn into politics
on points of principle, and l shall GER
tainly not recede from any position 1
have ever taken up on that ground.
II We're reelected, and if there were
no legal bar to my taking my seat,
should do so without doubt. If there
be legal disabilities, then their removal
must be left to the Irish party and it
will be for the Irish people generally
to say in what way they consider it
best to meet these political tricks on
the part of the British government.
Having blamed the government in
this way, I think it only right to say
that during my stay in prison, and as
far as the abominable terms of my
sentence permitted, was treated by
the officials with all the consideration
which it was possible to extend to me.
Although l have been accused Of An
glophobia, am entirely free from that
malady. I did not fight the English
people, but government which op-
pressed Ireland and robbed the young
republics Of South Africa of their lib
critics. I have never in my life, how
ever, felt the slightest ill-will to any
Englishman as such, and no one more
than myself admires the good qualities
of Englishmen. It so happens that
nothing has given me a better opinion
Of the Englishman than my expert
ence with my jailers.
At the same time, the question re-
mains of the monstrous injustice and
cowardice of treating a political pris-
oner like myself as if he were a GRIM
inal Of the worst type.
From the first moment of nv en-.
trance into prison 1 was determined
to think as little about my condition
as possible, and to employ my leisure
as exclusively as I could on intellec-
tual work.
At Holloway and Brixton prisons I
read many works on the higher math-
ematics. At Lewes Jail l was deprived
for time Of all books except devotion
al ones. I made up my mind to lose
las little time as possible, however, and