The Irish standard., 1905-07-22
CRIME IN ENGLAND
Appalling Statistics Which That
Country Furnishes.
Ulster More Criminal Than the
Rest Of Ireland.

The Irish Party have carried the war
into the enemy's country, says the
Dublin Freeman's Journal. They have
proved that the coercionists are the
chief criminals. Ulster is more GRIM
inal than the rest of Ireland England
more criminal than Ulster. Neither
Mr.. Long nor his chief is likely to en-
joy this particular form of retaliation
1t is about time the tables were
turned. 1t was necessary that the
Orange gang, who are most active in
this dirty work of blackening their
own country, should be taught les.
son, should have it publicly shown
that Misunderstanding Ulster is the
most criminal of the four provinces.
But clearly Mr.. Davitt is right in
advising in his letter that the expo.
sure should be mainly directed upon
England. The Orange representatives
OF Ulster are traitors to their own
country, eager to traduce and revile
her so long as they find such calumny
profitable. But, after all, as Mr.. Da-
witt reminds us, Ulster is part of Ire
land and Irishmen are reluctant to
press the case against Ulster. But it
is England that is responsible for
Irish coercion and it is all-imtortant
to convict the coercionist as the Grim
inal.
With such record in his own country
it is marvellous that the most thick
skinned Englishman should dare to
prate about Irish crime, or vote for
the coercion of Ireland. The process
which the Irish members have begun,
and which should be vigorously press
ed, is calculated to disturb their unctu-
GUS self-righteousness. They must
continue to encounter the bogus statis-
tics of crime in Ireland with real sta
t1stics of crime in England. The
contrast is indeed startling. 1t is
contrast between one of the most
crimeless countries in the world and
one of the most criminal; and, strange
paradox, the criminal country imposes
Coercion on the crimeless.
Mr.. r.Davitt quotes some appalling sta,
tistics of crime in England, and there
is no reason to believe that it's condi-
tion has improved since those returns
| were made. 1t will tend to moderate
| the ardor of British coercionists to
have these damning figures read for
them night after night in the House Of
Commons. But it is not by figures and
statistics alone that this new campaign
can be conducted. 1t is necessary to
take, as Mr.. jeremiah MacVeigh the
other night effectively took, specific in
stances of English crime.
If the Irish chief secretary is to be
questioned about Irish offences, few
and slight, there is surely no reason
why the English home secretary
should not be questioned about English
offences, many and heavy. To find ma
terial for the Irish questions it is nee
essary to garble, exaggerate and in,
vent, but for the English questions
there is an embarrassing wealth of ma
terial In his first series of questions,
Mr. MacVeigh disclosed more real out
RACES than could be found in Ireland
in year. Brutal outrages across the
water, which if they were committed
in Ireland would send shudder Of
horror through the great heart Of Eng
land, are regarded as of little conse-
quence when thy are of home manu-
facutre.
In the debate on the repeal of the
coercion act, even so rabid a coer.
cionist as Colonel Saunderson was
constrained to confess that the coer.
cion act was without parallel in any
other country in the world, and that it
was not directed against ordinary
crime, which was rare in Ireland. That,
at least, is true. The coercion act is
directed wholly against manufactured
offences which are styled agrarian out
RACES, which are for the most part
: criminal only because they give Of
fence to the landlords, in whose inter-
ests Ireland is governed. By the con-
tinued fusillade of questions, and by
! the vigorous debate which followed,
Mr.. Longs task of reviving coercion,
to which plainly he is pledged by his
Orange masters, must prove little
difficult even for him.