Evening star., 1932-05-15
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The Star Of May 8, 1882, contains
the news Of the murder of Lord Fred
The Phoenix Park the saed chief sssnasn seersasr1
AssassinatiOns. Ts6mas 1S5 dTsIs1a' and H@1Si O.
the undersecretary, in Phoenix Park,
Dublin, which occurred on the evening
OF May 6 Concerning this crime, which
caused intense feeling in England and
led to serious political complications,
The Star Of the same issue said:
No single deed of violence and
pioodsned has for a long time so
startled and Mortified the civilized world
as the brutal murder enacted in Dublin.
Everything tended toward peace, good
feeling and good fellowship rather than
toward violence and murder. The Brit
isn government had taken the first step
IN the direction Of inaugurating its new
policy OF conciliation, and everywhere In
Ireland, 30 far as public expression
could indicate. this policy was received
with gratifying assurances Of apprecia-
ton OF the motives which prompted it
and OF cooperation in making 1t sue
cess. The instruments Of the former
policy OF coercion and repression had
been removed and the agent of the
regime denominated the peace policy
had supplanted them. All these condi-
tions made the assassination the more
startling because there was not the
slightest reason 60 apprehend any such
bloody baptism Of the governments new
departure. Public expression in Ireland,
as elsewhere, Is unanimous in condem-
nation Of the deed and none give evi-
dence OF more sincerity In their de-
testation Of 1t than the leaders OF irish
sentiment, Messrs Parnell, Dillon and
Davitt. They deplore it as much be-
cause OF the unhappy effect 1t will have
upon Ireland's future as because of its
shocking and bloody character They
fully realize that 1t paralyzes the efforts
Of Mr.. Gladstone and his co-laborers In
the course they have marked out In
regard TO Ireland It intensifies the
feeling in England against Ireland and
may possibly result In a political revo-
luton and the downfall of the Glad
stone ministry. This bloody deed may
be the outgrowth of that spirit of
trrelfgion and lawlessness which is 50
marked in Russian nihilism. It In the
first place denies any responsibility to
either divine or human law and makes
itself o law unto itself Its followers
neither know nor feel those wholesome
restraints without which the world
would be continual scene Of violence,
with the most ruthless and desperate
always in the ascendent." -.-;f,
Almost Immediately after the Phoenix
Park murders in Dublin repressive
p measures were proposed
br1Clsn by the British govern
Panr;seI ment The Star of May
pAis"t' 13, 1882, says:
Gas the people of the United States
deplored the bloody butchery of Lord
Cavendish and Mr.. Burke in Dublin
and shared with the English the feel
ing OF righteous indignation, they now
deplore the great blunder which that
crime Is driving the British government
into and extend their sympathy to the
innocent who may. be made to suffer
because of it. The new policy OF repres-
sion adopted by the British ministry as
indicated in the bill presented to Par
lament Is a mistake, the evil conse-
Quences of which will probably not con-
fine themselves to the people OF Ireland.
II the constitutional rights OF the Irish
subjects Of Great Britain can be inyad-
ed and taken from them by the present
government, why may not those rights
Of the English subjects be denied by
some future government? Precedent Is
. dangerous thing, especially when It Is
In the direction Of the exercise OF arni-
trary or illegal power, and the one
Great Britain Is about to establish may
rise up In future to give her much
trouble. The ministry admitted the
failure of the coercion act and the Sc
we're policy accompanying 1t. Instead OF
or lessening crime and law
lessness It increased those evils. The
mistake was acknowledged and the
government had already retraced It's
steps and was proceeding to act upon a
well considered and definitely outlined
peace policy when the double assassi- |
nation in Phoenix Park startled and
shocked the world. Unless that crime |
can justify an abandonment OF the
course which experience had prompted |
and q return to the policy that had |
been rejected. then where can British /
statesmen hnd reason or excuse for
their present position. The new bin