The Bee-Hive. — 1876-08-05 (London, England)

THE BEE-HIVE.  THE FENIAN PRISONERS.  The cause of the Irish political prisoners was temperately Pleaded by Mr. O'Connor Power on Tuesday night, he moved : "That, in the opinion of the House, the time has come when her Majesty's gracious pardon may be advantageously extended to the prisoners, whether convicted before the civil tribunals or by courts !partial who are and have been for many years undergoing punishment or offences arising out of insurrectionary movements connected with Ireland."  Air. K. Digby supported the resolution, which was opposed by General Shute, who said that if the civilians had been whipped at the cart's tail in their respective towns we should not be likely to hear again of similar rebellions. As regarded the military offenders, he maintained that any Government weak enough to (Meuse these perjured traitors to the Crown and country would commit an act prejudicial to the discipline and honour of the British army. This brought up Mr. Cowen, who had no wish Whatever to take part in the discussion, but could not refrain after the most extraordinary, he would say the heartless, address Of the gallant gentleman. Ho should support the resolution, not 80 much out of sympathy for the prisoners as out of consideration for the interests and honour of this country. All civilise(' countries acted on the principle, that, after an insurrectionary movement had subsided, it was judicious to release the run who had taken part in it. He did not admit the doctrine, that, because these men were soldiers, they wore to be exception ally punished. But supposing they were doubly guilty, had they not been doubly punished? We went out of our way to pension Polish refugees who were soldiers of the Russian Sovereign; and with what consistency icould we treat with such merciless severity Irsh soldiers who had done the same thing? The only reason these men were kept in prison was, that the Government believed their detention would deter others but he warned them that punishment ceased to be deterrent when carried too far.  Mr. John Bright followed, taking the opportunity of saying what he had long :desired to say on the subject of the Fenian prisoners. He declared emphatically, that it had been a great mistake to hang three men for the murder of the Manchester policeman, seeing that only one shot was fired, and that, therefore, the actually guilty man could have been only one of the three. He ventured to say, that, if Brett had been killed in a poaching affray, the three men would not have been hanged for the crime, and broadly hinted his belief that the triple execution was due to political considerations. He asked English members to consider whether, in the case of the prisoners still detained, law and justice had not been satisfied, and whether the time had not come for the exercise of mercy. Mr. Hardy, Homo Secretary at the time of the execution, protested against these views, and declared that he had never, in an assembly of men of sense heard a more dangerous doctrine than that which laid down the rule, that, when three or more persons went out armed to attack a man, and when only one shot was fired and proved fatal, therefore only one man was amenable to the charge of murder. The SolicitorGeneral for Ireland and Mr. Cross went through the familiar argument, shewing that the prisoners were not held for political offences, but on criminal charges. Mr. O'Connor Power offered to withdraw, but a division was forced by the Conservatives. Just on the stroke of one o'clock in the morning the figures were announced—for the resolution 51, against it 117. Mr. Bright, Dr. Lyon Playfair, Mr. Cowen, Mr. Morley, Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. Burt, and other prominent English members, voted for the resolution.