Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1867-05-29 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

MAY 29, 1867.  THE REPRIEVE OF BURKE.  Tux Government have narrowly escaped making the greatest blunder yet. As far as appears they had seriously made up their minds to exe' cute the condemned Fenian Burke, and the Lord-Lieutenant, in replying to the Dublin  deputation, even wont so sfar art to say that there was no hope or chance of mercy, though the petitioners carried their prayer to the foot of the throne itself._ Now, of course, no one  denies that they had a perfect right to inflict the extreme penalty of the law in this case, if they chose. Every Government has a right to protect itself, or rather is bound to do so, at all hazards—if it were not so authority could not exist, and society would fall into anarchy. But though all things are lawful in the case of a defeated rebel, all things are not expedient; and though the execution of the convict would  not have been a crime, it would have been in the well-known words of Talleyrand "worse than a crime—a blunder." It would have been a standing reproach against the Conservative party for many a day that, before they had been a year in office they had taken away from the Queen's reign its great glory that it had not been stained by a drop of blood shed for petit'', cal offences.  We will not imitate some of our contemporaries in speaking of this matter, and say that mercy has been extorted from the Government by the people; for we give the Premier and his colleagues credit for possessing as much humanity as any of the gentlemen who waited upon him ; and for the Ministry the situation was, no doubt, somewhat perplexing. ro have conceded the lives of those who have been convicted of making war against authority and society upon the first expression of popular sentiment, might have induced the Fenians to believe that the Government feared their power; and had concession been so readily made, we have no doubt Ministers would have been soundly rated for It. By yielding, however, to the earnest and wellconsidered representations of an influential deputation of the House of Commons, representing every shade of political opinion, the Cabinet should be regarded not only as showing defersence to the people's representatives, but 88 willing, when the law is vindicated, to adopt a  merciful rather than a sanguinary policy. It must not, however, be supposed that those who have interceded for the life of Burke are to be regarded as sympathizers with the Fenian movement. Nothing of the kind. The feeling by which the mediators have been prompted is simply one of humanity and a regard to expediency. Impressed with the noble example which the United States has shown in its treatment of political prisoners, it is the conviction of the popular mind that the punishment of death for political offences is not only unnecessary and impolitic, but revolting to the age of civilization in which we live. Men who make war against established authority have no right to expect consideration when overpowered and defeated; they know the risks they incur before they venture upon such a dangerous enterprise; and,' whatever fate they may encounter, they have no just reason to complain. But society views the matter upon higher principles than it used to do. A political offender is no longer regarded in the same light as a murderer. However insane his notions may be, he is allowed to have some spirit of patriotism in hie composition. He is supposed to be influenced by a love of country; he believes his native land oppressed, and raises the standard of revolt to emancipate it. The error is in his judgment —in believing he is working for the nation. while the nation is against him. This is ta position of the Fenian prisoners. Some, perhaps all of them, have been actuated by unselfish and patriotic motives—motives appreciated as honourable and noble by at least a section Of their countrymen who are not among the criminal class. We cannot therefore allow them to perish as political martyrs on the scaffold—to become the Emmetts of their generation, and live in song. The easy manner in which their bands have been dispersed—the disfavour with which their conduct is viewed by the bulk of the community—the small show of violence which they exhibited—are sufficient to convince the Government that law and order will be better preserved by a policy of mercy than by ODO of sanguinary vengeance. Happily, the reign of our present sovereign has not as yet been stained by the blood of a political martyr, and we trust it never will be.