The Bee-Hive. — 1876-05-27 (London, England)

THE FENIAN PRISONERS.  Some Irish Members have made an unexpected and injudicious demonstration respecting the Fenian prisoners. Mr. M. Brooks hawing asked the Premier whether he-would advise the Crown to liberate them, Mr. Disraeli answered at some length. The question, he said, applied to fifteen persons. Two were convicted of murder, and are therefore not more political offenders. Six of the rest are in England. Devitt's heavy sentence was in consequence of aggravating circumstances,. The others are military men. The majority of the prisoners, also soldiers, are in Western Australia, and Mr. Disraeli has no information of their present state and partleular circumstances. But two of them have worked out their time, and the remainder, be has occasion to believe, are leniently treated. On the whole, therefore, the First Minister is not prepared to advise an exercise of the Royal mercy towards them. Whereupon, Mr. O'Connor Power threatened Mr. Disraeli with the indignation of the Irish people, referred to the petition of clemency signed by 138 members of the House, and protested against a • policy of vengeance and trampling upon fallen foes. Mr. Anderson, who supported Mr. Disraeli in his refusal, stated that he had been six times asked to sign a petition, and with statements of facts not in accordance with those related by the Right Honourable gentleman He refused to sign unless a clause were introduced excepting the Manchester murderers and the men connected with the Clerkenwell outrage; and he knew that many who did sign were in ignorance of any other prisoners being intended for pardon beyond those who had failed in military duty. If the Prime Minister agreed to remit the sentences of the soldiers in Australia on condition of their remaining there, he would do all the House expected from him.  This provoked from Mr. Biggar a truculent speech, attacking the Duke of Cambridge as "a German Prince" and Mr. Disraeli as "an alien in race and probably in religion." Mr. Waddy, who had signed the memorial, distinctly asked wh ether it would include those who had shed blood, and was distinctly told it included no one convicted of bloodshed. He was satisfied with the Premier's statement; and, after the temper and style manifested by one or more, he felt very strongly that it would be dangerous to let forth from their confinement men likely to be worked upon by persons in a superior position, who had so little command of their own temper and so little judgment as to use such language US the House had been unfortunate enough to hear. Mr. Butt eontende on behalf of the Manchester prisoners,  May 27, 187 C.  that, though technically convicted of murder, there was no proof of their going thither to shed blood. They were convicted on the principle of English law, that, when men were carrying out a common illegal purpose, and one man shed blood, even those who never contemplated it, were guilty of murder. Had there been =thing political in the offence, mercy would long since have been extended to them. He hoped there would be an opportunity of bringing this question again before the House, and would then appeal with confidence to the justice and generosity of the House to say, that the time had come when they would allow the Sovereign to have the boast that there was not a single political prisoner confined in any gaol in her dominions.