MR. PARNELL AND THE LONDON TIMES.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 108, 9 May 1887, Page 4

MR. PARNELL AND THE LONDON TIMES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib— From time to time I hear people passing remarks upon the subject of the forged letter, which the powerful and unprincipled organ of the Tories has lately published as having been written by Charles Stuart Parnoll, and among those who pass suoh remarks and air their "opinions" not one seems to have read anything about English misrule of Ireland, not one appears to havo tho faintest notion of the history of that beautiful but plundorod country, and I find as a rule that those who presume to say most against its inhabitants really know least about thorn. Some shelter themselves behind the shield of that unprincipled Tory journal, the London Times, others mimic the reported sayings of Lords Salisbury, Hartington, and others, wliobo colleagues in the monopoly of land would givo hundreds of thousands to be ablo to cast mud which would stick on the chief of Ireland's choice. I am not desirous of defending Mr. Parnell, because he needs no defence; but with regard to his bringing an action against the proprietary of the London Times, I wish to show that if he entered the fight as a private man, he would bo kicking against tho pricks ; if as the chief of the Irish. National League and without the sanction of the nation, he would bo a madman. As to the letter, ray own opinion of it as reported is that it is very mild, in fact there is nothing n it exoept proof that Mr. Parnell (supposing that he wrote the letter) know nothing about the Phoenix Park assassinations; in faot, everyone should know that Mr. P. (one of 1100 persons unconstitutionally arrested and imprisoned for many months) could have known nothing of what was going on outside the prison doors. Now, with regard to the London Times, I coulJ quote dozens of instances is which, to suit the wishes of its patrons the Tories, it has wilfully published the most foul falsehoods against the opponents of its party; but I will give only tho following, which exactly measures what the powerful Tory journal was, is, and will continue to bo. In a letter to the people of Waterford, O'Connell wrote as follows :—" Thero is in London a newspaper called the Times, condncted with consummate skill and great talent. It's circulation ia of the meat extensive kind, but it affords a melancholy instance of the most wretched venality. The tawdry female who, with rouged cheeks and faded silks takes the air in ' the Strand ' by gaslight, is not a more thorough prostitnte in person, in heart and soul, than the talented, widely- circulated Times newspaper. That journal was accordingly selected by the Beresfords for the oiroulation of those calumnies against me. It was repeated three times in one number that I had at first agreed to accept the Beresford retainer, and although tho writers of that ioornol have since been conecious of the untruth of that allegation, yet the only apology or compensation they have made to ire is by devoting another leading artiole to another version by the same untruth." By the publication of that letter, which struck a blow at the Times, which resounded through the Empire, he infuriated the editor, and exposed that literary profligacy which, subsequent experience has only too fully mode known. The editors, in consequence, published 300 leading artiolos abusing, or trying vainly to abuse, O'Connell. Now here wag an opportunity for the Times to prosecute the great man, but they feared truth and O'Connell, and would not give him a chance of agitating the rights of Ireland in the English courts of law. A proprietary which got on one occasion jQ80,009 from tho Tories for supporting corruption, would gladly pay small damages to make the Irish leader a pleader for months in an English court. Mr. Parnell, as a leader of the Irish nation, conld not aot without consulting his colleagues, oven if he w«s willing to do so. " Buokshot" Forster attacked him on the same suit in Parliament, and got much tho worst of it. As to the opinions of Lords Salisbury and Hartington, they only express the wish of every English, Irish, and Scotch landlord, who dread' the persevering energy of the Irish leaders. As I havo already tvespasse.l sufficiently on your space, I will leave consideration of the case as affecting Mr. Parnell as a private individual to another letter. I am, Ac, A Settler.