An Interview with Parnell.

Evening Star, Issue 7420, 16 January 1888, Page 2

An Interview with Parnell.

An interview was had with Mr Parnell on November 21, in London, during a flying visit made by him on business. He looked thin and careworn, but said that his health was slowly improving. Sir Henry Thompson, who has been treating him for a year, insists that he must recuperate, as otherwise he will be unable to bear the labors of the coming session of Parliament. Mr Parnell, on having his attention drawn to Michael Davitt's speech at Stepaside, said:—"l do not think it would become me to criticipe or approve the management of the plan of campaign. I was not consulted at its initiation, ana have since been unable, owing to the state of my health, to take any part in active politics outside of Parliament, Those who are on the spot and actively engaged are the best judges of what their own honor and the interest of their country require. Mr Davitt is in a different position. His opinion is entitled to respect, coming from one who is in Ireland, and who is a man of singular, remarkable courage, who never shrank from the consequences of his words or acts. But I do not gather that Mr Davitt did criticise the plan. He rather seemed to be apprehensive that things might be misunderstood in America. Respecting the general situation, I may siy that in my judgment a more feeble or inert Government never held the reins in Ireland. They are teaching Irishmen a moßt disastrous lesson by their bungling incapacity, teaching that the law may be successfully defied ; for the law, as recently constructed by the Unionist majority in the House of Commons, is daily defied, and with impunity, by thousands of members of suppressed branches of the League, and by every Nationalist newspaper editor in Ireland. In fact, one of the extraordinary results of the Coercion Act and ' a firm and resolute Government' is that for every offence Against the law committed before the passage of the Coercion Bill, hundreds are committed now. I leave it to you to say whether Ireland's respect for the Imperial Parliament, the possibility of her continued government by the same

afcency, or the solidity of the union, is likely to bo increased, or whether this administrative incapacity does not render much nearer the concession of such reasonable powers of self-gov-ernment v u make out 1 people tevv-abicllpfj, prosperous, &nd happy," '