Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6213, 15 October 1881, Page 4

The arrest of Mr. Parnell was quite unexpected. The leader of the Home Rule party has hitherto mauaged to fill the difficult position of being the chief of the most violent section of the Irish members, and at the same time to keep on the safe side of the law. Mr. Parnell has a much cooler head than most of his followers, and while in truth the most capable of those who urged illegal courses, he did not fall into extremes of language. But he must have done so lately. When the Irish Land Act was passed the Government were disposed, naturally, to forgiveaud forget all that had takeu place before. The matter of complaint of the Irish people had been dealt with, and if they made an honest elibrt to work the Laud Act fairly, the Government would be only too happy. But apparently this has not been so, Mr. Parnell must have been arrested for something said, inciting the Irish people to thwart the Laud Act. The Government have unwittingly found themselves bound to take cognisance of that, in order that the new law, as to which there has been so much labour, should have a fair chance of effecting the good for which it was designed.