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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7885, 2 March 1887, Page 4

According to this morning's telegrams the charaotor of the letter lately addressed by Archbishop Groke to the people of Ireland is engaging the attention of the Imperial authorities. The first notice of this affair, which appeared in our issue of the 21st ult., was simply and briefly to the effect that the Archbishop had published a letter advising the Irish people to refuse to piy taxes. In the account of it sent to the Sydney Evening News, and republished in our issue of Monday last, it assumes a much more serious aspect, however, and shows Dr. Croke to be a somewhat perilous director of public feeling. His advice to the people of Ireland not to pay taxes is based on the ground that these taxes are applied to the feting and feeding of a gang of needy, voracious lawyers, and for the purchasing of policemen's bludgeons with which to smash people's skulls, and to support a foreign garrison. Now, if such be at all a true description of the Archbishop's published letter, the document is clearly open to the charge of sedition, and may get its author into seriouß trouble. And that it has caused great sensation may be inferred from the fact that a question has been put in the Honse of Commons requesting to know whether the Government' are taking any measures for dealing with the offender. It will be observed that the Archbishop goes much farther than the National League or any of its leaders, such as Mr. Dillon. Their object is to prevent the tenants from paying rent unless the same is reduced to an amount which they have previously decided. It is rather a dispute between the landlords and the I tenants, which they deal with. But ' Dr. Croke interppses directly between I the Government and the people, and I urges the latter to resist paying the taxes which the supreme Legislature of the United Kingdom has sanctioned. It is said to be the belief in political circles in London that, if such advice be acted on, the Government will be sure to proclaim martial law in Ireland. It is also stated that Mr. Parnell deprecates the advice on the ground that if accepted it would lead to civil war. Considering the high position which Dr. Oroke occupies, it is not at all improbable that his unwise exhortation will induce an excitable population to enter upon a rebellious course. And, in view of the disastrous consequence which this would entail uoon the

country—already much distracted—it will be incumbent on the authorities who are responsible for the maintenance of law and order to take such proceedings against Dr. Lroke as may be calculated to prevent the disaster his conduct tends to produce.