Death of Mr Parnell.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 5099, 8 October 1891, Page 3

Death of Mr Parnell.

A cablegram from Home which we publish in another column to-day announces the death of Mr Charles Stewart Parnell, M.P. for the City of Cork, and erstwhile leader of the Home Rule Party in the Imperial Parliament. We know of no other man whose name has of late years been so prominently before the public in all lands as has that of Mr Parnell, and though our readers are familiar with his doings, we cannot refrain from reproducing the following brief sketch of his career from Hazell's Annual for 1890 : "Charles Stewart Parnell, M.P., born at Avondale, in County Wicklow, 1846. is a descendant of Parnell, the poet, and his family have been associated with Irish parliamentary life for upwards of a century. His great-grandfather, Sir John Parnell, was Chancellor of the Exchequer in Grattan's Parliament, and the most vigorous opponent of the Act of Union, for his denunciation of which he was dismissed from office, he having previously resisted all efforts of the Imperial Government to allure him into acceptance of their proposals. The family came originally from Conglcton, Cheshire : and Sir Henry Parnell, grand-uncle of Mr Parnell, and a prominent member of the English Parliament in the time of Lord Grey and Lord Melbourne, under whom lie held offices of distinction, when raised to the peerage, took the title of Lord Congleton. Mr Parnell was educated at Cambridge University, but did not take any degree. After a tour in America—his mother is an American by birth, daughter of Admiral Charles Stewart, a famous American sailor —he settled down on his property in Avondale ; was High Sheriff of the county in 1874 ; wished to stand for the county, but was not allowed to resign his office. A month later, when Colonel Taylor, on appointment to the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster, sought re-election, Mr Parnell opposed him, but was defeated Stood for County Meath on the death of John Martin (1875). and was elected. took an active part in parliamentary a ft airs in the session of 1870. when in association with Mr Biggar he initiated what was known by the various names cf the 'obstructive' and the ' active" policy. He opposed with great persistence the Bill for annexing the Transvaal ; the flogging clauses in the Mutiny Act ; and the Prisons Bill ; and there were many scenes of violence and excitement, and several all-night sittings of the House. He finally succeeded in getting some modifications in the treatment of political prisoners introduced into the Prisons Bill ; and being joined by Mr Chamberlain and other leading Radicals, he led to the abolition of Hogging in the army. He joined in the foundation of the Land League, and in October. 1870, was elected its first president. He first, at a meeting at Westpoit in the previous June, used the phrase 'Keep a firm grip of your homesteads,' which became the watchword of the agitation. He went to America in December. 1870. raised the sum of L 70,000 in aid of the distress then widespread in Ireland, and for the Land League movement. At the general election of ISSO he was elected for County Meath. County Mayo, and the city of Cork : and elected to sit for the last mentioned place. He was elected in May, ISSO, leader of the new party by 23 votes to 18 for Mr Shaw. He took an active part in the Land League agitation outside of Parliament, and in the debates in the House ; and after the Laud Act was passed was arrested in October, 18S1, on a charge of intimidation and obstructing the working of that Act. He was released on parole in April, ISS2. and finally in May. At the general election of 18S5 he was re-elected for Cork, and his action in influencing the Irish vote secured the return of many Conservative candidates, and proportionately weakened the Liberal party, with whom, however, Mr Parnell later on formed an alliance, and bv the vote of the Irish party overthrew the former Government of Lord Salisbury on Mr Jesse Collings' amendment to the Address (Jan. 26th, 18S6). Mr Parnell's name has been prominently before the public in connection with the Home Rule proposals of Mr Gladstone. He introduced a Land Bill in the beginning of ISS7, which was rejected, though its leading provisions with modifications were subsequently embodied in the Government's own measure. Later in the session a sensation was caused by the publication in the Times newspaper of the facsimile of a letter purporting to have been written by Mr Parnell to a member of the party of Irish Invincibles, excusing the murder of Mr Burke, though regretting that of Lord Frederick Cavendish. On the night of the publication of this document Mr Parnell returned to the House of Commons, from which he had been absent, and in an animated speech, denounced the letter as a base and infamous forgery. Subsequently, on the motion of Sir Charles Lewis—which, though demanding that the publisher of the Times should be brought to the bar of the House, was not framed in the interests of the Irish party —the prominent Irish members promptly demanded that question of the authenticity of the letter should be investigated by a Committee of the House of Commons, composed, if the House thought fit, entirely of Conservative members. The Government declined to grant a Committee, but promised that if Mr Parnell liked to take action against the Times, he should have the assistance of the law officers of the Crown, —a proposal which was treated with ridicule by the Irish members and their friends. Mr Parnell refused to bring an action for libel on acccount of the alleged forgeries and the charges of complicity with assassins, brought against him and his associates in the series of articles published in the Times under the title of * Pamellism and Crime,'because he h:id no confidence in a Middlesex jury. After the collapse of the action brought against the Times in Slay, 1888, by Mr Frank Hugh O'Donnell, a former colleague, at which other damaging letters were put in by the Attorney-General, Mr Parnell agaiu demanded a Parliamentary enquiry, and alleged that these other letters were also forgeries. The Government refused to grant a Committee of the House on a question of privilege, but decided that the whole of the charges against Mr Parnell and the Irish party should be investigated by a Commission of Judges, consisting of Sir James Hannen, Mr Justice Smith, and Mr Justice Day. 3lr Parnell was represented by Sir Charles Russell, Q.C., M.P., who delivered a most eloquent oration, and by Mr H. H. Asquith. M.P. Up to the exposure of the Pigott forgeries he was a regular attendant at the Court. On April 30th, ISS9, he entered the witness-box, and with remarkable coolness went through the ordeal of several days' examination, and cross-examination. Subsequently he attended great meetings at the Memorial Hall and St. .Tames' Hall, and was received with extraordinary enthusiasm. He sought to bring an action for damages against the Times in Edinburgh, but Lord Kinnear held there was no jurisdiction. He was presented with the freedom of Edinburgh, July 20,1889, and was present at a large meeting in the Corn Exchange, when an address by 146 Liberal Associations was presented, to him." It will be seen that Hazell brings Mr.Parnell's career down to what may fairly be termed its turning point. We allude, of course, to the O'Shea episode. Far be it from us to enter into the particulars of that unpleasant and unsavory affair. In charity it is better that it should be forgotten, and that Mr Parnell should be remembered only for the good and noble work that he has done. It Is only necessary that we should mention the episode because with it ended Sir Parnell's remarkable mastership of the Irish Party. He who had been the uncrowned king of Ire-

laud found himself deserted by the larger section of the Irish Party and repudiated by the majority of the Irish people, who had previously almost worshipped him. How he fought against his deposition and so caused the rending asunder of the Irish people are matters of recent history. His death may lead to the re-union of those whom he had served with such conspicuous ability and whom he had rent asunder, out- still there are few who will not regret his untimely taking off.