The Irish Cause.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7022, 28 November 1890, Page 2

The Irish Cause.

It would be as absurd to say that the Irish cause will be injured by Mr Parnell's fall, as to think that the settlement of the agrarian question would cause the Irish to forget Home Rule. The Tories, who are slow to find out things, have successively hugged the belief that Home Rule meant one man. First the Irish desired it because O'Connell had such a marvellous tongue j then it was the writing of Davis; then it was' the frothiness of Gavan Duffy, Mitchell, Tom Meagher and Co. ; then it was Isaac Butt; and finally ib is nothing but Parnell. Mr Justice O'Hagan the other day in the Contemporary makes short work of thisview, in a phrase of great power.. " They confound the deathless root of the tree with the dying fruit." Let us admire the epigrammatic force of that complete answer. It carries with it everything that Irish history iB eloquent of from the time of the Brehon law to the present hour. It requires no answer. Itß force has been felt by the great Liberal chief and his followers. Nothing is more certain than that it is being recognised every day with more force by the Unionists and Tories themselves. Of course the party organs are making the moat of the dishonour of the Irißh leader. That j'b their right; for in war you must do according to the fashion of war. The Radicals and the Liberals are urging the fallen man to give up the leadership. It is a crisis undoubtedly. But the feeling for the Irish cause— for the root that has produced bo much fruit of patriots— will protect the cause from harm in the end. The disaster to the leader may diminish the Home Eule majority at the elections j it will never give the majority to the other side. Things have gone too far for that. Nations never turn aside from justice on account of the error of individuals who happen to be on the side of those who seek redress.