IMPRISONED IRISHMEN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 468, 31 March 1882, Page 19

IMPRISONED IRISHMEN.

Washington, Jan. 26. — In the House of Representatives Robinson (N.Y.) said Theodore of Abyssinia once took it into his head to arrest an Englishman travelling in his Territory. England interfered, and by English force those prisoners were released, the capital of Abyssiuia laid in ashes, and the King killed. He did not ask for anything more in this case than that America should do the same thing. (Laughter.) It was a good precedent. If we have any respect for American citizenship, if we have ears to hear the groans above the tinkle of the goblets of champagne, by which the representatives of our Government are deft ated. so they cannot hear them, if our ears can hear them, I ask no more than that we follow the example of England, send over troops enough to take these men out of prison and lay London in ashes by our artillery. Admiral Porter is idle, General Grant is out of the army an i wants to get b-v*k, and Sherman is a pretty good General. Let us send tkose men over with enough force of American cannon to take these prisoners out of English b%stiles. Hazelton inquired the names of the prisoners ? Was Parnell one ? Robinson — No, Parnell is not m e of our citizens, bnt it would be our duty to make him one. He is the son of the noblest woman in this conntry. He is a grandson of the noblest American Conatnoiore who brought low on the ocean that flag which was shamefully hoisted a few days since iat Yorktown. Kobinson referred to Ireland, and then stopping, ' begged correspondents and journalists not to say he was talking 1 about Ireland when he was talk : ng about this great American subject. • He referred to bia service as correspondent, and create! a burst of laughter by stating that he was expelled from a seat in the House of Representatives in consequence of making a slighting: allu«ion to Ohio sausages. Referring to the case of Michael Boyton, he characterized the action of the State Department a cowardly crawll ing out of the contest. Oh, that the United States had a vessel off I the coast of England with powder and ball enough to open the way [ for American citizens to come home. Great Britain had Ireland by j the throat and in need, and America lacked the manhood and hardiI hood to interfere. He then ridiculed the action of our foreign Minj ister*, declaring that about their only business was in learning the I tricks of monarchies and aristocrats and bringing them home and ia- | oculating our system with them ; poisoning our blood with political | pyaemia. "We are all gone or going," he exclaimed, "to the devil." (Laughter.) Robinson said that whether the British flag was saluted at Yorktown in a moment of gush and folly or aj3tbet : 'sm it was not done by the sanction of this House. Cox (New "-.jfk) said this question of reaching out a helping hand to Irishman who had been naturalized had many valuable and useful precedents. Persons of foreign birth, but naturalized in this country, must be regarded as •ntitled to every right and protection which belonged to a native-born citizen, and when the nation was forgetful of its duty to one of its citizen?, it was in process of doc<»dence. He attributed in part the | present distressed conditions of Ireland to the policy of England, in ; closing its prison doors upon its chosen representative men. In ; arresting, under a suspension of habeas corpus, American citizens and British members of Parliament, Mr. Gladstone placed himself outside the pale of humanity. Cox eulogized the Irish race, and was greeted with applause.