Dublin Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 43, 15 February 1889, Page 9

Dublin Notes.

(From the National papers.)

The judges have decided to adjourn the Commission until the 15th of January for the Christmas holidays. At the opening of Friday's (December 14) sitting, an application was made by the AttorneyGeneral to have Mr. William O'Brien committed fir a contempt Arising oat of the article entitled •' Somewhat too much of this " in the current issue of United Ireland. As a reprisal, Mr. Reid, Q.C., made a similar application against Mr. Broderick, Warden of Merton College, Oxford", for a speech reported in the Times, wherein he appeared to compare Mr. Davitt and Mr. Henry George to the Whitechapel murderer. The judges decided th it ia the latter case a notice must be served on the Warden, but that Mr. O'Brien should appear before the Court on the following day. Later on, however, Mr. Reid declared that his client, Mr. O'Brien, could not personally attend at that time, and the Judges, to secure their vacation intact, decided to Ist the matter stand over till the nextsitting. The remainder of the day was chiefly devoted to the cross-examination of the informer, O'Connor, by Sir Charles Russell, in the course of which he elicited that the witness had undertaken to give evidence to earn some money and to consult a doctor at the expense of the Tunes ; he acknowledged also the genuineness of a letter from Mr. Harrington, which flatly contradicted in its most essential points, the evidence he had already given respecting it. Mr. Harrington, the fact Is, had refused grants to branches in districts where outrages had been committed, j whereas, according to O' Connor, he grounded his refusal on the peaceful character of the district in question. Tne brave and indomitable Campaigner is at last at liberty. Judge Boyd fondly imagined that Tom Moroney would, throug h his friends, humbly kneel at his lordship's feet and humbly beg his lord* Bhip's pardon ; but the autocrat of the Bankruptcy Court was denied Bach self-nattering delights, for it was no Nationalist, but Moroney's own landlord, The OGrady, by whom the bankruptcy proceedings had been first instituted, who came forward on Thursday, December 13, and asked for his release. Mr. Beauchamp, The O'Grady 's solicitor, waited on Judge Boyd at his residence the previous evening and aiked him to hold a special sitting of the court to hear an application in the Moroney case. Next day it was discovered that Mr. Maurice Brooks— formerly M.P. for the city— had filed an affidavit asking to be permitted to move for Morouey's release. Judge Boyd having refttaed the application made by Mr. Brook?, consented to accede to the request made by The O'Grady, and signed an order for Moroney's liberation. Much satisfaction has been felt throughoit the country at thia tardy act of reparation on the part of Judge Boyd. Serious apprehensions had been felt regarding the prisoner's health, and it was admitted on all sides that a few more months incarceration might prove fatal to the Campaigner. His reception in Dublin after his release was enthusiastic — several of the city bands turuiag out in his honour. We are glad to note that the Lord Mayor of Dublin has convened a meeting of (he citizens to be held at the Mansion House on next Friday, lor the purpose of tes'ifying public feeling in regaid to the long Buffering and heavy loss inflicted on the brave Tom Moroney. Mr. Dillon received a magnificent welcome on his arrival on Tuesday. December 18, in the Urbs Intacta. Among those who greeted the hon. gentleman at the railway station were the Mayors of Waterford and Kilkenny, attended by a large concourse of people. Later on Mr, Dillon entered the City Hall, where a convention of the branches of the National League of the county was held — two hundred duly accredited delegates being present on the occasion. After resolutions had been unanimously passed condoling with Mrs. Pyneand expressing confidence in Mr. Parnell and his colleagues, the proceedings were adjourned till the evening, when Mr. Dillon addressed a large gathering of the citizens in the theatre. After a brilliant arraignment of Balfourism in Ireland, the hon. speaker proceeded to discuss the base and contemptible attempts made by the Tory Government to separate the Irish priests from the Irish people. He attributed the vitality of the Catholic Church in Ireland to the fact that the Irish priests were found in the national ranks. Mr. Dillon said that it was a sign of the greatest possible weakness on the part of theTury Government to go crying and whining to Rome ; for it shows that they do not trust much to coercion. He believed that these intriguers will come back from the Eternal City with their fiagers in their mouths, and they will find, in spite of the Duke of Norfolk and all the other dignitaries who are besieging Rome with their representations, the people and priesthood of Ireland will march together to the goal of Irish freedom, united in the future as they have been in the past. Mr. Dillon's remarks, needless to add, were vociferously cheered. After a vote of thanks was passed to the Mayor, the proceedings terminated. For the fourth time since its desertion of Liberalism the constituency of Mhidstone has been won by the Conservatives. This result, however, they can hardly regard as an unqualified victory. Mr. Cornwallis, their candidate, had unusual advantages ; he is a local landlord, popular and esteemed, and he had in his favour all the influence — and it is no little influence — that the Baroness BurdettCoutts could command. The case of Mr. Barker, his adversary, on the other hand, apart altogether from the main principle of Home Rule, was prejudiced by his views on the licensing question. Yet, notwithstanding all this, on a rather full poll of 3,915, he was not able to secure the same number of votes as was accorded the Conservative at the previous election. His majority was slightly more than half that secured by the late member, Major Ross. The Gladstonian made a stubborn fight, and won a partial victory by increasing the Liberal vote. The Liberal vote this time was the largest ever scored in Maidstone by a Liberal. Our Komau correspondent informs us that the Irish bishops have addressed the Pope on the question cf his independence in the same Mote as all the other episcopates of Europe have addressed him. The,

intolerable position in which the Fop 3 finds himself — unable as he is to exercise his authority or receive the homage to which he is entitled without exasperating interference from the Italian Government, which has again and again broken ics engagements to secure him in the exercise of Lis sovereign rights — is ona that excites lively sympathy in Ireland. It not only excites our sympathy, but it involves our interests. The relations of Ireland and the Vatican would be much more satisfactory if the Pope were free. There would be less disposition to exaggerate the importance of diplomatic recognition from any quarter, and the officials of the Vatican would ba lees anxious to conciliate the European Powers aid to hamper the constitutional action of their subjects. When Irishman were defending the independence of the Pope at the cost of their lives, they were defending the independence of theii own Church and the interests of their own people as well. Gallant little Wales is not very anxious to pay the tithe tax— for the very good reason that it considers such an impost an odious imposition. The authorities, however, are equally determine! to extract support for ihe alien Cuurch from the Cymric farmers. It is announced that on the termination of the Christmas holidays the collection of the tithe arrears will bs resumed with the utmost vigour in the little Principality. The peasants of Flintshire, Denbighshire, Carnarvonshire, and Cardiganshire have combined to resist the taxgatherers, justj ust as the Irish farmer resists tha Shylocks who wouli compass his ruin. Wales is evidently finding out that passive resistance is a very useful nnd efficacous instrument against all kinds of tyranny. Ireland has in this instance set an example which Wales is only too anxious to follow. Every Irishman will wish the Principality success in its efforts to tid itself of such a scandalous impost as the tithe charges. The Stockton election was a substantial success for the Home Rulers and a bitter disappointment to the Unionists. Tne latter had felt cocksure of capturing the Beat. Their candidate waa a•' local man " and a large employer of labour ; he had twice previously contested the seat, and he had unceasingly and diligently " nursed " the constituency, in tne fond hope that he would win it at last. On this recent occasion he thought the happy time had come, and to seemed to think all his party. The Liberal candidate, Sir Horace Davey, waa a stranger to the constituency — a fact which was dwelt upon by the Unionist party with almost as much indignation as if he had been Lord Salisbury's "black man." He was a "London lawyer," and this was urged against him by " Unionist" orators in a strain that might cause one to think London was away somewhere in the Himalaya mountains. And there can be no doubt that the points just mentioned told against him to some extent among the working classes. But the bulk of the electors were too enlightened and too independent to be either bamboozled or intimidated by the seductive whisperings or the scarcely disguised meoaces tf the Primroße Leaguers, and they gave to the Home Rule candidate a triumphant majority. A very cheering circumstance noticeable throughout the contest at Stockton was that the Irish members of Parliament who spoke for the Home Rule candidate were always most cordially welcomed. Mr. John O'Connor, Mr. William Abraham, a-id ilr. T. D. Sullivan, wherever ihry appeared, whether at lar^fe or small meetings, were listened to with eviient sympathy and eathtuia^ticilly cheered ; and this notwithstanding the most vigorous aad persistent efforts of the Unionists to excite ill-feeling against them. This fact is a sure indication that when the masses of the En?Lsh people next get the chance the/ will end once and forever more the reign of tyranny and coercion in Ireland. Mr. Manning, the acive secretary of the Waterford National League, has published a telling pamphlet, entitle i '• An Irish Murde\" It is written apropos of an ing nry from a friend ly-intentioced Englishman with reference to the murder of Fitzmaunc j . Mr. Manning does not confine himself 10 the details of these terr.ble occurrences, but he boldly attacks the system that has produced them. His argument is a good one, and should never be forgotten. These crimes are paraded as a guide to Irish eh. iracter, while in truth they form the most damning indictment against the system of government under which we live. The account stands thus — The aliens have made out of sections of the most peaceible peasantry in the world men who despair of securing justice except througn the most dreadful methods. The moral is plain, and it is the merit if Mr. Manning's pamphlet to enforce it with considerable power. Lord Salisbury was in Scarborough on Thursday, December 20, and his speeches affected great good humour. Colcnester has been as a fall of dew in the desert to the Tories, and Lord Salisbury expanded upon the signs of Tory revival in a manner that shows the value of the long list of Liberal victories since the general election. Referring to Ireland, he declares that the way to peace lies through the ABhbourne Act ; that it is the only experiment ia purchase that h^s proved successful; and he prophesies that the experiment will be repeated again and again until the desire for purchase is exhausted. This is just what Mr. Gladstone foretold. The Tories will go on whii their small doses until the British taxpayer becomes the direct landlord of nearly the whole of Ireland. What will Mr. Chamberlain say to this? With regard to Home Rule, he stated that Mr. Gladstone's measure conceded more than Grattan's Parliament, becaus>e it gave an executive ; that Grattan's Parliament had brought the coun'iy to rebellion ; and that if Home Rule was granted the Irish ports would soon become the harbours for every enemy at war with England. Lord Baliabury shows his insincerity iv no way more clearly thin iv the absurd argumeats he advances against tbe Home Rule cause. In this case he deliberately falsifies history ; because it is a ruitter of history, acknowledged by every historian, except, perhaps, mien fictionists as Dr. Ingram, that it was tbe English Executive provoked the Irish Rebellion out of sheer heartless policy. It was the element in the ante-Union system wbich Lord Salisbury directly approves that caused the due failure of the system. Tho other argument dcea not bear examination. How an Ireland, self-governed u/sder the supremacy of the Imperial Parliament, and with the defences of i Ireland in Imperial charge, could afford greater facilities to an enemy of England than Ireland in its present condition, Loid Salisbury did

not condescend to explaia. Explanation would be fatal to his argument. Mr. Gladstone has had a great welcome at Naples. He was received by the municipal authorities, the authorities of the University, and a deputation of stu tents. Ctiters for Irelaud were rais-d when the veteran statesman appeared. Tne demonstration was v proof of the truth of Mr. Gladstone's contention, that his Irish policy has the sympathy of the civilised world. His efforts on behalf of Ireland are as truly d.-voted to trie advancement of the cause of liberty as were those efforts devoted to the destruction of the tjranny ot Bomba. The Standard, commenting on the visit to Naples, once more returns to the comparison instituted between Bomba aud Balfour. It deprecates the assertion made by Mr. Gladstone that Bomba gaim by the comparison. Mr. Balfour, says the Tory writer, was not worse. Bomba did treat his political prisoners in a way that disgraced civilisation. The bitterest opponents of Mr. Balfour will not quarrel with this distinction. Accoiding to his admirers Balfour is not worse than Bomba was — he is only as bad.