MR. OAINE DOES PENANCE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 54, 25 April 1890, Page 7

MR. OAINE DOES PENANCE.

The London correspondent of the Melbourne Age writes as follows : From what one can gather in a private way Mr. Psrnell ia mightily pleased with the Commissioner's report, exonerating him as it does from all personal participation with deeds of violence and rebellion. Sir Charles Russell ig understood to be very much of the same thinking ; his knowledge of the strong anti-Irish predilections of all three Commissioners in their personal capacity having led him to anticipate a much worse result than that disclosed in their public pronouncement. Sir Richard Webster, whose tongue is now unloosed from the silence prescribed by legal etiquette, is taking the fullest advantage of his newly-found liberty. He takes just the same view in hit character as a party politician as he took as the fead advocate of the Times newspaper. He professes to rejoice at tha personal ▼indication of Mr. Parnell, but contends, with his employers, that, putting aside the forged letters, all the points of the indictment have been proved up to the hilt. A more generous, if a rather Quixotic, tonejw taken by Mr. Came, the Unionist whip and member for Barrow. Metaphorically speaking the hon. gentleman does penaace before bis constituency- -a constituency, be it remembered, dominated by the Duke of Devonshire, the father of Lord Hartington— ia a white sheet. Eighteen months ago he had a special edition of " Parnelliam and Crime " printed, and forwarded a copy to each of his constituents. He now giveß a similar publicity to his somewhat Pecksniffian recantation. " I cannot find language strong enough " the honourable member writes, " to express my horror of the foal conspiracy to which Mr. Parnell has been subjected, or my opinion of the conduct of the Time* in lending itself to these infamous libels on the flimsy evidence furnished to them of their supposed genuineness. Mr. Parnell must be held to have come through the inquiry practically unscathed." Mr. Came also says : "It appears to me that those charges which may be termed as damaging to the personal honour or moral character are disproved, and that those relating to what may be termed practical crime have been proved. On the whole the Irish Nationalist members of Parliament come out of the inquiry much better than I expected, and lam heartily and ungrudgingly glad of it. I think that the objections to Home Rule, based upon the personal characters of these ;gentlemen as indivi-, duals, must now be taken out of the controversy."