The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1882. THE IRISH QUESTION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 607, 9 May 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1882. THE IRISH QUESTION.

In the pages of Punch some time ago appeared the rather quaint remark that the Irish question was all question and no answer. The answer seems as far from being intelligently answered as ever. The Cabinet of the late Earl Beaconsfield were called the Government of surprisers, but no coup of that brilliant Minister ever took the country more by surprise than the important tidings just reached us by cablegram of the total reversion of the Irish policy of the Glacstone. Ministry. Every Liberal Government have been especially anxious to solve the Irish difficulty, and make Irishmen loyal subjecis of the Crown. The autumn of Mr Gladstone's life has been earnestly devoted to this object, and his great and successful efforts made in the disestablishment of the Irish Church and the passing of The Irish Land Bill attests at once his earnestness in the cause of Ireland an I his abilities as a statesman. After all the remedial legislation for the unhappy country, the Government found that many parts of the country were in a state of chronic rebellion, murders and agrarian outrages, the houghing of dumb cattle, and meetings for seditious purposes being of daily and nightly occurrance. To put a stop to these crimes, of which every patriotic Irishman was ashamed, the Coercion Act of last session was passed chiefly through the instrumentality of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Mr Foster. Large districts were at once proclaimed under the Act, the military and constabulary forces were increased, and numerous •' suspects," including the leaders of the disaffected party, were at once imprisoned, and wo have what the future historian must regard as an extraordinary spectacle at the latter cud of the 19th century, an integral part of Great Britain in the occupation of an armed force of their fellow subjects.

Suddenly as we learn by telegram the English Cabinet resol ed on a policy of conciliation, the first outcome of which is to set the " suspects " Messrs Parnell, Dillon and Kelly at liberty. The Times doubts the wisdom of this new departure and the resignation of the Chief Secretary Mr Foster and his strong opposition to the policy of his late collegue, makes it very difficult in the meantime to forecast the future results of the new policy. Mr Foster must be credited with a larger knowledge of tbe subject than most of the other members of the Ministry, but it is possible his views may be wrapped by some official bias.

Where all is so" dark a cheerful ray comes to us in the shape of a Pastoral letter from Cardinal MacCabe, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, who denounces, with all the power of his high and sacred office, the outrages which have disgraced the land he so well loves and which, in the words of the Prelate, cry aloud to Heaven against their perpetraiors and abettors. From the Cardinal's high position in his Church and his gre't personal popularity, his eloquent and patriotic appeal should

have great weight with his countrymen. Whether Ireland is to be governed after the method of Charles T. or of Oliver. Cromwell is hardly a question on which, at the antipodes, we are called upon to decide, but of this we feel sure, that a vacillating policy on the part of the Government means the prolon ing of Irish troubles not only in the country itself, but in the Imperial Parliament, where sides are now evidently being sharply taken on the question to the obstruction of other legislation. Cabinets have rispn and fallen before now on the same question. The Beaconsfield letter to Lord Lieutenant sounded the doom of his Ministry, and the largest and most compact majority that ever followed an English Minister vanished.

Whatever may be the result, as members of the colo-iy we say that no depanure from the principles of the constitution can be thought o f for a moment in the shape of Home Rule, the integrity of the state must be kept intact, and we join with

" The loyal hearts who long To keep our English Empire whole."

Since the above was in type the horrible and startling information has reached us that the newly appointed Secretary for Ireland, Lord Cavendish, and the permanent Secretary at the Castle, Mr Burke, havo both been murdered in cold blood in one of the public parks of Dublin, in the full light of day, and what seems more extraordinary their murderers have been able to escape. Events like those recorded in our special edition of yesterday afternoon, quite throw out of gear all the ordinary calculation of reasoning men, and we sincerly hope th at both England and Ireland will never rest till the perpetrators of the dastardly deed are punished as they deserve.