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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3048, 2 April 1881, Page 2

Thirty-seven years ago O'Connell and his fellow repealers were charged with advising and procuring large numbers of persons to meet together, in order by intimidation and demonstration of physical force to procure changes to be made in the Constitution as established by law, and further with endeavoring to bring into contempt and disrepute the legal tribunals of the country. It may (says the London Standard) be said with truth of many, at least, of the most prominent members of the Land League, that these are objects which they scarcely take the trouble to disavow, and that they are only using the land agitation as a mere stalking-horse for more comprehensive schemes, and revolt even less thinly veiled. One of the charges brought against O'Connell and the repealers was that they had actually nominated and appointed mock judges in ursurpation of the functions belonging to the legitimate servants of tbe Queen. But it is certain that O'Connell's judges never claimed so wide a jurisdiction, or stretched forth half so powerful an arm, as the self-constituted land courts of the League.