Coercion in Ireland. Conspiracy Bill.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 194, 12 March 1887, Page 5 (Supplement)

Coercion in Ireland. Conspiracy Bill.

London, January 21. The most important piece of political news is the decision of the Cabinet to introduce, in the approaching session, wh*t they are pleased to call a Conspiracy Bill. The Tory organ, the " Standard," informs us on "unquestionable authority" that at the Cabinet Council of Satuiday, " it was finally decided to brkg in a bill at the beginning of the eeseion to enable the Government to deal more effectively with the agrarian conspiracy.*' The Crown is to have the right to change the venue, and to eummon special jurors, and magistrates are to have the right to sentence to three months' imprisonment any persons whom they choose to find guilty of the various offences of inciting to conspiracy, intimidation arid boycotting. By way of < bviating the Irish objectiou to euch an extension of the arbitrary power of the Government, it is proposed to make the bill apply to all the three kingdoma. jt is by this transparent device that the Salisbury Government will attempb to obtain from Parliament a remedy of tho old system of coercion by which they have always made a disastrous mess of the government of Ireland. There is to be a, " rod in pickle " for each of the three kingdoms; but a paternal. Government will only apply tho scourge to the back of unfortunate Paddy. They think in this way to got what power they wa»t to silence the bitter cry of the evioted peasant, and to crush his resistance to the merciless exactions of a rack-renting landlord, and to be able at the same time to say to England and Scotland : " See how fair we are— we axe treating everybody aljke,"