The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1889. THE PARNELL COMMISSION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1919, 20 July 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1889. THE PARNELL COMMISSION.

1 Me Paenell and his friends, together with their legal advisers, have withdrawn from the great Commission trial, which has now lasted 9 months. They have not done so without good reason. Several times during the trial Sir Charles Russell, notwithstanding his enormous experience, has been made to feel so irritated and annoyed by the unfairness of. the Court that he has walked out of it through inability to keep his temper. A man occupying the position Sir Charles does would not be likely to do this without good and sufficient cause. He is well accustomed to opposition; his - position as a lawyer puts it beyond doubt that he knows what is fair and what is not fair, and he would not be likely to damage his reputation by showing annoyance if he were justly treated. We may assume, therefore, that as the cause has prospered in his favor : so has the prejudice of the judges increased, till now he sees that it is quite useless t® carry on any longer. He has, according to the cablegrams, consulted with Mr Parnell and his friends as to the advisability of withdrawing from the case, and the conclusion arrived at is to do so, the judge remarking that - he can get bn without them. No doubt he can, and their presence or absence would not affect his decision. H® and his colleagues were appointed for a certain purpose, and; without doubt they will fulfil the end for which they were called into existence —that is, to find Mr Parnell guilty of something. The Pigott conspiracy failed —something must be got to take its place, Prom the moment the Times concluded its case we have heard very little concerning what has been going on. Whoever is the Press agent at the London end he has taken good care to keep us in the dark as to the course events were taking, unless something happened which could be made to wear an unfavorable aspect with regard to Mr Parnell. For weeks not a line was sent, for everything went smoothly so far as Mr —•II was concerned, but the —thing could he manu- - moment an,. * - ♦yidence to his factured out of tuo . > ence> discredit it was telegraphed ... • On this people in this colony form their opinions, and really, when one i thinks over it. the conclusion must be i arrived at that such information should < be received with a grain of salt. ! In the little news we have received, 1 however, there was sufficient to render J it plain that the judges were working £ against Mr Parnell as far as decency 8 would allow them. First, when Arch- I

bishop Walsh was in the witness box he was asked whether the National Laague increased or decreased crime, and the judges would not allow him to answer it, on the grouud that it was a matter of opinion and that they had nothing to do with his opinion. In ordinary cases this would have been right enough, but the inquiry has not been conducted like ordinary cases. It is an investigation, and none of the usual forms which are observed with regard to the giving of evidence are adhered to.' Hundreds of witnesses for the Times had previously been allowed to answer the question. Why was it that land agents, policemen, and hirelings generally were allowed to say that the National League increased crime, and Archbishop Walsh waa not allowed to say it decreased crime? Simply because the judges were prejudiced. Then a few days ago we were told that Sir Charles Eussell applied to the Court for the production of the books of the ".Patriotic Union " for the private inspection of the judges themselves. No other person was to see them. This was refused. The " Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union " is the name of the league formed by the landlords and their hangers-on to counteract the influences of the National 'League. This is the' league of which. Mr Houston, who negotiated with Pigott, was secretary- and'the Irish party believe it was in this the whole plot was hatched. This ia the foul conspiracy of which Sir Charles Eussell spoke. It is believed, also, that this society promoted some of the outrages which were perpetrated. The Irish people can in no other way explain some of the things that have happened, and they believe this union promoted outrages to make it appear to the people of England that coercion was necessary. This conclusion has not been arrived at without good grounds. was a few years ago on guard in the house of a man who said he was afraid of his life being taken and wanted protection. The policeman caught the man himself in the act of setting »fire ;to his own house. A woman in a very high station in life in the County iof Cork was sent to gaol for nine months for a somewhat similar offence, and the daughter of a Limerick lawyer was caught setting fire to stacks of hay. In Clare, a Government spy named Cullen got together about six young men, pretended to form them into a secret Bociety, and led them to a house where they were to obtain arjis; He previously told the police he would take the young men to the house, and when they arrived the police were there before them. The result was that the sergeant of police was killed, that there was an inquest, and that it all came out. Outrages like this have occurred so frequently that the people cannot understand them, and rightly or wrongly they believe that a : great maDy of them have been promoted purposely by Mr ParnelPs opponents to bring disgrace upon the cause. Believing this, Sir Charles Eussell asked.the judges to examine the.books of this society and they refused to do it, and this apparently is, th,e last straw which drove Sir Charles to withdrawing from the case. The commission of the judges empowers them to summon witnesses and call for the production of papers. They have carried this to the utmost extent so far ,as Mr Parnell was concerned. Not only has he had to produce the books of the National League, but he has also had to produce his own private bank book, and expose to the public gaze his own private affairs. Why, then, should the Patriotic Union be shielded f If there is nothing wrong they ought to be only too glad to remove the cause for the opinion which has been formed of them, especially when only the judges themselves were to view their books. Ail we can say is that this puts an aspect on the work of the Commission which will rob it of any value, whatever its decision may be. Honest men throughout the world like fair play, and they must admit that there is something wrong when this eeciety, which boasts of its loyalty and of upholding law and order, refuses to show its hand. The intimacy between the secretary of the association, and the manufacture of the Pigott conspiracy was in itself sufficient grounds for arousing suspicion, and for judges to shield this society now is simply a parody on justice and a disgrace to England.