The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1890. THE PARNELL COMISSION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2009, 18 February 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1890. THE PARNELL COMISSION.

. We publish a summary of the report of the Parnell Commission elsewhere, as well as extracts from some of the . leading London papers. From these > one would think the papers have gone , mad, for we are told that some , of them are crying out for the expulsion of 40 of the Irish members from tne House of Commons. This is most extraordinary. The Times 5 says the report is “ colorless,” meaning thereby that it does not condemn | fk® Parnellites; the Chronicle calls the publication of “ Parnellism and Crime ” a colossal journalistic fiasco ■ \ but the real bull-headed Conservative \ journals demand the expulsion of the Parnellites. The charge, according to the report, proved against them is that they conspired to separate Ireland from England, and to expel landlords from Ireland by means of coercion; that they did not denounce intimidation ; that they were acquainted 1 with criminals; that in supporting boycotting they were guilty of a 1 criminal conspiracy against landlords ; ’ that they did not assist in the detection of crime, and that they gave no account of the way they spent the money subscribed to the League. In this there is only one charge which the Parnellites ever sought to denv—that is, the charge of separating Ireland from England. There is no foundation for this only the evidence of an infamous spy, traitor, and informer— Major LeCaron. As will be remem- " berod, this man was a spy in the pay r of the British Government for the last 15 or 20 years. He was an Bnglish- > named Beach, but represented . himself in America as a Frenchman F and _ was one of the leaders of the t Fenians there, while at the same time a acting as spy for the British Gol vernment. He has also been proved to have been a man of very bad character, and it is on such a man’s evidence the only charge brought 3 against the Parnellites has been proved . As regards the charge that they were acquainted with criminals, we should like to see the politician who is not. > When a politician is canvassing for political support he does not ask what a man’s character is ; he asks for > bls y otQ - We venture to say there is i not in the House of Commons a member who has not had to make himself agreeable to criminals when canvassing for votes. But the question is, what ; class of criminals wore the Parnellites 1 acquainted with? The report exonerates them from complicity in the Phcenix Park murder, or any connection with the Clan-na-Gael. They cannot, therefore, be said to have been associated with such criminals as these. The report gives us a clue to the class ot crime contemplated—that is, agrarian crime, such as boycotting and the Plan uf Campaign— and the great charge against the defendants is that they did not denounce these or assist in the detection of crime—that is, that they did not help the Government to oppress the tenants and got ‘ l impossible rents ” from them for the landlords. The whule world knew long before the Commission was thought of hat the Parnellites favored boycotting :• nd the Plan of Campaign mid the whole civilised world has sympathised with them in the “ conspiracy against the landlords ” Bov cottmg was not illegal until a Coercion I Aut I m^ e it; , so Pa England thouj sands ot workmen boyeot their era oyer, and refuse to work for him unless he comes to their terms; in Ireland ' thousands boyeot a bad landlord, or ! other objectionable persons, until they * r

agree to terms. How is it that boycotting is a crime in Ireland, while in England it is a virtue sanctioned by the applause and support of the civilised world ? Practically the Parnellites have won the day. The charges against them were manufactured specially to discredit them ; all the powers of Conservatism in England combined against them; spies and informers were bribed to swear against them; prejudiced judges were appointed to try them, and so unfairly were the proceedings conducted that they withdrew from the trial. In spite of all this they have come out practically scatbless, for they have been exonerated from any complicity in the more serious offences which were committed in Ireland. The howl of the Conservative Press is the howl of disappointment and despair. The report says the Parnellites had no knowledge, directly or indirectly, of the Phcenix Park murder, yet the Standard argues that they are “ morally ” responsible for it. The fact is, the Conservatives see the game up, and they are trying to make things look as black as they can, Eor our own part, considering the conspiracy at work, we are surprised that the report is not far worse than it is, and the fact that it is not proves conclusively the innocence of the Parnellites,