So far as we can judge from the rumours which
ooze out from the mysterious cloud of diplomacy with which the Irish
Party delight to invest themselves, Mr. O'Brien has been seeking an arrangement with Mr. Parnell in order to secure enough of the Nationalist funds to keep his promises to- the evicted tenants who have built New Tipperary. They were assured that they should not be the worse, rather the better, for their revolt against Mr. Smith Barry; and after the sudden sequestration of the funds, Mr. O'Brien finds it difficult to keep his pledge. Accordinglyhe has, as it is stated, agreed. with Mr. Parnell, that if Mr. Parnell will give him the means of keeping this pledge, he will do all in his power to heal the feud in the Irish Party, and to bring back Mr. Parnell, after a temporary retirement, to the leadership by the time of the General Election. The mocha operandi is supposed to be, that Mr. Justin McCarthy is to be persuaded to retire; Mr. O'Brien is to be elected in his place, with Mr. Parnell's consent ; and then, when the General Election approaches, Mr. Parnell is to issue from his retirement and resume his authority. If that be anything like the arrangement, we do not suppose that it will really work. Mr. Devitt is a greater power than Mr. O'Brien, and Mr. Devitt is irreconcilable to Mr. Parnell, and declares• any return to his leadership as impossible as a summons from the Queen to himself (Mr. Davitt) to form a British Adminis- tration. Moreover, the Catholic priests have to be consulted,. and we greatly doubt their giving this scheme their blessing. Finally, we do not in the least suppose that either the "Non-. conformist conscience " or Mr. Gladstone's conscience would approve the arrangement. But it is a pity to throw cold, water on " negotiations " which, utterly unimportant as they are, make the Irish Party so happy.
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