At the Dublin meeting of the National League on Tuesday,
Mr. William Redmond (the brother of the Par. nellite leader, Mr. John Redmond) made a very vigorous attack on the Anti-Parnellites, asserting that the Home-rule cause in Ireland is sinking every day out of sight. He declined entirely to let Mr. Healy's attack on the other Anti-Parnellites change his view of Mr. Healy himself, whom he denounced as one of Mr. Parnell's most treacherous opponents ; and while lamenting over the great divisions in the Irish party, treated them as all due to the in- gratitude with which some members of that party had treated Mr. Parnell. It is certainly remarkable how Mr. Parnell's followers seem to ignore the fact that it was Mr. Parnell himself who broke up his party by turning against Mr. Gladstone's Government directly it appeared that Mr. Glad- stone wished to change not the policy for which he contended, but the personal leader with whom he would have to act. We are astounded to see the claim of special patriotism put forward for that Irish section which began the break-up, and that not because there was any change of policy on the part of the Gladstonians, but solely because Mr. Gladstone thought that Mr. Parnell's personal conduct had discredited the Irish party with which he was compelled to ally himself. The claim for Mr. Parnell as an Irish patriot par excellence is surely one of the quaintest ever put forward.
Previous page
