16 OCTOBER 1886, Page 2

The National League evidently do not like either the new

Government, or the comparative quiet in Ireland. They want to hearten the people up a bit. Mr. Healy announced on Tuesday at the fortnightly meeting of the League that during the two previous weeks £300 had been subscribed, and £130 advanced to evicted tenants, a noble grant which, at 10s. a week, would relieve sixty-five persons for a month. That statement not making much impression, he assured his hearers that thousands of writs had been issued, and that evictions would be numerous, but pressed for information as to such occurrences, which it seems is not coming in, and admitted that many landlords were making "reasonable reductions," even below the judicial rent. As all this was not very inspiriting, he added that the Government probably intended to suppress the National League, but that suppression would be illegal, and that if the police entered the meeting-rooms, his advice was to throw them out of window. Mr. Healy is entirely right in advocating resistance to illegal violence, and we do not under- stand why law-abiding journalists blame him for it; but will he adhere to his own principles Suppose the poor wretches attacked by moonlighters shoot those "illegally violent "persons, or that the next Loyalist family prevented from burying its dead should duck the boycotters, will he say that they are entirely praiseworthy ? We sincerely hope his advice will filter down. If everybody in Ireland accepts Mr. Healy's principles, and applies them without party bias, order will be restored in about ten days. Nothing bothers a moonlighter like his victims- particularly if girls or old men—presuming to defend them- selves ; and now Mr. Healy tells them that they are entirely right. The National League should proclaim Mr. Healy, as one who quotes foreign law in justification of violence.