On Thursday, the great subject of debate was the clause
in the Prevention of Crime Bill which re-enacts for Ireland the Alien Act of 1848,—in other words, which gives the Govern- ment power to order aliens who are endangering the peace of Ireland out of the country. Mr. Trevelyan caused a great sensation by illustrating the temper of some of these aliens by a quotation from the last number of the United Irishman, O'Donovan Rossa's paper, which had reached this country. It claimed for Americans the glory of the assassina- tions in the Phcenix Park, and added that if the English would not quit Ireland peaceably, every Englishman should meet the fate of Cavendish and Burke. Mr. M. Lloyd proposed to ex- tend the operation of the revived Alien Act from Ireland to the United Kingdom,—in other words, to give the Government the power to send away dangerous aliens who threatened the peace of Ireland, whether they might be found in Great Britain or in that country. And to this the Government and the House ultimately agreed, by a majority of 228 against 51. We confess we think this decision right, and see no force at all in the argu- ment that it will compel us to give up political refugees. Why will it? We do not ask any country to give up to us political refugees from Great Britain or Ireland. We shall only say that if political refugees, or any other aliens, meddle with our domestic peace, we shall not allow them to stay here doing mischief any longer. And we are quite ready to acquiesce in the decision of any other country which may choose to send away Englishmen because they excite those countries to political disturbance.
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