On Monday, at midnight, the debate in Committee was to
cease, under the operation of the Urgency Rule, and, on the whole, the discussion was a good deal less violent, the chief question being as to the duration of the coercive powers, which are to be good, as at first proposed, till September 30th, 1882.- The discussion as to the amendment threatening magistrates or police with penalties for attempting to intimidate Irish sub- jects from doing lawful acts, gave rise to some hot language, some of the Irish Members asserting that already, in anticipa- tion of the Act, intimidation was used against Irishmen, for doing things strictly legal, aud that young men had been driven from their homes by the intimidation thus applied. This is really a much more substantial objection to the coercive policy than most of those about which the Irish Members have beeu so violent. It is the necessary evil of such Acts that they do invest the local authority with far too much power for evil, as well as for good, and this, however averse the central authority may be to the exertion of such excess of influeuce. This is why we have always desired so earnestly that Mr. Forster had asked for much less sweeping powers.
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