The adjourned debate on the Prevention of Crime (Ireland) Bill
was resumed yesterday week by Mr. Sexton, in a philip- pic against the details of the Bill, and indeed against the Government of Ireland generally, from which it would appear that the one thing wanted to restore peace to Ireland is to reform abuses, and let outrages alone. Mr. Sexton assailed the Government for not adopting a policy of unmitigated concilia- tion, but forgot that during the first eight months of the present Government there was no Coercion Act, while there was a great deal of relief money expended on the past distress, and also an unexpectedly good harvest,Thut that in spite of all this, outrages grew and multiplied in all parts of Ireland. Mr. Sexton most unjustly spoke of the storm of rage against Ireland, which burst over England after the late horrible assassinations. As Mr. Gladstone pointed out, there was no rage against Ireland. It was at once recognised that the blow had been struck, not by Ireland, but by those who dreaded a reconciliation between Ireland and England, and almost every address which Mr. Gladstone received deprecated a policy of vengeance. At present, Irish politicians take a much more jaundiced view of British opinion, than British politicians do of Irish.
