The debate of Thursday night was relieved by a very
able speech of Mr. Labouchere's against coercion, which rested its case chiefly on the untrustworthiness of the returns of agrarian crime, as illustrated by the attempt to make two distinct out- rages, or even more, out of the very same offence, and the well- known prejudices of the class by whom the Irish Government is necessarily advised. If Lord Chief Justice May, said Mr. Labouchere, could be so led. away by class-feeling as to preclude himself from presiding at the trial of the traversers, what may not be expected of ordinary magistrates P Mr. Bright, on the other hand, delivered a very fine reply to The O'Douoghuo, who had compared the campaign of the Laud League to that of the Anti- Corn-law League, and vindicated his own right to vote for re- storing law and order, even by exceptional means, to a country to which the Government are pledged to accord, in the same Session, " a large measure of reform for the grievances which are admitted ;" and in his concluding scutence, Mr. Bright expressed his belief that the Bill would be " a great and comprehensive measure, and a durable monument to this Parliament, and to the Administration of which my right honourable friend is the head." Further, he described the operations of the Land League as " having, to a large extent, demoralised the people whom they professed to befriend," and therefore he could, with a good conscience, intervene to put down the anarchy thus caused. Mr. O'Connor Power's reply was moderato and comparatively statesmanlike. The debate on the first reading was still going on when we went to press.
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