On Friday, July 7th, Mr. T. W. Russell moved the
adjournment of the House to call attention to the failure of justice "at the present assizes in the county of Clare." Nine persons were put on their trial at the Spring Assizes, and every one, except a gamekeeper, was acquitted ; and at the Summer Assizes it was practically the same story. Under these circumstances, he asked " whether the Govern- ment intended to remove the administration of the criminal affairs of that county outside the bounds of the county." The presiding Judge at the Spring Assizes recommended it, and said it was little short of a farce to go on with things as they were ; and at the Summer Assizes, Mr. Justice Gibson described one of the acquittals as a scandal on the administra- tion of justice. " Was Mr. Morley prepared to let this immunity of crime continue, simply and solely because Irish Members would not allow him to proclaim the county A" Mr. Morley expressed indignation at the charge sprung on him. He agreed that the state of Clare was a disgrace to civilisation. He was told he could alter it by a stroke of the pen. The leader of the Opposition used the stroke of the pen ; but the state of Clare was better now than during the time of the late Government. Later, Mr. Balfour drew from Mr. Morley a declaration that ge was watching "this black area," and that if he thought it necessary to have recourse to a change of venue, "no amount of things he had said in the past, and no sense of mortification at having to unsay them," would prevent him from changing his present attitude. Finally, the Closure was carried by 32; and the adjournment negatived by 42 (283 to 241).
Previous page
