Churchill, Randolph Henry Spencer, Lord, 1849-1895
On the 15th he supported an amendment to provide every person arrested
under the new Acts with a copy of the warrant and a statement of the
crime or crimes of which he was suspected, making at the same time a
contemptuous reference to ‘members who still called themselves Liberals,
while they supported a Bill for the suspension of the liberties of the
Irish people.’ On the 16th he voted for an amendment providing that
persons arrested on mere suspicion should be treated differently from
ordinary prisoners while incarcerated without trial. This was conceded
by the Government after much discussion. On the 18th he urged that the
arrest of members of Parliament under special legislation should in all
cases be reported to the House. Indeed, throughout these discussions his
conduct was considered very reprehensible and shocking.
If Mr. Forster’s policy was unfortunate, his position, although
supported by overwhelming majorities of both great parties, was
certainly unenviable. It is hard to cope with revolution; but to attempt
to do so without offending the susceptibilities of a Liberal Cabinet or
a democratic party surpasses the wit and patience of man. The reports
which reached him every day from magistrates and police, were alarming.
His office table at the Castle was littered with letters of fierce and
tragic reproach. Indignant landowners claimed imperiously that
protection for life and property which even the basest of civilised
Governments have rarely denied. The widow wrote from beside the body of
her murdered husband, declaring that his blood was upon the head of the
recreant Minister. The country seethed with sedition. Tales of tyranny
and terror lacerated the warm heart of the Chief Secretary; and although
police and detectives dogged his steps, his life was in constant
jeopardy. In Parliament he was the object of frantic and virulent abuse
from the Nationalist members. Many Chief Secretaries have faced that
form of attack since then. English ears have become accustomed to
it--and even deaf to it. But Forster was the first example, and an
impression was produced that he was a man specially repugnant to Irish
feeling. He was exposed to galling attack from every quarter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account