The Life Of Charles Stewart Parnell - Ii

IB CIIAIILES STEWART rARNKLL
at Philadelphia. Parncll was invited, and urged to attend. His parliamentary followers were divided on the question whether he should go or not. He decided for himself. He did not go. He sent the following cablegram instead:
* My presence at the opening of the most representative convention of Irish-American opinion ever assembled being impossible, owing to the necessity of my remaining hero to oppose tho.Criminal Code Bill—which re-enacts permanently the worst provisions of coercion, and which, if passed, will leave constitutional movements at the mercy of the Government—-I would ask you. to lay my views before the convention. 1 would respectfully advise that your platform be so framed as to enable us to continue to accept help from America-, and at the, same time to avoid offering a pretext to the British Government for entirely suppressing thu national movement in Ireland. In this way only can unity of movement be preserved both in Tre.la.nd and America. I have perfect confidence that by 'prudence, moderation, and firmness the cause of "Ireland will continue to advance; and, though persecution refit heavily upon us at present, before many years have passed we sha.ll have achieved those givat objects for which through many centuries our race has struggled/ J
1 Tin* London correspondent of (,1m Ar////oj/, wrotr on April 21 : 'The question of the advisability of Mr. PurnolPs attending the Forthcoming It-hilt convention at Chicago (.v;> 'Philadelphia) wan, an tho news-papers* Btate, considered and resolved upon by a meeting of hi.i colleagues a few dnyn ago. The view of tho majority wan utriwgly oppOHcd to IUK BO doing. Weighty rcMisouH were adduced hy them hi support of their view; but reason** \voro also given on tho other Hide. We must all hope, that the best and wuieHt thing ha« boon done; but if a newspaper eorreBpondent may express an opinion on HO important and complicated a question, I would nay that I had much rather tho decision had gone the other way. Thoits letting value.