Show DarlttDeclInei CHICAGO Ill December IDMlchael Davitt Irish patriot passed throng h route morning en this city yesterday rom Quebec to the far west on busines of a personal and particularly happy nature Mr Davitt was asked concern arres t the significance of the recent ing Dillon nt of John by the government member of Parliament for East Mayo William OBnen editor of United Ireland leaders land and other Irish leaders acting ai the plan of trustees in conducting campaign Mr Davitt said I an not at all alarmed at the situ atiBU Government is making itself it-self ridiculous If this plan of campaign is really illegal government should have struck a blots long ago The fact that It has allowed Dillon OBrien and others to carry it on for months shows hesitancy to declare it illegal The alleged charge of conspiracy con-spiracy to defraud is ridiculous because United Ireland and those engaged in this movementare acting in open daylight day-light hence the absurdity of the charge I of conspiracy if tenant farmers allow a I desire to give the rent or a portion of it into the hands of public men and do it without compulsion The charge of fraud against Dllon and OBnen because be-cause they have received such money is simply nuiculous Suppose they bring trial before a Dillon and OBrien to jury on such a charge no jury in Ireland Ire-land will convict them What then is toe real meaning of the movement on the part of government T I think the a non of the government in making the arrests and bringing the men to trial is just like the course pursued by Gladstone Glad-stone s government in ISSlpreparatoiy to yje measures of coercion Glad stones law officers at thai time inst tuted the ttate trials of Parneli and the exetutiveaof the LanJ League not with the hope of obtaining convic iont but to show to Englisn public opinion that ordinary law was metlectuul to cope witti the state ot things in Irelandthat therefore exceptienal legislation was required I have no doubt that this u the lint of argument that will be adopted bv HicksBeach and Churchill when in the early days of the coming session of Parliament they apply for exceptional power to deal with the National League in Ireland What will be the effect of such an application for exceptional power This means that we are on the eve of another and probably the last and most desperate fight with coercion LJoth the League and Ireland are quite prepared for the struggle which will be the fiftyfifth of the kind waged b < teen Ireland and England during the last iightvsix years This means that iltyfour similar measures have proved many failures and in sporting language the betting is 55 to 1 that Ireland wins the coming contest I expect to be home in Ireland in a few weeks before ill the prisons are tilled I look also for Parnelia speedy appearance upon the field of action and I am confident than tha-n a few months the bellicose Tory party nil have have had quite enough of oercion in Ireland I firmly believe hat the English and Welsh popular eeling will be with the Irisfl in this truggle against the course of action of he Tories |