| Show curtailing FREE SPEECH EDITOR of united ireland artland is having a decidedly checkered time of it in his canadian visit the object ot of his mission is the th enlightenment of the people of the dominion anthe on the subject offord of lord Lans downes in ireland that gentleman being in toronto at arese prese present at obrien is an educated man a profound reasoner and an eloquent speaker and if one halt half the cruelties cruel ties he charges as being carried on in certain parts of ireland are true his bis object is a laudable one and the unprejudiced should give aim an attentive hearing the landlord system that has prevailed in the emerald isle for a century past his has been a ceaseless cause of complaint complot n t and conflict and to say that all or any ally considerable part of the outbreaks which occur are groundless is to turn our backs upon reason and be deaf to the pleadings of a common humanity while there can be no doubt that the outrages are not confined to the english side of the quest question ioia there can caa also be no doubt that whatever or ok wherever outbreaks have been we toe tenantry have nearly always whether in the right or the tha wrong been the only sufferers ers the mayor of toronto might have concealed his bis antipathy for ireland and everything irish much more cleverly than he be did it if be had given the subject more study it ia very bung line piece of work that reply of his to 01 obreen rien len which appeared in in our ne news columns friday it winds up with afe the statement which he doubtless thought would sugar coat the missive that it if the editor came ho h would afford wa mm the best protection he could grave consolation thi previously having stated that it was the opinion of the city chau council il that of their lordly guest could not be thle tolerated rated and that he had better not even a appear in that city the official is sur surely flear y a long way behind the spirit of the age when he imagines as he seems to that the free discussion of any subject can be cut off by means of inhospitable treatment and proscriptive prescriptive measures if mr obrien is wrong or speaks falsely how much better would it be to show wherein and how hew he is wrong a and n d fal false g e by the same weapons that he be lift himself geif employs free and full dis it looks like a confession of judgment in favor of the accuser to attempt to summarily shut him off by the use of official authority and aad without inquiry it is something like what wha t certain representatives mis of the government have been trying for some time to establish in ia utah that is the semblance of justice with the reality of tyranny beneath and beyond it you can believe anything you please we have nothing what ever to ido do with jour your thoughts and convictions but you must most not preach print or practice dither of them because that would be au an aff affront aront to the nation and you would then have to be suppressed thoughts and convictions are very valuable when they have to die where they are born and have no period of existence whatever but those who seek to stamp out free speech and f full ull discussion can flourish but bat for a very short time the great tide of enlightened sentiment is against them and they will have to abandon their ground in favor of the advancing column of public opinion |
