Chapter Ninteen
Resolution, 1880
Resolution, 1880
When news reached Ireland that Britian was up in arms over the so-called, "Sligo Affair", PM Duffy's initial reaction was to deny it. He sent a scathing telegram to PM Disraeli, but at the same time called Gov. O'Doherty to Dublin for questioning. Gov. O'Doherty, of course, vehemenately denied any wrong doing, demanding that those hung were common street rats, theives, and con artists of the lowest type. They were not all British, he added as well. Satisfied with O'Doherty 'honesty', Duffy sent him back to Dublin and waited for Britain's response to his telegram. The next day, January 21, 1880, Britain exploded into a violent rage. Mobs roamed the street, and riots broke out in Liverpool and London. The London garrison was called out to calm them down, and nearly 30 were killed. Those who slipped by the troops attacked any Irish they came across, burning down the entire Irish section of Ipswich.
Ipswich, 1880. The heat was so intense the three feet of snow melted to nothing.
Queen Victoria made a public announcement on January 22, denouncing the Irish government, and in paticular PM Duffy for his brusque handling of an obviously sensetive issue. PM Duffy was, in effect, shocked by this tailspinning of events, and made a public call on the 23rd to whomever wrote the now infamous diary pages to come forward. On the 24th, on the small island of Guernsey, poet Victor Hugo announced that it was he who wrote those pages on his visit 21 years before. Arriving in London on the 25th, Hugo was met with cheering masses and even a salute from the Royal Navy. The reason he came to London was he was to testify before the House of Commons as to the conditions of the British in Ireland. His four hour speech electrified the British nation, and sent it into another realm of riots and effigy-burning.
By the 27th, PM Duffy had negociated a semi-truce with PM Disraeli, that there would be no more village-burning in exchange for a fair investigation of the situation. On the 29th, detectives from Britain, France, and Prussia arrived and began compiling evidence and reports, which often conflicted. One major bone of contention amongst the investigators was wether or not Gov. O'Doherty was actually present. On February 15th, 1880, the groups made their reports to a panel of Anglo-Irish judges in Edinburgh. The panel was deadlocked on voting for a full week, and their exasperated reccomendation for further action was to put Govenor O'Doherty on trial himself. In order to assure neutrality, he was taken to the United States. On March 1st, 1880, O'Dohety's trial started in Boston, and lasted ninteen straight days. On March 20th, the jury went into recess for two days. On March 22nd, they cast their votes and declared Governor Kevin Izod O'Doherty not guilty. The reasoning was that Victor Hugo's testamony was over 21 years old, and the witnesses gathered were not very helpful to the prosecution team from Britain.
The jury.
The British were furious. PM Disraeli gave a powerful speech before Parliament that so defamed the Americans that their relations dropped. The ever wise and prudent Queen Victoria, sensing no good could come of further pouting, called Disraeli into her office and scolded him. Disraeli came out the next day, March 24th, and apologized for his actions. PM Duffy did the same in Dublin, where he formally apologized to the British people and spesifically to Robert Cecil and Thomas Coke, for their unwitting involvement in the scandal. In order to repair amends, PMs Duffy and Disraeli agreed that Earl Coke would be recalled from Ireland, and that Govenor O'Doherty would fufill his term, and then retire. O'Doherty was initially hostile, but PM Duffy gathering much parliamentary support, managed to force his hand.
However, these and other agreements failed to quell the British people's view of the Irish, which resulted in their own force of persecution and denial for even the most basic jobs. Signs saying No Irish Need Apply on them started appearing throught Britian.
These signs were common for the better part of 50 years...
Though discrimination against Irish was later made illegal by law in 1883, the practice continued unabaited until the 1930s. The product of such efforts were that the Irish in Britain were as every bit ostracized as the lowest classes were in Ireland. All of this because of one over-zealous govenor of an Irish province, and the famous man who happened to 'witness' it...
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