James Russell Lowell to Granville Leveson-Gower, August 29, 1882
Mr. Lowell to Lord Granville.
My Lord: I have delayed addressing your lordship on the subject of the recent arrests of Mr. Henry George, a well-known writer on political economy, at Athenry, and Mr. Stephen J. Meany, editor of a respectable New York newspaper, at Ennis, two American citizens traveling in Ireland on perfectly legitimate business, so far as I can learn, because I have been in the daily hope of obtaining fuller and more authentic particulars on which to base a remonstrance.
I beg to ask your lordship’s attention to the peculiar features of hardship which characterize these two cases. Mr. George was twice arrested, and though shortly discharged, from lack, apparently, of any ground of reasonable suspicion, must naturally resent this repeated violation of his rights as the citizen of a friendly nation, and this public indignity which he was carelessly made to suffer.
Mr. Meany, who was arrested at midnight and taken from his bed, was also released after a short imprisonment, but is still subjected to a qualified imprisonment, by baring been put under bonds and pointed out to the special surveillance of the police,
Your lordship will observe that these cases seem to differ essentially from former arrests of American citizens, concerning which so much correspondence has already passed between the Government of the United States and that of Her Majesty, and are even more likely than those to enlist the sympathy of the American people, peculiarly sensitive as they are in regard to such infringements of personal liberty, especially in the case of adopted citizens.
As I am well aware that no one would more sincerely deplore than your lordship any occurrence which would have the untoward effect of impairing, in any way, the friendly relations now so happily existing between our respective countries, and as I am persuaded that the arrests, of which I have to complain, are due to the indiscreet zeal of subordinate officials, I venture to express the hope that Her Majesty’s Government will take steps to prevent the future occurrence of such unfortunate incidents, which they would be the first to regret.
I have, &c.,