POLITICS AND TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 31, 6 February 1891, Page 4

POLITICS AND TABLE TALK.

(FBOM OUK SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

Loxdox, December 19. The historic battle betwixt bhe worldfamed Kilkenny cats has been more bhan equalled by the hurly-burly in that ancient city during the present week, caused by the faction fight between the Split F's, as the disunited Irish Party has been happily, if somewhab unkindly, christened. Mr Parnell seemed by turna hopeful and despairing, but in either condition thoroughly '"esolved to hold on to the last. One day he would rush about here, there, and everywhere—everywhere, indeed, save where he was expected. The next he would sit in a chair at his hotel reading a novel, and apparently blankly indifferent to the whole business. The role of mysterious eccentric which the Irish leader adopted with such success in Parliament was carefully kept up. Throughout tho week no one could for half-a-dozen hours be certain where Parnell was. Whilst thousands wore awaiting him (say) at Waterford, he would be addressing an impromptu meeting miles away, and eventually arrive like a whirlwind, just as his fondest supporters were beginning to feel slighted, and by one of the brief and fiery addresses he understands so well, rouse a tepid crowd to furious and militant enthusiasm.

Tally Ho ! Mr Fox, Tally Ho !

One of the most exciting episodes of the campaign occurred at Rathdowney on Monday. Mr Parnell had given out that he meant to rest that day, a suspicious fact in itself, for, as has been said, he seldom 3ticks to any authorised programme. Very early it transpired that " Mr Fox " meant to steal a march en the Patriots, and was off to Rathdowney, where it happened to be market clay, to"address a meeting. The " Patriots." headed by Mr Davitt and Dr. Tannor, at once resolved to euchre their once honoured chief if possible, Mr Davitt and his Nationalists were eager to meet Mr Parnell face to face, and for this reason, that on Sunday at Freshford he had called them the "scum cf the earth." and applied to some of them, the epithet " gutter sparrows." After a smart gallop of about two hours, we—Nationalists, Parnellites, Tory-Unionists, and all members of Parliament, platform speakers, priests, and journalists, mixed " higgledypiggledy" in low-backed cars—came dashing up to the Market-place. The streets and big square swarmed with country farmers. There were thousands upon thousands of them. Mr Parnell'- placards were displayed on the walls, and wt had passed them on the hedgerows. The placards announced : " The Leader of tho Irish nation, Charles Stewart Parnell, will address the people ab Rathdowney Fair, in the Market-place." Alighting by good-luck afc Mr Parnell's headquarters, says a " Daily News" reporter. I was surprised to see how few people were gathered there in expectation of his address. From what I had just heard in tho Market-place. I suspected that Mr Parncll's reception would not exactly resemble that which be anticipated. By another stroke of good luck the car containing the Nationalist speakers came driving past the spot. I jumped up, and away we went to the market square. A roar of cheering broke forth the instant they were vecosfnised. There were cries for "Gladstone," cries for "Home Rule," cries for "Davitt," and booting and groaning for "Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the rrish nation." The suddenness of this spontaneous outburst was startling. Those dense multitudes had been told that Mr Parnell was coming tc address them. Mr Davitt and his Nationalist speakers came upon them by surprise. ' Dense crowds of me:: waving their hats, or flourishing their blackthorn sticks, surrounded tho car and escorted it td* the priest's house ab bhe far "end of the square. An announcement was made that, the Nationalists would address bhem in a few minutes, and in a few minutes' time a large four-wheel waggon was procured and converted into a platform. The speakers found themselves face to face with an audience of four thousand or more. The spot chosen was one from which a'close view could be obtained oi Mr Parnell's meeting. It numbered ab the very outside some two hundred persons. On Mr Davitb's appearance on the platform another outburst cf applause followed, lasting several minutes, and again there were cheers for " Home Rule," for "The League," and for " Gladstone." Dr. Tanner made tho first speech. His speechwas interrupted by an incident very significanb bo Irishmen at the presenb moment. I musb explain thab hitherto " The Freeman's Journal " newspaper, which supports Mr Parnell, has had the monopoly of tho daily supply of news a;*d reports from Dublin. "The Freeman" has filled its . columns with ParneUibe speeches and reports, giving them an absurdly exaggerated importance, and omitting reports of meetings on the other side. Ido not say this on hearsay. 1 -v', what I know and see. Every day tin; "Freeman" has been propagating tho Parnellite view of the struggle. It has been almost completely ignoring what the Nationalists have tc say. As a consequence the readers of the "Freeman" have been misled. They havo been led to believe that the Nationalist meetings have been failures, whereas they have been great successes. They have been led to believe thab the Irish people were with him. Well, then, Dr. Tanner's first allusion to the " Freeman " was received with loud shouts of " Down with it I" " No," shouted an energetic priest behind me, " to blazes with it," and to blazes ib went. Dr. Tanner set a copy of on it fire, after which cheors were raised for the new Nationalist daily paper which was to appear to-day in Dublin. Dr. Tanner accused Mr Parnell of having by his refusal to resign deliberately" violated the conditions under which ha held bis leadership. "By every quibble, by every equivocation, Mr Parnell endeavoured to avoid tbe main issue, and sacrificed his country's interests to his selfish ambition ; and now we aro appealing from Mr Parnell to the people." Bub by this time Mr Parnell's small audience was seen melting away, and from the Nationali-b audience ab the Doctor's lead rose a storm of laughter and cheering, and cries of "Tally ho IMr Fox ; tally hoi Mr Fox,"

Davitt on Gladstone,

Most of Mr Parnell'- audience came to the square, bub Mr Parnell himself went away, and, what is worse, away with him went his entire band of newspaper reporters, leaving not one of them to record that which is by far the most interesting event in the contesb so far as it has yet gone. " The mai« of the people," was the cry repeated over and over again as Mr Davitt began his address. " Mr Parnell," said he, " has come to Rathdowney, bub nob to Rathdowney Market-place." "Tally bo! Mr Fox," again from the assemblage. " He has," Mr Davitt continued, " fled from Rathdowney to-day, as ho will flee from County Kilkenny next Monday. I have not met him face to face, but I Bhall meet him before this contest is over, and I shall ask him to repeat his language in my presence, and to say if the Archbishops, Bishops, and priests of Ireland, and Sexton, O'Brien, and Dillon are the scum of the earth. This is the Mr Parnell who did not hesitate to take £40,000 from the 'scum of Ireland.' I am the son of a peasant, but, thank God, I have never broughtdisgrace on my humble name, nor dishonoured my friends, nor brought shame upon the name of Ireland." Then Mr Davitt condemned the conduct of the Parnellite member tor Queen's County, who has been Baying that the Nationalists h_v_ aotd ♦l'»tn.*«|i"*» -* *!** English

Liberals. " Which will you have, Ireland or Parnell." exclaimed Mr Davitt. " Ireland," roared oub four thousand voices. "Who is this Parnellite candidate, Scully!" he asked. "Why. the son of a landlord who evicted the two poor women whom you know, and who kicked one of them to death." • Mr Davitt's eulogium of Mr Gladstone was received with the most enthusiastic applause. "This venerable Englishman," said Mr Davitt, "with his load of eighty years, has done fifty times more for Ireland and Home Rule in the last four years than Mr Parnell has in ten. Mr Gladstone has been working for Ireland while Mr Parnell has been silent and inactive." Cries of " Bravo, Davitt I" followed this estimate of Mr Gladstone's services, especially when Mr Davibt declared that the Liberal support of Home Rule had long since effaced from his mind all feeling of resentment for his past imprisonment. " Everything," said Mr Uavitt in conclusion, " depends upon cordial co-operation between the democracy of Ireland and the democracy of Great Britain."