MEETINGS.
HOME RULE FOR IRELAND.
MEETING AT THE OPERA HOUSE.
A large and enthusiastic meeting of those interested in the movement in favor of Home Rule for Ireland was held at the Opera House last night week. There were present on the platform Archbishop Redwood, Dr Watters, Rev Fathers Devoy, McNamara, Kerrigan, and Lane, and a number of local Roman Catholic clergy, Mr P. A. Buckley, M.L.C. >in the chair', Dr Cahill, and Messrs C. Y. O'Connor, J. C. M;. Weale, R.. C. Holcroft, J. J. Devine, and a number cf other gentlemen. -- ' MrP. A. Buckley, in introducing the sub% jefct to the meeting, said that he had been in hope of being a silent listener to the able and eloquent speeches which he had no doubt they would hear that evening,bnt when they were assembled with suoh a purpose as that sf expressing sympathy with their flesh and blood in the old land it was a pleasure as well as a duty to be with them. (Applause.) By sympathy he did not mean that cheap kind which abounds in plentiful quantities with some people, and he knew well that such was hot their meaning either. It was no breach of confidence for hitn to tell them that there were -those in Wellington, and he believed that there were ’ some of them present at that meeting, who had deprived themselves of the-necessaries of life to send: Home needful help. (Applaue.) Generosity, he believed, was a national cha-" racteristic of the Irish people; such acts proved it, and England had never to complain of a want of ••• generosity by the Irish people,- for . in all, the great victories that England had ever won generous Irish blood had been spilt. (Loud applause.) The speaker enlarged at length on the misgovernment of which he saia the country had been ' the unfortunate victim. He defined a Coercion Act, which he said was maintained in the Statute Book as an enactment for the,repression of crime in Ireland, as an enactment for increasing crime rather than diminishing it.; ..Certainly crime was increased - in the inauguration of the Government officials in Ireland, and several crimes had been invited by .them. (Loud r- applause.) Concluding, he called upon Dr Cahill to propose the first motion, viz., “ That this meeting desires to place on record its sympathy with the great movement for the restoration of her National Parliament to Ireland, and with the- heroic -efforts of her Liberal Party under the leadership of Mr Gladstone.' Dr Cahill said that in moving the resolu Hon standing in his name he had no desire to rake up the old troubles of their past.histcry. He wished the Irish could forget the past, for it was n the main a melancholy retrospect. But if they were to understand the present position of Ireland it was necessary to look back to the causa which had led to such a state of things. .(Applause.) Lest he should be suspected of _partiality, he would quote from authorities who were of recognised standing in England, .and all of his references would be Protestant. .The speaker then entered into an explanation of the causes which led to the present crisis of affairs in Ireland. He quoted, from John Richard Graeme, the noted English historian, who said that , the history of Ireland, from the reign of William lII.', ■could not be recalled by any Englishman without a feeling of shame.- (Applause.) This, he said, described the state of Ireland -during the greater part of the last century. There had, however, been a brief respite from 1782 to 1800, during which Ireland had her -own Parliament. V- 'J he ..benefits conferred upon the-country during this brief period were amply testified to by friends and -enemies—(applause)—and he instanced Mr Pitt andLordFayre, who was afterward Lord ♦Chancellor, as having given their testimony to the prosperous condition of Irish trade in 1785. The name of Henry Grattan, con--tinued Dr Cahill, has been immortalised, and .should be associated with this period of peace and prosperity.;, (Prolonged applause.) Dr Cahill, continuing, dealt ably with the objections raised to self-govern->ment for Ireland. He quoted fiom a letter •by 'Mr Edward A. Wright, a .member -of the Society of Friends, who had been ..appealed to as to whether he feared intolerance from his Catholic fellow-countrymen ■under a constitution such as that sketched out by Mr Gladstone, and another by Dr Webater, the Protestant Chancellor of the Diocese of Cork, and in both and in many -other letters .the purport of the answer was that nothing of the kind ■_ was feared or. thought to be probable in the remotest • degree. He assured the meeting that-the .advocates of Home Rule had no sympathy with crime of any kind, and least of all with -crime under the guise of struggling for free - dom for Ireland. (Loud applause.): -Mr Charles Yclverton O’Connor followed Dr Cahill. He had been asked to second the resolution so ably proposed by the previous speaker. .He had been' asked, , -because he understood the gentleman who was to have done so was unable to be ,present. He would wish, ■ in seconding the resolution, " x to - say that, in express- • ing their :■ sympathy .with, ..the. people, of Ireland, they had no sympathy whatever with the crimes committed in the name -of the cause which they advocated, as had been asserted by adversaries )to the cause. He would : like to put' to those people the fact that every argument which had been brought to bear against granting local . self-government to Ireland, had been brought . against the granting of Catholic emancipation, .and would anyone venture to say now that 'the practice of the religion of nine tenths of .a nation would be criminal, (Applause.) Absenteeism was one of the greatest evils that, could befal any country, as it drained the resources of the country. (Applause.) 'The-immediate effect of it~was to place the people, body and soul, ,-in-,the power of agents. Conld it be wondered at that when ♦they appealed to what, they. thought was a paternal Government and were told that they were always worrying, always discontented, that they should Bay givens a chance to govern ourselves. We can’t pos.sibly do it worse than you have done it. .(Laughter and applause.) After some
fuither remarks Mr O’Connor concluded his Speech, amidst great applause. Archbishop Redwood abo spoke on the motion. He dwelt »t. great length on the necessity for granting local self-government to Ireland. It was, a measure the jnstice of which had been acknowledged by the greatest statesmen in Great Britain ; and, in fact, by the whole civilised world. The Archbishop concluded ’ his remarks amidst the most enthusiastic applause. The motion was carried by acclamation. , ’ Mr J. «f. Devine in a lengthy speech proposed the second resolution, which .was as follows :—“ That in view of the present crisis in Irish affairs, and the determination of the Tory Government to crash the movement for Home Rule, it is desirable to resuscitate in Wellington a branch of the Irish National League." He reviewed the action of the Tory Government, and impressed upon his hearers the necessity of doing all they could to encourage the great Liberal: party in their endeavors to obtain local self-government for-Ireland.'' Dr Watters seconded the motion in one of the most brilliant and teliing speeches of the evening. His remarks were frequently interrupted by the loud and prolonged applause with which' he was -continually greeted. After his speech the motion was put -.to the meeting and carried unanimously. Owing to. the 'lateness of : the hour it was decided not to enrol members of the League till a future occasion.
•A.hearty vote of thanks to the chair, proposed- by the Archbishop and seconded by Dr Watters, was carried unanimously.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Mail, Issue 838, 23 March 1888, Page 33
Word Count
1,291MEETINGS. New Zealand Mail, Issue 838, 23 March 1888, Page 33
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