IRISH NATIONALISM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6089, 22 December 1906, Page 9

IRISH NATIONALISM

MR DEVLIN AT THE TOWN HALL. AN ELOQUENT APPEAL. ■i’HE DAWN OF HUSH FREEDOM.” The Irish Home Rule delegate,. Mr Joseph Devlin, M.P. for West Belfast, addressed a large meeting at the Town Hall last evening. The floor of the main hall was fairly filled, and there were also some solicFblocks ot occupied seats in the galleries. Tliojyhcle audience numbered probably two thousand. His Worship the Mayor (Hon. T. W. Hisiop) presided. Amongst those on the platform were Sir Joseph March the Hon. James Carrol! (Native Minister). the Hon. G. Fowlils (Minister for Education), the Hon. John Rigg, M.L.C., Archbishop Redwood, Rev. if. W. Isitt, Messrs W. H. Field and IV. H. P. Barber, M.H.R.’s, Very "Rev. W J. Keogh (Rector or St. Patrick's College), Rev. Father O’Shea, S.M., P.P. Te Aro, Mr John Hutcheson, Mr W. T. Young (president of the Trades and Labour Council), Councillors A. H. Piindinarsh, Carmichael, and McLaren, Mr Martin Kennedy and Mr George Gibbons (of Melbourne). Apologies were received from the Hon. J. McGowan, *Mr Eugene O'Couor and Mr G. T. London (Mayor of Potono). The orchestra, under the conductorship of Mr XV. McLaughlin, .played a selection of Irish airs so vigorously and so long that the audience drowned ir with applause that -steadily increased until the music ceased. Tho Mayor (Hon. T. W. Hisiop) introduced, Mr. Devlin. Those who had studied the question, said .Mr llislop, had’ come to tho conclusion that the ills which’ were prognosticated as likely to result from Homo Rule would not come to pass. He was quite satisfied that if the subject was only pursued with persistency and good temper a solution was not very far away. (Loud applause.) AIESMTI^IWPORI Mr Martin Kennedy moved the first resolution: “That this meeting, in welcoming Sir Devlin, pledges itself to give Doth moral and material support to .--e Irish Parliamentary party under tho efficient leadership of Mr John E, Redmond in their magnificent efforts to secure that long-delayed measure of justice, self-government for Ireland, the granting of which we are convinced would result, as in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in strengthening and consolidating the British Empire.” In moving the resolution, Mr Kennedy cited tho progress of the self-governing parts of tho Empire during the past fifty years as contrasted with the retrogression of Ireland during the same period in tho loss of her population, her industries, commerce and agricultural resources. (Applause.) Mr John Hutcheson said as a loyal citizen of New Zealand he had pleasure in seconding; tho resolution. 'The time had now arrived when they were about to settle the details. The dawn of Irish freedom was now breaking grey. (Loud applause.), In view of the fact that through their representative men Canada and Australia had already declared and New Zealand would declare in favour of Homo Rule for Ireland, tho Old Country, which had shown such criminal obduracy in the past., could not longer ignore the word of tho self-governing colonies. (Loud applause.) There was coming a time, and that soon, when in the process of . political evolution an advisory body would bo an imperative necessity for tile great aggregation of self-gov-erning units called the British Empire; and that body would have no time for parochial matters. Tho trend of thought would force on Home Rule, not only for Ireland, hut for every other constituent part of' the British Emnire. (Loud applause).

The resolution was carried with acclamation. „ MR. DEVLIN’S SPEECH.

Mr. Devlin, who. was warmly applauded, expressed his deep and warm obligations to the meeting for the public spirit and devotion to the cause of. human liberty which had inspired them to assemble there that night to lend their sympathy to Ireland struggling to bo free. Ha* thanked the Premier for the courage as well as the" Imperialpolitical sagacity which had brought him there that night, and for lending the prestige not only of his high position in. New Zealand, but ior the inspiring force of his own political wisdom in tho adjustment of a great and vital matter, .not only to Ireland hut to fiho Empire and all that made for its solidarity and its glory'. (Applause.) Ho came there not only as an Irish envoy, hut also as a member of the most powerful democratic party that had. over stood for social progress on tno floor of the British Parliament. The Irish Parliamentary party—through its votes, influence, and advocacy—had been instrumental in placing on tho statute book such measures for the workers of Great Britain as; the AA r orkers’ Compensation Act, the Eight Hours Day for Miners, tho shortening of tho hours for railway servants, and the half-holiday for tho women textile workers of Great Britain. . Ho came there to plead the cause of Home Rule for tho sake of advancing the destinies of Ireland, promoting its industrial power, developing its own resources, and widening tho influence of tho people in their own land according to their own ideas and aspirations. lie came there also to plead the cause of Home Rule, because Home Rule for Ireland, when simply 'interpreted, meant Ireland for the Irish as they understood Now Zealand, for the New Zealanders. (Applause.) Ho was proud to say that there had been indeed very few men in New Zealand or Australia who had had cither tho courago or the, lack of appreciation of the needs of Ireland to stand up and say that what was good for New Zealand and ..Australia ougnt to bo bad for Irelaud. (Applause.) To-day, empty mills, idle factories and devastated homesteads stood as dismal monuments to tho destruction of Irish industries, and Irish reesourccs. Although- they had , lost four and a half miilioiip out of nine during tho last sixty years, it was also recorded in the same unanswerable record of the Blue Books that every year for the past twenty-nine years forty thousand people were leaving Ireland for foreign lauds. What was mere startling and deplorable still was the fact that out of the 40,(500 who emigrated each year, do per cent, were from twelve to fortyfivo years of age—the young, the powerful, and the virile—a loss not only to Ireland, but an econmical and industrial loss to the Empire. He to-

minded them of the fact that 80,000 Irish peasants wore compelled to live in houses, or hovels, of one single room. One out of every hundred ol the population was a - pauper in a work..ouso, and one out of every forty was living on out-door relief. What was more appalling still was .that lunacy, cancer, and consumption*, wore on tho increase in Ireland, to which there was no parallel in any part of the world. Eminent medical men had been sent from England t'o inquire into the causes of this lamentable state of things, and they bad reported that tho increase in lunacy was due to the j mental gloom that was brought into tho causes of this lamentable state of people because of the wretchedness and squalor of Irish rural life, and that consumption and cancer were tno inevitable consequence of bad food, poor clothing, and wretched homes. While Ireland’s contribution to the Imperial Exchequer was £2,000,000 when she had a population of nine millions, to-day, with a population of four and a half millions, her comnbillion to the same source was £10,000,000. Ho asked them as practical citizens of the Empire,, was there over such . a record of disastrous failure, ever such human wrong brought to any jjeople, ever, a more appalling ’ record of evil results ' brought to economic interests? He was one who would pay a higher tribute to the Empire than to say that it should rest upon a record like’ that. Why were thb people in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand loyal? They were loyal because they Wore free. (Applause.) When they were told that Home -Rule meant Rome Rule they should 'hear in mind that twenty-five out of thb eightysix cnsli Nationalist members Were Irish Protestants returned by Irish Catholic constituencies. (Applause.) They saw in tlie County Donegal, with V 5 per cent, of a Catholic .. population, Mr Swift McNeill and Mr Hugh Law luo sitting members' tho one a son of an Episcopalian, clergyman,’ and the other cf a late Protestant Lord Chancellor of Ireland. . They found the same in County Cork, where Captain Donneiinu and Mr Abraham, both Protestants, were not only returned by overwhelmingly Catholic constituencies, but wore elected by their own -arty to the positions of whip and' treasurer to the party. (Applause.) Similarly in Longford, a Catholic county, they bad the Hon. Edward c-iakc. K.C., who was not unknown in Now Zealand,',and who. was the son of an Irish Protestant bishop. (Applause.)' All the great leaders of Irish national movements in tho past hundred years with one exception—O’Connell—wore Protestants—Grattan. Emmett, Smith O’Brien, Davis, Butt, anil Parnell. In every country hej had visited lie had found his own countrymen contributing not only to their own personal benefit, but te the greatness of tho land to widen they belonged.' the-contentment of its people and the progress of all democratic institutions. (Applause.) This was a fight for racial preservation, and if they continued to lose the population of. Ireland at the present - rate of 40,000 a year, how long'would it bo until the Irish, like the Jews, would* ho without a land or a home they could call their own? .When next, an Irish envoy visited the colonies it would ue to thank the ’ people of Australia and .New Zealand for their splendid assistance in the past—to assure them mat the battle was over, the war was ended and Ireland was free. When that cay came it would bo as the sound of me vesper bell, calling the ’people to uray in tho peaceful places in Ireland. (Applause). Mr Devlin resumed his seat amidst loud and prolonged applause, having spoken for an hour , and thirty-five minutes. ’ ‘ MATERIAL AID. Mr J. P. O’Regan reminded the audience that members of the English Parliament were not paid, so their emolument fell upon their supporters. - .The Parliament of Great Britain could not fail to grant to the Irish people what it had granted almost unasked to the South African Dutch.

A collection was taken ujr, and the. previous donations amounting to £232 wore announced. Following were tho prinicpal sums: Mr Martin Kennedy, Mrs Martin Kennedy; and Mr Hamilton Gilmer, cabh £25; Archbishop Redwood, Mr Maurins O’Connor, each £2O; Mr James Hoaly, Dwan Bros., Mr O. McArdlo, each £10; Bev Father Keogh, Dr Mackin, Messrs Eugene O’Conor, J. Blundell, L. Blundell. George Winder, P. J, O’Regnn, each £5;, Mr John Hutcheson and Mr J. J. Devine, each £3 3s; Messrs J. Quinlivan, James Dwyor, F. J. Dissington, E. Corrigan, E. J. Walsh, H. Fielder and Co., N. Fernandes. John Curran, W. Redmond, M. J. Brooke, and ,F. McFarland, oaoh £2 2s. Tho Premier (Sir J. G. Ward) said that although not ono of the fixed speakers for tho evening he was there as a Now Zealand citizen to .join with them in showing their appreciation for the groat work being done by Mr Devlin, tho splendid Irish envoy, who had charmed them all with his eloquent speech. For oratorical ability, descriptive power, and sympathetic appeal and force he thought he was right in saying they had never heard a bettor speech in any part of this country. (Applause.) The reason they recognised that was, that he spoke from his heart, and that he was voicing sentiments not- only of his own country but of many millions of people outside of Ireland, who believed that the present system of ruling Ireland must ho changed. (Applause.) We in New; Zealand recognised that wo wore in a free land and that we were a free people in tho true sens© of tho word, and wore impressed more than ho could indicate that tho solidarity of the Empire, tho knitting together of every pairt of it, was absolutely essential for its preservation against dominant Powers which did not see eye to eye with England. Scotland or Ireland. (Applause.) He desired to announce for the first time that the Government of New Zealand had closed a reciprocal treaty with the recently-created self-governing colonies in South Africa. (Applause.) Ho moved, a cordial vote of thanks to Mr Devlin. Apart altogether from the cause it was supporting, the speech \<ras~ an intellectual treat. The vote was carried with cheers. /archbishop Redwood, who was received with applause, also expressed appreciation of tho earnestness and invincible arguments of Mr Devlin. It ■teemed inconceivable that any man without prejudice could bear those arguments and not bo a firm believer in tho cause of Home Rule. He was raising a groat force of public opinion that must one day carry Home Rule far Ireland. He hoped the grand triumph was near at hand. Mr Devlin having moved a vote-of thanks to. tho Mayor, to Sir Joseph Ward, and Archbishop Redwood, the audience sang the National Anthem and dispersed.