T. P. O'CONNOR, M.P., ON "IRISH BLACKGUARDS."

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 447, 4 November 1881, Page 20

T. P. O'CONNOR, M.P., ON "IRISH BLACKGUARDS."

Spbakino at Strabane recently, Mr. T. P. O'Connor, M.P. for Galway, in the course of a long and eloquent speech said : Who, and what gave you the Land Act? Was it Gladstone ? was it Bright? was it Hartington, or Buckshot Foster ? (Groans.) You know very well what names should be on the back of the bill. I will tell you the names that should be on the back of it. First of all Michael Davitt (cheers) ; secondly, Charles Stewart Parnell (cheers) ; thirdly, John Dillon (cheers) : and I tell you what it is, the Ulster Liberal members, the English Government, the English Press, and the English people know as well as I do that it was these three men got you a Land Bill. (Cheers.) And it was not the leaders alone that got you this Land Bill — it was the courage, the constancy, the fidelity, it was the principle animating the Irish tenant-farmers. (Cheers.) Well, don't you think you could get a little more if you would try ? A Voice : Yes, through you. Mr. O'Connor: Don't, say through me. You must do it through yourselves. You are getting a chance to-day. (Cheers.) You have no right to expect us to waste the best years of our lives in your service if you are not willing to show your appreciation by being true to your country and your own interests. Now about this Land Bill. Englishmen are very much disgusted with the Irish members — I mean what they call the Parnallite lot. They say, " How different are these men from the former Irish members. Why, twenty or thirty years ago we had Irish gentlemen in Parliament, but now we have nothing but Parnallites, Obstructionists, and the like." Well now about twenty years ago there was what is called a respectable Irish party in the House of Commons. They did not give the Government any trouble ; they did not make 125 speeches against the Coercion Bill, they did not want night sittings, they did nothing that was not in the mildest language — they were a thoroughly genteel party. Oue was John Sadlier and the other James Sadlier, and the third Edmond O" Flaherty, and the |fourth William K>ogh. (Groans.) Thone wer« the days when they had Irish gentlemen in Parliament truly. (Laughter.) John Sadlier first committed forgery aDd then poisoned himself. James Sadlie' 1 forged and had to be kicked out of the House of Cammons. Edmond O'Flaherty robbed, and then fled to the Unite'l State?. William Keogh (groans) was nearly as bad as the rest, and being a " respectable " gentlemen the Government placed him on the bench. (Groans.) j don't know whether you would like to go back to that state of things. (Never.) I don't know whether you want a respectable or gentlemanly party of suicide forgers, or robbers, or wish rather to put up with those '■ blackguards " like Parnell, Healy and myself. (Cheers for Parnell.)