THE COUNTY CONVENTIONS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 46, 8 March 1889, Page 13

THE COUNTY CONVENTIONS.

♦ (The Nation, January 12.) The County Conventions which have been already held in various parts of the country have been productive of important result*.— Representative meetings of such a character must necessarily weld the people more compactly together, and enable them to face the common enemy with more confidence and determination. The latest of these gatherings was held on Wednesday in Naas, and was attended by a large body of delegates, representing all the branches of the Iribh National League \n the county Kildare. Mr. William O'BneD, wiio was voted to the chair on this occision, made the declaration that in his belief, there is not a county in Ireland where the tenantfarmers have been more mercilessly exterminated from the good laud, or where they have been more mercilessly rack-rented on the bad lands than tbey had been in Kild>re. Mr. O'Bne 1 said that the besetiiDg misfortune of lush history has been that while one dis rict *as fighting another whs asleep, whereas, he added, if the wbole thirty-two counties of Ireland had been got to ttnke together we would have been spared many a miserable ceutury of bondage and degrade ion. Alluding to the men of (Jlongorey, the speakersaid that the thanks of the Irish people were due to these brave men who have been keeping the flag Hying at the maßt-head, ani who have nailed it th re tc-day more determinedly than ever. Mr. O Bnen, in conclusion, observed that " if the Irish people, going on confronting resolutely in that spirit— aod I, tor one, have never had the smallest tear 10 the world but that they will go on, and I have lesa fear of it now than 1 ever ha iin ray life before— if they go on in that spirit, if tbey enable u% or those who come after us— because *c are, like our friends the magistrates. 'itmovablf-R '—it tbey enable the men, whoever they may be, who for the moment have the responsibility of these matters, to make eviction wb*t it is at this moment, a word of teiror and nun to the rack-renters— if they enable us. as they have enabled us up to the piebeut, to maka a secure and comfortable provision for every tenant that is evicted in the course of this struggle, why thei we cm soe our way to seeing this thing out to the bitter end in Ulongor.'y, in Luggarcurrai, in any other place where the lardlords may choose to carry on iceir devil's work.' We can see our way totiat; and even if this Parliament clings to life to the very last minute of the labt hour until the Septennial Act will toll i s "death-knell, we can Bie our way to bhfflj Mr. Ralfour's malic. We can see our way to keeping Ireland crimeless an.i to keep it unconquerert. and to carry on thissruggle thiouga weal or woe until the general election enables us to appeal to the Englith peop'e, and to ask them to reward the unparalleled pUienca and fortitude and cruel sutler nes of the lush people by releasing us for ever from the woiee than Egyptian bondage that has kept this unhappy country for many a century, and that bas filled this island with tears an t i with miseiy and with dmffectioo. ' A moat significant feature in the proceedings at Naas was the large attendance of clergymen at the couvention. One of the litter gentlemen, the Rev. Mr. Kinsella, r'.P., in moving a vote oi thanks to Mr. O'Brien, gave a history of the Cionsjorey case, and appealed to the' con vent ion tosuppoit the tenantry on that estate ; while the Rev. Father Hugben, at ci having observed that the priests of tne county haJ nu cause to hesitate in using up m one mm iv defence of the tenantry, added that sj far as he was peisoually concerned he would feel that he would be like the Lev.te who p<sse.i »/ .he man who had fallen among thieves if he did not stand f lrward to the as sintance of the unintry in their straits— a remaik which was received with vociferous applause. We congratulate Father Hughes on th« outspokea spirit ' of ii ue patriotism which permeates his entire speech. Lis u.,t la a cruel crisis like the pr, sent that ill" voice ot the pnecthood sbouM be ' sueao d. The Irish clergy have been In land s bist friends l a moments | of danger. And it is encouraging to hear at times like the present

The Kildare Coaventioa came to the wise &n* practical conlcuaioa of starting a fund for the evicted tenants in that coaaty. Following Wexford in this instatce, Kildare will be recderiag very valuable assistance to the National cause. The wounded companions who fongbt the fight with land'ordism must not bo forgottaa. The very knowledge cf the fact that those who are thrown out of their homeSteads are looted after and provided for by their countrymen will stay the hand of many an evic'or and accelerate the fall of landlordism. Wexford and Kildare are just now setting an example which it would be well for the other counties in Ireland where evictions are rife to follow. It is only by standing shou'.der to shoulder in this struggle and by assistance rendered and received that the people can ever hope to solve the agrarian problem. We trust that the county conventions which will follow that juat held in Kildare will be guided by the same patriotic spirit, and be every whit as practical in its scope and operations.