WHAT LUKE DILLON SAYS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 2, 3 May 1889, Page 20

WHAT LUKE DILLON SAYS.

Luke Dillon, a prominent member of the Clan-na-Gael of Philadelphia, when interviewed by a Press reporter, said : —

" I never neard of this fellow Ls Caron until he took the witness stand in London. He haß testified that Messrs. Eg in, Devoy, Morris, C >nnor, and myself were together at a convention that ordered the protection of Lomasney's family. That is a lie. No convention ever made such an order. Such a statement is a lie on its face. It would be manifestly foolish for a convention to make such an order. I know that Lomasney's family cever received any assistance from an Irith organisation as such, although funds were raised for them by friends and by subscription. It haß never beenshovm that Loaaasney attempted to blow up the bridge. " The so-called dynamite outrages were never committel by the order of any of our organisations. We don't work that way as yet. At the eime time wedon't apologise for them. lam glad every time I hear of one, and I »m ashamed of Irishmen who pose as apologists for these outrages. lam putting it very mildly when I say that nineteaths of liish- Americans believe in extreme measures to bring about the freedom of lieland. They believe that Irishmen should fight for tht-ir lib-ity as this country uid when it was m the same bondage. Wi' hav • all followed Parnell and supported him to see what coneissions the English would make. lam glad they have made no co iot>BM >ns. Before ace opting their terms I would be in favour of paying the passage of every lush mail, woman, and child to this country and let them all become good Americau citizens.

" If Parnell's plan was accepted the Irish would «irnp!y become Englishmen living in Ireland. We aie not righting simply to better the condition of the Irish people but for nationality. We want to point to a country of liishmen, not of English serfs. We want independence and wo want tD he able to point to a fatheiland like a German, a Frenchman, or an Ameiican. While the Nationalists will do their utmost to aid any good measure looking to the betterment of the condition of the Insn people our ultimate aim is that of absolv e independence.

'• Whiie I havesai I that we do not order the use of dynamite, it is a question why we shoald not retort to the same medium that this country is now spending thousands of dollars (or engines to throw this same explosive at their enemies. I ha\c watched the testimony of this fellow Beach, or Lc Caron, carefully, «nd I estimate that abodt 95 per cent of his stories are lie*. There is no doubt, however, but that ke knows something. lie is certainly acquainted with a great many men interested in the cause and he may have belonged to one ot oar organisations. All of the apparently important testimony, however, ia clearly manufactured."