BALFOUR AND TIPPERARY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 13, 25 July 1890, Page 7

BALFOUR AND TIPPERARY.

(United Ireland, May 31.)

Or all the outrageous things done by Mr. Balfour in Ireland, the 11 suppression " of the public meeting in Tipperary last Sunday was the worst. It was a barefaced attempt at preventing Members of Parliament from addressing their own constituents, and to strike down the right of public meeting in a place where only a couple of weeks ago English public men were associated with Irish public men in the work of addressing public meetings. However, this wild endeavour to differentiate between Englishmen and Irishmen has been resented by Tipperary in right manly fashion. In the teeth of baton and bayonet the people met last Sunday and asserted the right which Mr. Balfour said they must not enjoy. The efforts of the Tipperarymen were gallantly seconded by the men of Cork, Limerick, Waterford, and other diatant places. Large numbers of these arrived by the various railway routes converging on Limerick Junction ; and here, it being a place directly covered by the Castle proclamation, the first great meetiog of the day was held. The facr tLat Mr. John Dillon was to make his first speech in Ireland since his return from the Antipodes at this proclaimed meeting helped to swell the concourse immensely ; and when the hon. member arrived in company with his colleagues — Mr. William O'Brien, Mr. John O'Connor, Mr. T. Harrington, Mr. P. J. O'Brien.Mr. Kilbride, and Mr. HarrieoD.at the Junction,their appearance was the signal for a tremendous outburst of enthusiasm. It was determined to hold a meeting there and then, and Father O'Dwyer, of Sologhead, was moved to the chair. A foice of police which was present attempted to stop the demonstration, but their efforts were entirely futile. Mr. Dillon was the first to speak, and he dwelt forcibly upon the solid results which the present movement had achieved for the Irish people as contrasted with the fruitless though splendid efforts of the past. Mr. William O'Brien, Mr. John O'Connor, Mr. P, J. O'Brien, and Mr. Harrington also addressed the meeting in epeeches breathing defiance to Mr. Balfour and rejoicing over his defeat. Then the assembled thousands moved off in loose processional order towards the town of Tipperary, which they found strongly occupied by the forces of Colonel caddell. Mr. Dillon, accompanied by Mr. T. P. Gill, was the first to arrive, and, being joined by some friends and colleagues, was| conversing with them on the Square when the party was set upon by a gang of p >lice, who threatened them with batons. The crowds who followed the waggonette containing the other members of Parliament were several times attacked by squads of policemen when approaching the town, and scenes of great violence and excitement were witnessed. The casualties were, however, all things considered, not very Berious. The peoole and their representatives carried their point and vindicated the great constitutional right of public meeting despite the utmost efforts of brute force to restrain them.

Tuesday's proceedings at Cashel were a decided improvement, from an Express reporter point of view. Exasperated at their failure on Sunday, the Government took measures to avenge their defeat. The first step was the proclamation of the meeting convened at Cashel, and to give the mandate due effect a force of 160 police was drafted into the famous City of the Kings, backed up by a troop of hussars. While this miniature army held possession of the Rock and its approaches, Messrs. Dillon and O'Brien were holding a great meeting at Barry sford, a short distance outside the town. This business, which was carried through thoroughly, being over, Ihe river was crossed and another meeting was formed at Boherlahan Here a email party of police, under the charge of a head-constable,

were concentrated, and these made an attempt to interfere with the meeting. The people, however, stood their ground, and the police,

thinking discretion the better part of valour for the nonce, desisted from their baton exercise. After a short time, however, seeing reinforcements arrive, they resumed operations with great brutality. Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Brien, who, with several priests and other gentlemen, threw themselves between the batonmen and the people and endeavoured to shield the unarmed victims of this violence, were both struck. Despite their efforts a great many were badly beaten, and blood flowed freely. In Cashel, later on, similar scenes were enacted. Besides baton charges by the polios there were sabre

by the hussars, and many helpless persons — old men, women, Aid children — were beaten in the most cowardly manner by the police — Struck down first, and beaten again and kicked by the savage mercenaries who disgrace the name and blood of Irishmen for a little miserable extra pay. About fifty persons sustained injuries, and half of that number were wounded so seriously that they were obliged to seek surgical assistance. The renowned Irish Constabulary ■Uipaßsed themselves on this occasion, so that the Freeman's Journal

is driven to comparing their conduct to that of the Hessians in the days of the Great Rebellion. Tnis is hardly fair to the Hessians, for they were foreign mercenaries let loose in a land where there was actual war. Our valiant baton and buckshot men are natives of the soil, earning their blood-money by warring upon their own kindied in a time of profound peace. They are more like Royal Irish Cossacks than Royal Irish Constabulary.