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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 4, 24 October 1890, Page 27

tonal dishonesty, he now says that I am a liar (oh), and in the following way :— He says that the main subject of controversy between himself and myself bas been Ignored both by tbe Freem&ris Journal and the speakers at the Limerick meeting. And what is the main subject of controversy now according to the bishop ? That I had assfiied the Sovereign Pontiff in foul and offensive language, and he say Jfene language was so bad and indefensible " that Mr. Dillon had theiiardihood to deny that he pver spoke a whole sentence in which the poison was centred." Well, I did deny it, and the Bishop of Limerick, having absolved me of personal dishonesty, practically calls me a liar, because he thinks that I did insult the Sovereign Pontiff. The morning after the speech was delivered I wrote to the papers to ■ay that the whole of my speech was directed— as the context proves — to the actiom of the Tory Government in carrying oq a base intrigue with Borne, and that I had not uttered one word in disrespect of the Sovereign Pontiff, and I went further and I said this— that if any language of mine uttered in the heat of debate in the House of Commons is open to such construction, I now state that no such meaning ever entered into my mind, and that my language was entirely addressed to the action of Lord Salisbury and Mr. Balfour (applause). Bey. Dean Mahony, Sydney— l heard it, Mr. Dillon ; you are perfectly correct. Mr. Dillon, lam very much obliged. An unexpected confirmation, for which I am most grateful, has come from one whom I will call a warm personal friend of my own — one of the most respected and venerated prieste in Australia (applause)— who was sitting uader tbe gallery in the House of Commons and listening to my speech. I aak you, what other meaning could be attached to it ? (hear hear). The context of tbe speech proves what was in my mind. I o order to avoid the possibility of a public scamdal I went so far as to siy that if anything had escaped' from my lips which could be twisted into the meaning of the charge Bishop O'Dwyer speaks of, I stated no such meaning entered into my mind, but that what I state! was directed at tbe intrigues of English agents in Borne ; and I do and I shali denounce tbe intrigues which are going on at this hour, which are fraught with infinite danger to the Catholic religion of this country, and which I say it is the duty of priests and Catholic laymen alike in this country to guard against and watch (applause). Bishop O'Dwyer has plainly stated as the basis on which this letter was written that I falsely stated to the people of this country that I made no assault upon the Sovereign Pontiff. I leave it to the Judgment of the Irish people whether I did not do all I could to remove tbe possibility of misconception arising on this most important point (hear hear). I ask your special Attention to this portion of his letter. I affirm, and I do so in cool blood, I am prepare i to defend the proposition that no more outrageous insult has ever been levelled against the whole Catholic episcopacy in Ireland and the pries's, not to speak of the laity, than is contained in this letter of Dr. O'Dwyer. He says that " for the future the sacred person of the Vicar of Christ will be held above all attacks. That alone is something gained." Nobody §aid a word disresp-ctful of him as a bishop. I never did (applause). It is not my business to criticise him. The bishop goes on to stale, " That alone is something gained ; and although you m*y think very lowly of me as a bishop I assure you in all honesty that I regard it as a result worth all the annoyance of achieving it." What does that mean ? It means that I, speaking as the representative of a Catholic Irish conatituency, assailed in the British Houseof Commons the Sovereign Pontiff, the Head of our Cburch, and that there wag Dot found in Ireland one hishop, arebbiahop, or priest to defend the person of the Pope against my assault except Bishop O'Dwyer. In that letter it contained the cnarge that Dr. Croke (applause), tbe Archbishop of Tuam and Armagh, stood silently by while I iasulted the Pope, and never uttered a word in condemnation of the insult ; that the v ovoreign Pootifl had no champion in the whole of Ireland except Dr. O'Dwyer. I would feel a more bitter depth of humiliation tban any Irish Catholic has ever beeD subjected to if the Sovereign Pontiff, the Hei»d of our Church, had to look to Dr. O'Dwyer alone a man of so little inflnence amongst his people— that he and the Delmeges were the only defenders and the only champions of the Pope. I say that in all the cruel history of insults aad outrages levelled against the Church and the prelates of the Church no more cruel insult was ev.-r levelled against them than that the bishops stood silently by whilst tbe Head of tbe Church waß assailed with opprobrium and insult. The bishop then goes on to illustrate what he objects to. He says that the legend pianted prominently on the banner in the procession at Limerick was " our religion from Rome ; our politics from home." I adopt these words (loud cheera) ; and I say they ought to be the words of every Catholic in this country, be he bishop, priest, or layman. I say it will bean evil day for the Oathohc religion in this country, and an evil day for the Irish race, when the bishops of Ireland find fault with such words hs these (cheers). He also says that that priociple was the bists of all the speeches made at Limerick and " Mr. O'Brien's scandalous speech at Manchester." " May I ask theae gentlemen," he write?, " what they mean by religion from Rome, and politics from home/" I answer the bishop by saying that what we mean is what O'Connell meant when he used precisely the same expression (c.ieers). Let me point out, too, that while O'Connell was fighting the great aud hard battle which bas been the cbacter of tbe liberty of tbe liisb Church— l mean the battle against the Veto, which has preserved the Catholic Church in Ireland from many of the misfortunes which have overtaken it in Continental countries — he waa denounced by "Trttbolic biehops just as lam (cheers). There was a much s ronger reason for denouncing O'Connell. And why ? Btcause this policy of ours is not a question at all of Church discipline. We are merely asserting the right of the Irish representatives to carry on the po.itical movement perfectly free from outside control (cheers). But O'Conuell used these words, for which we are denounce! because they appeared oq a bbnner in a procession in which we took part, in jeierence to a question of Church discipline, in which he considered the liberties of tbe Irish Church were at stake, and therefore bis wor s were much stronger. There ia one other point in reference to mis very valuable letter, Ha says no man in Ireland has more reverence

for Dr. Oroka and Dr. Walsh tban ha has. I don't think ha has adopted a very wise way of Bhowin; it. He has endeavoured, so far as he could, to pat them in a very cruel position. He has held them up before the people of Ireland as tacit asaentors to insult levelled against the Holy See. In my humble judgment, it would have been, wiser for his own sake, and ceitainly he would have spared much pain in this Catholic country, bad he left those who are his seniors ia the Irish Church, who were bishops long before his name was heard of, and who are the leaders of the Irish Church, to defend the HolySee, if the Holy See needed defence (hear, hear). I can only saythat the day will never arise when the H >ly See needs defence in Catholic Ireland (cheers;. While we are determined to show to the world that we are independent in our politics — that we will not consent to have our political concerns made the subject of English intrigues either here in Ireland or in any other part of the world — we, tbe Catholic laymen of Ireland, have proved in other ways and by greater sacrifice than is contained in the expenditure of printer's ink, that we are faithful to tbe Head of tbe Cburch (loud cheers). We have been faithful to the Cburch when it meant death and ruin in the past ; we shall be faithful to the Church in the fnture ; and I venture to say that those of us who are strong Irish Catholics will be found, if ever a time of trial arises, as faithful as those that Dr. O'Dwyer calls" his crowd " (renewed cheers). Having referred to the Olensbarrold dispute, Mr. Dillon continued : — Well, gentlemen, I felt compelled to make these observations in defence of our movement. That movement, I believe, ia a movement based on justice and on one of the highest principles which can comoine together mankind— that is, on mutual loyalty (applause). It is a movement which had done more to elevate the social condition and, politically, to emancipate the people of Ireland in tea years than all the gallant sacrifices of the previous hundred years (applause). So long as I retain the confidence of aa Irish conatituency, so long shall I continue to preach these principles to the people of Ireland until the accursed load of landlordism and foreign-made laws is rolled from off the necks of our people, and until in tbe fertile plains and beautiful hills of this noble country and of all broad Ireland tbe industrious people who till the land and who create the wealth of the country shall be enabled to live in plenty on the soil of their own land, and not ba driven in tens of thousands to seek a home in foreign countries (loud cheers). And this I will only say in conclusion, that I repeat once more the challenge which his lordship in his letter to-day refuses to meet. If he has fault to find with our methods and our policy let him propose better methods (applause), Does he mean to say that at this hour of the day, after all tbe years of misery and suffering, the Irish race are go ng to turn back from the path of progress, and bow their necka agaia under the hated yoke which we have nearly broken into fragments (cheers), and that the Delmeges, the Hosfords, and the Clarinas, are once more to lord it over tbe people of this country ? b'or my p»rt, if the people of Ireland were so misguided and slavish as that my course would be an exceedingly easy one ; and I can asaure his lordship he would have no more trouble with tbe self-seeking politician called John Dillon. I should vanish from Irish politics and from Irish soil. I should ba ashamed to take part with people who, having seen the goal and the aim of their agitation almost realised, should suddenly be conscience-stricken in using boycotting against liiah landlordism (applause). I believe the conscience of the Irish people is pure in this matter (applause). I believe toe Irish people will continue this policy aa long as the necessity arises (applause), It ia a blessing to the people of Ireland, and it will be their salvation (^ renewed applause) ; and, ia spite of the condemnation of Bibbop O'D *ryer, J believe they will continue to use that weapon until they bring to paas the complete emancipation of their race (prolonged applause).