MR DAVITT ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 14, 2 August 1895, Page 27

MR DAVITT ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION

Mb Davitt in lecturing at Sydney on Monday evening the Bth inst. ia thus reported by the Freeman's Journal :— Mr Davitr, who had a tremendous reception, the whole audience rising and cheering, began his address by an allusion to the too great importance attached by friends of the Home Rule causa in Australia to the split in the party as it exists at the present time in Ireland and said that there was a tendency to attach too much importance to' the recent defeat of the Home Rule movement by the action of the House of Lords. What did a defeat more or less mean to a cause like Home Rule 1 It had suffered many defeats during the last hundred years, and it had survived them, and would triumph in the end. Speaking of the new Unionist Ministry, which had " so unnecessarily alarmed you here," Mr Davitt said : Lord Salisbury and the Duke of Devonshire are the nominal leaders of tbe party, bat Mr Balfour and Mr Chamberlain will bo the active factors in tbe opposition to Horn* Rule. Well, we have fought Mr Balfour before, and we are prepared to fight him again (cheers). He has tried coercion once (langhter) He rilled Tullamore gaol with his opponents ; but those of them who' did not dit undergoing that ordeal, are to the front again (load cheers) and every one of them will be prepared to go to Tullamore gaol again— if Mr Balfour it politically foolish enough to try that experiment again (cheers). Ido not think be will, and, what is more, I believe that he would honestly desirt, so far as be is concerned' himself, to avoid a resort to a coercive policy in Ireland (hear, hear) I may be wrong in my estimate of the leader of the coalition party in the House of Commons. I may perhaps be a little too generous, but I have studied his character very closely, both in the House of Commons and outßide, during the last three or four years, and I am convinced that when he discovers, as Mr Gladstone discovered, that force is no remedy for the government of Ireland, and that tbe Irish people are not going to be bribed by small concessions into relinquishing their demand

for independence, he will be broad minded enough, and patriotic enough, and honest enough, to give up the fight by means of force, M Mr Gladstone did, aad follow Mr Gladstone's example (cheers). Now, there is another leader in this combination Government about whom lam sorry I cannot speak so generously and so hopefully. I refer to Mr Chamberlain (hisses). No, no ; I don't wknt any display of political feeling. Ih&t does not constitute an argument— (heart hear)— and it does not hurt Mr Chamberlain (laughter). I find from to-day's dispatches that be has succeeded very well in providing for members of his family in ths new arrangement, and I am not snrprised to discover that the Saturday Review and other agents of the Tory party are rinding fault with tbe generous way in which Mr Chamberlain has helped himself and his family at tbe expense of tbe Oarlton Club (Laugbttr and cheers). Trouble has already begun, and that trouble will go on, Mark, my friends, it will not be long before it will be found that Mr Chamberlain cannot well run in harness alongside Lord Salisbury. Some 10 yearß ago they hurled epithetß at each other. Lord Salisbury compared the member for Birmingham to Jack Cade, who was a rather dubious character in ancient English history (laughter). And Mr Chamberlain replied by comparing Lord Salisbury's conduct to tbe conduct of a street bally (laughter). Now they are organised ia opposition to Ireland's demands, but I venture to say that, as 20 similar combinations in the past have failed to arrest the march of tbe Irish cause to victory, so will this coalition fail also to put any permanent obstacle in the way of Home Bule (cheers). I have read hb carefully as the despatches from London would enable me to tbe programme of the new Government, and I can call it nothing but the programme of a Ministry of artful poltical dodgers (cheers and laughter). It bai neither honesty, nor courage, nor political sagacity, nor the elements of success in any one of its proposals or promises' They promise to dodge Home Rule by ofiariDg Ireland some measure which, it is said, win hare some regard fof the privilege of local aelfgovernment in that country. Wei , souaetimes it is said that it is totter to take half a loaf than no breai. If the meaßure of local ■elf-government referred to in the prognnitna of the Coalition Ministry is an honest scheme of national self-government, and is pressed upon us— pressed upon us— by the Coalition Ministry, possibly it will not be refused, but I tell you what will happen if it becomes law. We will turn thirty-two County Councils in Ireland into thirty-two platforms for demanding Home Bule (load cheers). In Great Britain, the Ohamberiain-Balfour combination hope to satisfy the demands of the industrial democracy for social reform by offering working men old age pensions. This is a pet scheme of Mr Chamberlain's, and I will tell you what it amounts to. It means that a working man at the age of 20 shall begin to pay la a week into an insurance fond so that when he reaches the age of 60 be will be entitled for ever and ever afterwards to a pension of 5$ a week (laughter). Ido not expect to find a vary big mjvetnait on he part of the working man Of Australia towards England in orddr tj take advantage of this great scheme (laughter). Bat this is not all that is found in the programme of the new Government. Poor law reform and the relief of the agricultural industry are intended to arrest tbe agitation which has for its object tbe overthrowof land monopoly in Great Britain, as well aq in ireland, and tbe substitution in thatkiagdo.il of the land for the people, and the taxation of land valu^— (cheer3) — md lam perfectly satisfied from my knowledge of the Radices of E iglan 1 the members of the trades unions, and the progressionists generally that they will scout the programme which threatens to arrest this groat system of laad reform (cheers). What ia this relief of the agricultural industry promise 1 by the leaden of the landlord class 1 They propose to relieve the farmers of Great Britain and Ireland by giving them more landlords (Lughter) What the tenant farmers want is leas rent, anJ 1 want to know if it is likely that tbe landlord Government now in power would be so magnanimous and so jmt as to rtduco tha rentals paid by the farmers as to bricg them down to the rents of justice and fair play. No, the landlords are not built that way (laughter). Tho relief of the agricultural industry will simply mean tbe relief of the landlords of England and Ireland (cheers). Then we bave another bait for the agricultural class. Mr Chamberlain Bays that a measure will be brought forward for the exclusion of pauper aliens from Great Britain, This proposal is aimed at the Jews, and I stigmatise it as cowardly and mean, for it is calculated to kindle in England and Ireland that terrible feeling of racial hatred. Tuere are not many Jews in England and Ireland, aad those wh) are trie re are no' found in the gaols and workhouses, bat amongst tbe industrious and law-abiding citizens of the country (cheerß). How in'elhgent and progressive is the policy 1 Englibhmpn excluding a few thousand Jews from England — England that has grabbed countries and continents throughout the civiliied world 1 Englishmen go everywhere where the hope of fortune attracts them -to Africa, to America, to Asia— but a few intelligent, industrious people from the continent of Europe are not to be allowed to come to Great Britain without the permission of Mr Chamberlain and Lord Salisbury (cheers). Alluding to the attitude the coalition Government towards Australia, Mr Davitt ridiculed Mr Chamberlain's promise 'o promote the material prosperity of the colonies as a threadbare pledge made by everybody seeking popula-

rity, and utterly meaningless, and in reference to the statement that Mr Chamberlain would not in any way interfere with oar right to govern ourselves, Mr Davitt B»id plainly and amidst great cheering what would happen if any British Government did make such an attempt.