The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-04 00:00:00

IRELAND

DUBLIN, Sept. 3.

A deputation from the English Reform League,
comprising Mr. Edmond Beales, " the distinguished
advocate of Parliamentary Reform," Mr. Ernest
Jones, and some other members of the corps who
usually play minor parts, have favoured this city
with a visit, and made their first appearance before
a Dublin audience last evening. The Irish Reform
League, of whose existence the public are now re-
minded, made arrangements, it appears, to give
Mr. Beales a hospitable reception at the Westland-
row Station, but, by one of those unfortunate acci-
dents to which such bodies are liable, the deputation
which had been appointed to do him special honour
missed him in the crowd. They male the list re-
paration they could offer by waiting upon him after-
wards at the European Hotel. Later in the even-
ing, as the Evening Post announces, " the members
of the League, including Messrs. Stanley, Dillon,
Meehan, Dargan, Richardson, Cooke, Malloy, and
Fagan, came to pay their respects to Mr. Beales.'
A conversation ensued, and Mr. Beales " pledged
himself, on behalf of himself and his colleagues, to
advocate the ballot for Ireland." lie was again
induced to speak by the dexterous proposal of a vote
of thanks. Mr. Beales, in acknowledging the com-
pliment, assured the company that the English
Reform League " observed no distinction whatever
between England and Ireland," and, in strict logical
sequence, added that " England will never be in the
position she ought to be until Ireland entirely occu-
pies an equal position to her with regard to all
national rights, all political and social advantages
of every description." Alluding to events in Ireland
last year, he observed, " Some of your countrymen
had recourse to armed force. lam not here to reflect
upon them or what has been done," but he wished
them to understand that national claims may be
enforced by combined popular action within the
limits of law, wl.ich "no Government or array
of military power in the world can resist."
Ho illustrated this by reference to what he had
himself achieved in London, as to which he was
very explicit :—" I have proved that in London,
when in opposition to all the notices and threats
of the Government, and with the knowledge
of a formidable military force being arrayed to
prevent the people from meeting in Hyde Park, I
persevered, and successfully persevered, in vindicat-
ing the right of the people to meet.there. Because
I was convinced that I was right in law, and in the
strength of the law I led them there, and the Go-
vernment was powerless to resist. Having pursued
that course last year and this year, what was the
result? In one case the Government did interfere
with us in relation to our meetings at Hyde Park,
but on the third day they stepped in and asked me
to save them from revolution. (Cheers.) And if
I had not done so on the 28th of July last year, you
would have had blood rolling from one end of Lon-
don to the other. The request I made was, that
their soldiers and their policemen should be with-
drawn from Hyde Park. That was complied with,
and I myself took many thousands away, simply by
asking them to retire. I did not leave the Park that
night until half-past 11 o'clock, when there was not
a soul in it. " (Applause.)
Mr. Ernest Jones, accompanied by Alderman
Carter, of Leeds, Councillor Murray, of Manchester,
and Mr. F.. Clayton, secretary to the northern
branch of the Reform League, arrived in Dublin at
a later hour on Saturday night, and proceeded to
the European Hotel. They were more fortunate
than Mr. Beales in meeting their Irish friaads on
landing, and a conference was immediately held, the
proceedings of which are reported to have been
most gratifying and cheering. A preliminary
meeting for the purpose of arranging for another
conference yesterday was held on Sunday night at
the samo rendezvous ; The O'Donoghue, M.P.,
presiding. Mr. Beales having been brought to the
front by the congratulations of the chairman, in-
quired whether the Irish Reform League " would
be satisfied as a beginning with the measure passed
for England or agitate for a more liberal measure."
Their English brethren he assured them were deter-
mined to continue the agitation in order to procure
what alone would be satisfactory—namely, residen-
tial and registered manhood suffrage and the ballot.
Mr. Ernest Jones and others also spoke. The de-
putation from the Irish Reform League expressed
their concurrence in the policy of the English body,
and a committee was appointed to make prepara-
tions for the conference. The great event for which
such elaborate arrangements had been made came
off yesterday morning at half-past 12 o'clock in the
Rotunda. The O'Donoghue again took the chair,
and at his suggestion the doors were closed. In the
evening Mr.. Ernest Jones delivered a lecture in the
Round Room of the Rotunda on " Political Liberty,
and why it is needed." It was announced for eight
o'clock, but the room not being then sufficiently
filled the lecturer did not appear till half-past eight.
There was then a considerable portion of the room
unoccupied. The :gallery was reserved for ladies,
but three or four only availed themselves of the
privilege of being present. The O'Donoghue again
occupied the chair. Mr. Jones, who was well re-
ceived on coming forward, bespoke a friendly
hearing by the statement that " he was one of a
people from whose Government this great nation
had received grievous injuries." lie drew a broad
•distinction between the English people and English
Government, and assured his audience that the
people of England sympathised with them, and
were determined to struggle for the redress of every
wrong under which this noble country suffered. lie
denounced the aristocracy, who he said combined
to keep down the people. There were in round
numbers 71,000,000 acres in the three kingdoms.
In 1770 there were 210,000 owners of the land.
In 1856 the number had decreased to 32,000, and
it was still diminishing, while aristocrats, such as
the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Richmond,
and the Marquis of Breadalbane, were the
owners of vast tracts, which extended for
miles. He advocated the repeal of the law of pri-
mogeniture and of entail by the new reformed
Parliament. He also supported the policy of
the League in agitating for residential household
suffrage and the ballot. At the conclusion of the
lecture, Mr. Beales, having been called for, repeated

the account of what he had done for the people of
England. In-returning thanks for a complimentary
resolution Mr. Jones had another opportunity of
addressing the meeting, and further established
himself in their esteem by stating that he had been
a sufferer in the cause of Ireland, having spent two
years in a felon's cell. A vote of thanks to The
O'Donoghue brought the proceedings to a close.

The above conferences and lectures were mere re.

hearsals for a great public meeting which has been
convened for this evening in the theatre of the
Mechanics' Institute.

The Freeman announces that the Roman Catholic
prelates have considered and repudiated Earl Rus-
sell's proposal for the division of the revenues of the
Established Church between Protestant and Roman
Catholics. The Cork Examiner, writing simultane-
ously on the subject, warns all who desire to see the
Church question speedily settled not to imperil their
chance of a happy solution of the difficulty "within,
at the very outside, a few years hence," by seeking
a division of the spoil. The Attorney-General's
scheme for dividing the revenues more equitably
among their recipients, but retaining to the Church
every farthing of its revenues, is characterised as
simply laughable ; but the proposition which comes
from Catholics and Liberals, that the revenues
should be transferred to the Roman Catholic
Church, is deprecated as " more dangerous," and
" one which, though plausible, contains in it
the elements of enormous mischief, if not actual
failure." The writer points out the danger of
alienating the most valuable allies—the voluntaries
of England and Scotland. In reply to the inquiry
to what purpose the revenues of the Estab-
lished Church are to be applied he says :—" Time
enough for that; first get rid of the evil—first
settle the primal question—namely, that the Estab-
lishment must be disendowed—that Protestants and
Catholics shall equally depend for the support of
their respective Churches on the voluntary assist-
ance of their respective congregations. . . Ther e
are many useful purposes to which the revenues of
the Cliurela could be pruatably applied."