The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-01 00:00:00

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IRELAND.
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DUBLIN, TUESDAY MORNING.
THE RECENT EXECUTION IN NENAGH—EXTRAORDI-
NARY MEETING.
The agitation of the Roma CalholicprceSts.of Nei-Agin •
with the object of proeing the two Cormacks intnienteof
the murder of Mr. Ellis, for which they were executcle has:
•
at length come to a head. Soon atter these unfortunate men .
were hanged, the priets publicly proclaimed them from tLe
altar to be martyrs, and ever since systematic efforts have '
not been wanting to spread this opinion, and so sueces,fut
was the effort, that the jurymen who convicted the
weeks were on more than one occasion subjected to violence,
and their property destroyed. The Romish preob -of -
rary, too, took the same side as the clergy, and dent
Mr. Whiteside in violent terms, accusing him
being the legal murderer of the Cormacks,
declared, were victimised to appease the
lords. Not content with giving currency to these
founded statements, the Romish clergy have resolved
petition Parliament for an inquiry into the manner in
the Cormacks were tried, the nature of the evidt
which they were convicted, and the method of admit
ing the criminal law generally. Accordingly an ope
demonstration, got up by the Rev. John Kenyon, P.l
" repeal" notoriety, was held in Nenagh yesterday, the re-
quisition on which it was convened running thus :
" TRIAL OF THE CORMACES—COUNTI MEETING
REQUISITION. •
" We the undersigned inhabitants of the county of Tip-
perary, impressed with a deep sense of the responsibility in-
curred by those who wield the administration of criminal
law in Ireland, to which the peace, the character, the in-
dustry, and the lives of the people are consigned, request a-
public meeting of this county at Nenagh, on Monday, 30th
August, to pronounce its deliberate opinions on the facts
connected with the sad fate of the Cormacks, and to embody
those facts in a petition to Parliament, seeking a searching
inquiry into the case, and also into the method of adminis-
tering the criminal law generally."
There was an immense gathering of priests present. The
site of the meeting, so far as the making of an impression on
those assembled was concerned, was a striking one. A
large platform was erected on a broad triangular space,
opposite the court-house, and within sight of the "drop"
from whence the Cormacks were ushered into eternity.
The Nenagh temperance band played occasionally through
the day, though not of course after the commencement of
the proceedings ; but about 11 o'clock it preceded a consi-
derable crowd outside the town to meet The O'Donoghoe,
M.P. The trades' banners of the town were also brought
into requisition, and these, having been used in the
O'Donoghoe escort, were fastened to the poles which
supported the temporary platform. In Church-street a
black flag was to be seen waving over the chimney of a
ruined cabin, bearing in white letters the inscription,
" Justice." From the tower of the old castle in the
vicinity of the platform a large black flag was hoisted.
bearing in large characters the inscription, " Retribution ;"
but after a short time this was taken down, and another
black flag run up in in its stead with the inscription, In
gaol until you ret,' alleging to have been words used by Mr.
Gore G. Jones, R.M., to the approver Burke whilst in pri-
son, if he did not tell what he knew of the murder of Mr.
Ellis. Amongst the flags on the platform was a green
one, bearing the words, " Welcome to Tipperary The
O'Donoghoe, her chosen chief."
On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Morris, the chair was
taken by The O'Donoghoe, M.P.
The Chairman said—People of Tipperary, it is with feel-
ings of great pride and satisfaction that I take the chair at
so numerous and respectable a meeting as that which I eel
around me representing the strength, the patriotism, the
religion, and manhood of ancient Tipperary—(loud cheers)
—coming forward in one great multitudinous mass to de-
mand even-handed justice for the rich and for the poor.
Cheers.) lam sorry that the subject which has brought us
together to-day should be one of so melancholy a nature • but
it is one which has attracted the attention not merely Of the
people of all parts of Ireland, but of the people of England
and Scot land as we!l—(cheers)—aud I believe that the result
of the determination which has been shown to sift and to in-
vestigate all the circumstances connected with the arrest,
with the imprisonment, and with the execution of the un-
fortunate Cormacks—(loud cheers)—will be the means of
bringing about a change in the criminal law which will
prevent the poor man who stands in the dock—(hear, bear,
and cheers)—from being made the victim of a judge who
may be zealous, and very anxious to show what he can
do, but forgets that evenhanded and impartial justice
which should he the characteristic of every one
sitting on the judical bench. (Cheers.) No matter who
may be at the helm—no matter who may hold the helm-
of the State—whether they be Whigs, or whether they
are like the present men—Tories—we will make them do
justice to the people. (Loud cheering.) There are, I know
well enough, in the present Government—l believe the
Irish portion of the present Government—l believe that
Mr. Attorney-General Whiteside, and Lord Nees, too—
(eroans)-1 believe that they are Orangemen. (Groans.)
1 believe that if they could they would crush to the e
the frieze-coated sons of Ireland. (A Voice : —"a
for them)—(feud groans)—but, please Ge' ...ee groans
do that. (Never, and loud cheer
they never shall
-of opinion—two newsee— They have two organs
and say that they e-- ~.ers who advocate their cause;
_ zealous patriots. I don't know where
it,1,,05,e men ',min their opinions of Irish politics; I don't
...esv where they have formed their opinions of the Irish
people ; I don't know where they have learned to
judge of the feelings of the Irish people, but they have
learned it, no doubt, within the precincts and under the
shadow of the Castle of Dublin. But, as I have often said
and thought, these who want really to know what are the
feelings of the Irish people with regard to politics, with
regard to religion, with regard to anything affecting
the interests of Ireland, they must leave the shadow
of the Castle of Dublin to come down into the country,
and they could not come to a better place than into the
middle, into the heart of Tipperary. (Loud cheers.)
Though we have Orangemen at the helm of affairs we will
demand justice for Ireland. Who are the Orangemen? Are
they the Catholics of Ireland? No. Are they the Protest-
ants of Ireland? No. Who then and what are they ? They are
a miserable set of isolated political fanatics, cut off from all
sympathy with those in the midst of whom they dwell. I
will tell you what they think themselves to be. They think
themselves to be a garrison in the midst of this country,
to change if they can the ancient religion of our forefathers
—(cries of" Never !")—and to drive our poor people across
the ocean to America or to Australia. If you were to bear
what these Orangemen say of you—if you were to read their
newspapers—you would suppose that they could govern Ire-
land, whereas the fact is that in the three great provinces of
Munster, Connaught, and Leinster there is not one single
place where Orangeism in the face of day dare to erect a
platform and proclaim its opinions. (Cries of " No, nor
never shall !") Even in the north of Ireland they cannot
hold their meetings either, but are afraid to trust themselves
beyond the narrow limits of a back parlour. I say, then, no
matter whether they be Orangemen or not, they must do
justice to Ireland, and they must allow us to investigate and
sift this matter to the bottom—(hear, hear, and cheers)—
and they shall not screen from just opprobrium and indig-
nation those officials who, in their zeal to earn the wages
of the State, forget the justice that should be meted to
the people. (Cheers.) It was with no small feeling of pride
and gratification that in the House of Commons I found
myself' standing up on this question and asking in the name
of the people of Tipperary that justice should be done to
the murdered Cormacks. (Loud cheering.) Over arid over
again I brought it forward in the house, and I must say—
for it is the truth, with some exceptions, with some honour-
able exceptions—that tale of horror, for it was nothing less,
fell coldly on the ears of the English House of Commons.
(Cheers.) Mr.Attorney-General Whiteside—(groans)—got
up to answer what I bad stated, and the statements and
insinuations which be made with regard to the state of
Tipperary would have led any reasonable man who impli-
citly believed Mr. Whiteside, and who knew nothing of
the state of Ireland, to conclude that it was a service
of danger even to walk in the streets; he would have
led them to believe that a man might as well have lived
on the frontiers of Caffraria as in Tipperary. (Oh, and
laughter.) But the only way to make the people feel a re- ,
spect for life is to make them see, and to impress upon them
the fact that their lives are as; dear to the State as the lives
of any others in Ireland—(cheers)—and that the poor
frieze-coated man and the man who wears broadcloth ouelit
to be treated in the same manner. I shall now let) ou hear
the resolutions which have been drawn up, and which are
to be presented to the House of Commons, and I think that
they are such as every patriotic Irishman who wishes well
to his country—they are such as every reasonable man must
assent to. The chairman retired amidst loud and continued
applause.
Mr. Thomas L. Cambie briefly proposed the first reso-
lion, as follows ;—" That as the taking away of human life is
the highest responsibility assutnedhy human law, the English
constitution in committing the power of life or death to the '
judgment of a few individuals, has jealously provided_
precaution, that, in the words of a recognised authority,
when the subject shall happen to he summoned to the decision
of his fate by time fallible conscience of a few of his fellow crea-
tures, he may always find in them advocates and never
adversaries—that a partisan magistracy, witnesses of.doubt-
ful veracity, or proven sinister character, a grand jury
of long-cherished prejudices, a petit jury of known hostility,
are each and all antagonistic to the spirit and letter of said
constitution, and consequently must ever produce deep-
rooted discontent, making of the court and its different
forms a tribunal inspiring public distrust instead of public
confidence. That such have frequently been the characte-
ristic features which have marked the administration of
justice in this country; aggravated lately by the still more
unconstitutional anomaly of a judge acting adversely to
the accused, thus teaching the people to regard the law as
its enemy and not as its protector."
The Rev. John Kenyon, of Templederry, on coming for-
ward to second the resolution was received with loud eheer-
ing. He said—Fellow-countrymen, the strongest feeling
which I experience at finding myself among a meeting of
Tipperary men assembled to petition the British Parliament
for some fragment of justice is a feeling of shame. (Hear,
hear.) lam indignant with myself, for I thought I could
never descend so low. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Time was in
Ireland when the priests in Ireland, aye, and the bishops of
Ireland too, would scorn to petition the Saxon Parliament.
(Loud cheers.) Men of Tipperary I am here to tell you not to
put your faith in Parliament or in petitions. A fragment of
justice we may endeavour to get ; they may condescend,
in a mere matter between man and man ; that is just pos-
sible, that is all. More than that, if you expect—it you ex-
pect real justice, universal justice—you shall be surely dis-
appointed. The English Parliament and the English
Government are not concerned for you. They may admi-
nister justice to their own people, but you are a foreign
people. They have their heels up®n your necks and
their hands in your pockets, but they have no no-
tion of dispensing justice to you. (Cheers.) Men of Tip-
perary, we arc met here for other purposes too. We will
petition Parliament—even I will demean myself so far for
that little fragment ofjustice, because I believe it to be pos-
sible; but I would not deceive you in the least by making
you believe that any real justice can be hod by that means.
(Hear, hear.) Yes, Mr. Chairman, justice is a thing for
which the soul of man thirsts. We all love justice, and
Irishmen pre-eminently love it. On the face of the broad
earth stands or sits not a being more noble,
approaching
closer, soaring higher into an equality with the Great Creator
of tin world than ajustjudp Administering justice. (Cheere.)