The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-03-10
O'CONNELL'S SPEECH
AT THE
IRISH STATE TRIALS.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8.

Long before the doors of the Queens Bench
were opened this morning they were surrounded by
crowds of persona anxious to obtain admission.
We never saw curiosity excited to such pitch,
and we do not exaggerate when we state that seve-
raj thousands went away who were disappointed in
obtaining places in the galleries and body of the
Court. The arrangements made by the Sheriff
were we'll calculated to maintain order and regula-
rity. At ten o'clock precisely their Lordshps took
their seats the bench, and as soon as the names
of the traversersand jury were called over,
Mr.. O'CoNNELL rose, and, having bowed to the
bench, proceeded to speak as fo,lows -,Gentlemen,
! beg your patient attention whilst endeavor to
show you in as few sentences as possible, and in
my own plain aud prosaic style, my right to dc.
mand favorable verdict at your hands. shall
ask that verdict without disrespect on the one
hand, or f1attery on the other. | shall not appeal
either TO your passions or your feelings, but trust
that shall be able respectfully to show that have
a rieht to ask it in the name of common sense and
common justice, and those being the basis upon
which shall rest, have too high all opinion Of
your understandings to doubt for moment shall
mind that am entitled to your verdict Of acquiual,
and after the brilliant display Of eloquence you
have heard, do not think that would be war.
Taned in trespassng on your attention at any great
whose eloquence you must have been delighted as
we'll as instructed, will not, because cannot,
attempt TO follow them, but shall, TRUST, submit to
home to your understanding and good sense,
and convince you that in anything have done
have transgressed no law, and was act''ated solely
by a, desire to serve my country. Gentlemen Of
the Jury, am here not as my own client Alone
my clients are the people OF lreland-l am here as
counsel for the Irish nation stand here as the ad
vocate OF the rgh's, liberties, and privileges OF
that people; and, my only anxiety 49, that they, or
their rights. should be impeded by any thl2. /
have DONE or by my want of power to sustain t:clr
cause here this day. trust, however, that shall
Al sl,o rxl.t
fer by any proceeding Of which Lave been instru-
mental I am the advocate of Ireland, and the
Irish people-I am Repealer-I avow 1t: | am
conscious Of my integrity OF purpose, and, ten
which has brought me before you this day, the OBJ
ject ] had in view was the Repeal of that Union.
1tell you that cannot bear tit was forced upon
the Irish people by the most foul and unustifable
means that ever a government had recourse to, and
/ have the highest authority for saying so. have
the authority Of one who had seat on that bench,
and who is now In his honored grave promise
you, gentlemen. that will be as brief as possibly
can-and may repeat again, that it would be UNI
fair towards you, after all you have already heard
to attempt to travel over the same ground as those
who went before me. l shall deal in facts, and
those facts will condense as much as possible.
am not here to deny anything that | have done,
or deny anything have said on the contrary !
am here to assert what have often before stated
in other places, at the same time claiming the
right of not being made accountable for the clum-
sy mistakes of newspaper reporters, and newspa-
per speeches squeezed into such compass as might
have suited the convenience of those who published
them No doubt may in the excitement Of mo-
men; have said harsh things OF individuals that,
upon reflection, | would rather had not said but
the substance of all have ever said am now not
Onyready to vindicate, but to relerate again. Thea
as to all my actions, am ready not only to ayox
them, but to justify them All that have done
was in the performance of what believed TO be
a sacred duty, having no other object IN view but
the restoration Of the Irish Parliament, and the
good of the Irish People. was looking for an Irish
Parliament, because found that the irish people
had been cheated of this sacred right. found that
the Union was accomplished at revolutionary Pc
riod-the nation of Europe was disturbed by the
infidel philosophy Of France, and overrun by her
great military force-the dynasty of nations was
changed-prnces were banished and monarchies
overhrown-it was at that period that Ireland Was
robbed of her legislative independence. ! saw that
the day of restoration and regeneration had come
for every country but my own, and summoned
all my energies to arouse the people to obtain what
they lost, by moral, peaceable, and constitutional
MEANS which, believe, were pleasing in the sight
ofHeaven, and ought to be approved of by man.
gentlemen OF the jury, to be ashamed to come in
ere this day TO justify it, know that labor I'M
der great disadvantages; let me not Tor a moment
be understood as saying that they are not such as
not on that account to complain Of them. This is
not the time to discuss how you have been brought
into that box, if the Attorney General has done
ANYTHING that the law did not sanction; but am
here to address plain facts to your sense and under
standing-l am here to speak TO you with courtesy,
but without fdttery; and deceive myself much if
that love OF honesty and fair play, which constitute
the noblest and best part OF our common nature,
shall not be triumphant over all preconceived pre-
JUDGES and that shall have favorable verdict
at your hands. There is great discrepancy Of
on the question OF Repeal; and if you did not you
would not be here to day to try case like this
You differ from me in point of religion; if you did
not, not one Of you would be in that box to-day; if
Ia C.,tb tk,tT L., ILL
not be allowed to Sit in judgment upon me Imay say
that all the differences which exist between us are
aggravated by my being Catholic, and that | have
done more than any other man to put down Protes-
tant ascendancy, of which some Of you were, per-
haps, the champions, and, if not the champions,
you were not the antagonists. This is one great
disadvantage, but II does not terrify me from the
announcement of those general principles Of uni
versal liberty to all in which glory nor docs it
make me feel for moment that my cause shall
not be safe in your hands. glory in what have
done and, being now in the power Of your homes
~ and integrity, appeal to you on these grounds
alone. feel perfectly sure that you will be guided
only by common sense and Justice in your verdict ;
and it is not in any way despairing of your justice
say that would prefer that it had been otherwise
for your own sakes and for mine /; would prefer
that your verdict, whatever 1t may be, should not
be liable to misrepresentation and that infirmity
Of human nature could be supposed TO have any in
fuence in the case. have now done with the sub
lect, and come to the case itself. must say tina,
1never knew Of Il more curious case. 1t certainly
is the strangest case Of which have had any expe-
rcnce it is no. consisting OF one fact, or of
two facts, or of ten facts, but of the history
of nine months You are called on to go
through all the details Of the events which
have taken place in this country during the
last nine months. An enormous mass Of matter is
placed before you-p mass Of matter which defy
the most brilliant understanding so TO investigate
and take in all its important points; those
points which are necessary for forming a ground
and Judgment upOn the whole nj U..e view
Where such quantity OF materials are placed be-
tore IT, the human memory fails, or, what is much
worse than failure, il is opt to forget those facts
and to bear away only those ones which form the
prominent parts of the charge. Therefore, do | ar
ragn this Prosecuon not from any hostility to the
trainers OF IT, but tor the utter impossibiity which
materials the real facts Of the case. on one side
and, on the other, to find out, in word, the rea
question to be tried. Let us see what helm / will