The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-03-10

out the inoennaoe conspiracy which existed in the
imagination. They give you neither date or time
or place., or position, but FIRST the accounts OF
meetings held, and next, the evidence of that fact
rom volumes OF newspapers We shall consider
each OF these by itself, but would YOU allow me 10
make this observation! AS there is nothing secret.
| and as you know all, ask yon to consider what
wouia tempt me, an old lawyer, TO make public
conspiracy, ana induce the Irish people to enter
| INTO IL! boosted that kept the people from the
| meshes OF the law-that was one Of my boasts.
you heard II read twenty times from nv speeches;
and does one OF you believe, under these circum-
stances, that entered into public conspiracy
| 1t there was anything secret you must saw the
old lawyer saw IT, and ID there one of you can
believe that You may not have as favorable
ter. Yon only know me and my principles through
| the medium OF calumny-but there is not one of
you who can think me such an idiot as to ruin the
cause nearest my heart-the darling object of INV
ambuon-the cause for which refused to GO ON
the bench-the cause for which refused to 60 on
| the bench-thc cause for which refused the office
OF Master OF the Rolls There is, know, ques-
ton whether or not refused the office Of Chief Ba-
ron, but there Is none of my refusal to be Master
OF the Rolls refused the dignity and leisure of
the bench-with an accumulation Of years upon my
head--l Know the short time have to labor in my
vocation. That eternity, and the approach OF that
| Judgment which will consign me to an eternity OF
| veal or woe, cannot be long postponed; and do
you, can YOU Imagine would be SO cruel as to en-
| ter into such conspiracy-nto such gross alb
Surolty! irish gentlemen, put your hands to your
hearts and say-does one of you believe that Par
don me II will make too free with you but spell
out the eleven hours, using your charges as you
may, and say, can you find me guilty Of foul con-
| spracy? Your verdict may strike met may shor-
ten the Few days have yet before me-but it can
| am entitled to your verdict But, perhaps, gentle
men,, the Attorney General wants you to believe
that am consplrator, without knowing it, like
| man that has stumbled into pit in the dark
But all occurred in the open day, and could not
| tall without knowing It, II you believe anything
you must believe that am a consPrator, without
my own knowledge, and there can be no guilt with
out guilty intention. But scorn to rest my de-
renee upon patry point of law The thing is too
plain, too simple, 10 require it. 1t is new inven-
tion on this side OF the water some person here
mas been dreaming OF It this imaginary conspiracy
Is now resting on your minds without the slightest
PARTICLE OF reality. Would slavery have been abol-
lshed at the present moment If its advocates had
entered into conspiracy? and yet they held their
public meetings, and by those meetings made for
| themselves bitter and unrelenting enemies. There
never was more formidable, party than the West
Indian party IN England, and they might have taken
the newspapers, and from the reports given of their
proce edings have with equal proprety, have prose
cuied them for a cOnspiracy-they should have in
dicted Wllberforce, who has written his name
ad1ocap,es e' Of OF ssS"%y
and who will nt yer be fOIgotseD, whst a feeling
In favor OF humanity exists he should have been
indicted tor conspiracy. The venerable ClarksoD,
too, Is yet alive and upon the principle should
still be prosecuted ASA cOnspirator. Convictus, and
he not tree Ia his old age, Don't take away, gen.
ltmep, the only hope we have OF giving expression
drive om the rsht Of ree VGi
names Of Wilberforce, and Clarkson, | corure you
to dismiss from your box every attempt to shut GU.
tree discussion. Ia reference to the abolition OF
slavery, Jolce 10 Say that was s::arer IN that
| movement; and though humble ard ungiit,d as I
am, had the honor 10 belong to that conspiracy BY
which slavery was abolished q. ! certainly did pour
out the lava OF my Indignation upon the support r.
| OF that vile system II this doctrine of conspiracy
| had sooner been found our, suppose we would al
the rrrscnt duy .~c the same cruelty aud ferocIty
| carrie on towards the negro population but it WIS
the Heaven.descended Inspiration OF bold hun,s ni.
~ that has established the resd dom OF WhaI
would become OF the reform IN parliament! Would
( 1t have been given US as far as we have got 1t,
" would we now be promised another reform by the
Queens speech, had it not been for these large public
meetings! For Catholic emancipation, before il
was granted, We held equally large meetings, and
| there was an eminent lawyer at that day-and |
hope the attorney General will not imagine that |
| mean HIM any dlsrespect when say that he was
| his superior-who had as strong antipathy TO
| that measure-l mean William Saurin. He watch
ed us, and he was defeated trial that he pro-
I secuted: but he never thought Of turning il into
| prosecution for conspiracy. | was tried at that
| time for words had spoken; but was never tried
tor "a conspiracy; we had our parish meetings, and
our county meetings. on the 18th of January, 1899,
! there was what may term simultaneous meeting
held in every parish in Ireland at the moment;
| and would not that have been evidence of con-
| spracy, II what you are now called upon to believe
| is sufficient evidence! Upon that day every parish
resolved that they would never give up the agita-
| ton OF the question until their object accom-
piished. II was reserved, however, tor the present
| Attorney-General to discover that those meetings
| were evidence Ut conspiracy. There is very
serious question for. discussion at present in
England that question is for the purpose Of
| Obtaining cheap bread for the poor. II am not
going to enter into that subject now, gentlemen al
though am fully prepared to dose. We have been
| charged with having collected money: the Anti
| Corn Law League and the Anli-Slavery Society
have both collected money also; and the Anti
| Corn Law League have been charged with pcen-
diaism, and other illegal acts, which am far from
charging them with; but similar charges have ne
yer been attributed to U.S. Is this precedent TO be
sent over to England, and the agitation to obtain
cheap bread Tor the poor to be turned into vile
conspiracy! No, gentlemen, the Englishmen are
| safe There Will not be a Juror sworn in Eng and
to try the case. was hooking and testing with
you when said Englishmen were in danger They
will be protected by their own Jury and all that
we ask or require Is, that our Jury will protect us,
In this mode will redress for the English people
be worked out, despite of those who are now
uneasy in the enjoyment OF their nonopolies under
the accumulated weight OF public opinion A
celebrated French author says-and | do not quote
him IN approval of the conduct of the French. for
no man abhors more sincerely and more intensely
than do their infidel repubcanism-o of their
luton with rose water" He would effect it by
blood. j. on the contrary, by the peaceful influence
OF public opinion, employing not rose water, but
| genuine lr1sh spirit as one OF my Ingredients
|
cIinery of the evidence brought forward to sustain
this indictment There have been two classes of
evidence-if am not wrong in using the express
sion-submItted to You by the Attorney General
monster meetings and newspaper publications
will take up the consideration of each separately.
am not here to deny that those meetings took
place. admit that they were muliitudinous, va
| rying in their numbers from tens of thousands TO
hundreds of thousands 1t has been said
somewhere that the magnitude alone of a
meeting makes it illegal. | will not discuss
that question; do not attach 70 much weight to
the opinion as to consider il worthy of discussion
admit that those meetings took place--that they
were most nnmerously attended, and boast of il
ask was there any life of man, woman or chi Id
or even OF any animal, lost nj any of those meet
Ings You will unanimously answer, no, not one
ask, was any man, woman or child struck, detain
ed or assaulted aud you will again answer, no, moi
one. Any person injured not one Was there
any female, young or old, treated with indecacy
al euaeah M cQuducf1 nat H.