The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-03-14

from volumes of newspapers. We shall consider
each Of these by itself, but would you allow me to
make this observaton1 AS there Is nothing secret,
and as you know all, ! ask you to consider what
would tempt me, an old lawyer, to make public
conspiracy, and induce the Irish people to enter
into lit boosted that ! kept the people from the
You heard it read twenty times from nv speeches;
and does one OF you believe, under these circum-
stances, that entered into public conspiracy !!
" mere was anything secret you must say the
believe hiatt You may not have as favorable
an opinion of me those who know me bet
ter. You only know me and my. principles through
inc meoium OF caiumny-but there is not one OF
cause nearest my heart-the darling object of INV
ambition-the Cause for which / refused to 90 on
the bench-the cause for which refused to 60 on
the bench-the cause for which refused the Office
of Master OF the Rolls There is, know, a ques-
ton whether not refused the office Of Chiei 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-I 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
ter into such conspracy-into such a gross abb
surdity Irish gentlemen, put your hands to your
hearts and say-does one Of you believe that Par
don me if ! will make too free with you; but spell
out the eleven hours, using your charges as you
NAV, and say, can you find me guilty Of foul con-
spracy9 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 a conspiratOr, without knowing it, like
man that has stumbled into pit in the dark.
fall without knowing it. If you believe anything
you must believe that am conspirator, without
my own knowledge, and there can be no guilt with
out guilty intention. But scorn to rest my de-
fa aItrxn ell oVsyt l.
plain, too simple, 10 require it, 1t is new inven-
ton on this side OF the water; some person here
has been dreaming Of it ; this imaginary conspiracy
is now resting on yoIr m11ds WITHOUT the slightest
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
proceedings have, with equal proprey, have prose.
dic,ed Wilbertorce, who has written his name
upon the most prominent pages Of history,
as the strenuous advocate of freedom
and VINO will never be- forgotten, whilst feeling
IN favor OF humanity exists he SHOULD have been
ind ced for conspiracy. The venerable Carkson,
too, yet alive, and upon the same principle should
still be prosecuted as consplrator. Convictus, and
he is not free in his old age, Don't take away, gen.
LINEN, the only hope we have oil giving expression
to our wishes, our wan's, or our grievances, and
drive from us the right oi free discussion By the
names Of WHEREFORE, and Clarksop, corjure you
to dismiss from your box every attempt to shut Ou.
free discussion In reference TO the abolition OF
slavery, lrjo'ce to say tina, was s::arer III that
movement; and though humble al ungitt,d as
am, had The honor 10 belong to that conspiracy by
which slavery was abolish d. / certainly did pour
out the lava of my Indignation upon the supportt rs
Of that vile system j this doctrlne of conspiracy
had sooner been found our, suppose we would ut
the present day see the came cruelty and city
carrit on towards The negro population but il was
the acknowledgements inspiration Of b,ld HUMANE
~ that has established the tree dom Of man What
would become Of the reform IN parliament? Would
il have been given US as far as we have got il,
Or would we now De PROMISED another reform by The
Qusens soeech had il not been Tor these large putlc
meetings? For Catholic emancipation, before ii
was granted, We held equally large meetings, and
there was an eminent lawyer at that day-and l
hope the Attorney-General will not imagine that
mean him any disrespect when l say that he was
his superior-who had as strong an antipathy to
that measure-I mean William Saurn. He watch
ed us, and he was defeated trial that he pro-
but he never thought of turning it into a
prosecution for conspiracy. l was tried at that
time for words had spoken; but was never tried
for conspiracy; we had our parish meetings, AVID
our county meetings; on the 18th ofJanuary, 1929,
held in every parish in Ireland at the same moment;
and would not that have been evidence of con-
spiracy,. il what you now called upon to believe
is sufficient evidence? Upon that day every parish
ton Of the question until their object was accom-
plished. 1t was reserved however, for the present
Attorney: General to discover that those meetings
were evidence OF a conspiracy. There is very
serious question for discussion at present in
England that question IS for the purpose of
cheap bread for the poor am not
going to enter into that subject now, gentlemen, al
though am fully prepared to 90 So We have been
Corn Law League and the Anti-Slavery Society
have both collected money also; and the Anti
Corn Law League have been charged with ipcen-
diarism. and other illegal acts, which am far from
charging them with; but similar charges have ne
yer been attributed TO us. Is this precedent to be
sent over to England, and the agitation to obtain
cheap bread tor the poor TO be turned into vile
No, gentlemen, the Englishmen are
safe. There will not be juror sworn in England
to try the case was knocking 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 u.s.
In this mode will redress for the English people
be worked out, despite of those who are now
uneasy IN the enjoyment OF their monopoies 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 infdel republicanism-one of their
gre at men has said that g you cannot make revo-
luton with rose water" He would effect it by
blood on the contrary, by the peaceful influence
OF public opinion, Employing not rose water, but
genuine lrish SPIN as one OF my ingredients
\lJauSnter i come now 10 CONSIDER the ma
cbinery Of the evidence brought forward to sustain
this indictment There have been two classes of
evidence-if am not wrong in using the express
to you by the Attorney General
monster meetings and newspaper publications. l
will take up the consideration of each separately.
am not here to deny that those meetings took
place. admit that they were multitudinous, va
ryng in their numbers from tens of thousands to
hundreds OF thousands. 1t has been said
that the magnitude alone of
meeting makes it illegal. will not discuss
that question; do not attach SO much weight to
| admit that those meetings took place-that they
were most numerously attended, and boast of it.
ask was there any life of man, woman or child,
or even OF any animal, lost at any OF those meet
Ings? You will unanimously answer, no, not one.
ask, was any man, woman or child struck detain-
ed or assaulted and you will again answer no, not
one. Any person injured not one. Was there
any female, young or old, treated with ipdelicacy
of speech or conduct! not one Was there single
shilling's worth of properly Destroyed or njuredn